Black Widow (Latrodectus Hesperus)

The Black Widow spider is also known as the Hourglass Spider and the Shoe Button spider. The Black Widow spider is indigenous to North America.

The Black Widow spider is also known as the Hourglass Spider and the Shoe Button spider. The Black Widow spider is indigenous to North America. There are a number of species of Black Widows in all sorts of areas in the United States. The Black Widow is in a class of arthropods called Arachnida.

Description and Characteristics

• Shiny and jet-black
• Adult body is about ½ inch in length
• Large and round abdomen
• Has 2 body segments and 8 legs
• Has a red hourglass marking on the underside of its abdomen
• Irregular and tangled web with no pattern
• Web is very sticky and extremely strong
• Egg sacks are about ½ inch (silken balls of white or tan)
• Very poor eyesight
• Very venomous

Habits

Black Widow spiders are often found in residential homes, farms, and other buildings. Black Widows can be found in outdoor locations such as under decks, patio furniture, barbeques, pool equipment, wood and debris piles, rock walls, trash cans, and other areas of clutter. Black Widows in the home can happen as well.

Black Widow spiders are shy and tend to build their webs in dark places. They like to hide in nearby secluded spots during the daylight hours and move to the center of the web at night to wait for their prey.

Diet

Black Widows eat live insects and at times other spiders. Black Widow spiders do not eat solid food. They will bite their prey injecting venom and paralyzing it, then inject an enzyme that liquefies the inside of its victim in order for them to suck out the nutrients.

Reproduction

Contrary to popular belief, the female does not always eat her mate; in fact, most males live to mate another day.

The female can produce 4 to 9 egg sacks per year. Each sack will have an average of 300 to 400 spiderlings. Although the typical number of spiderlings is very high, the survival rate is low due to cannibalism among them.

It takes about 4 months to reach adulthood from the time of hatching. Spiderlings disperse after leaving the egg through ballooning, which consists of climbing high, releasing silk, and traveling by wind to other areas. The average lifespan is 6 months to 1 year but can be longer.

Venom

The Black Widow is the most venomous spider in the U.S. and other parts of the world. In fact, Black Widow venom is 15 times more toxic than that of the rattlesnake. However, the amount of venom a Black Widow produces is very small. Additionally, Black Widows are not aggressive spiders and prefer to be left alone.

The female will be more protective of her egg sack hanging in the web and more likely to attack. Most Black Widow bites are the result of accidental contact or defense.

Black Widow venom is a neurotoxin and will affect your nervous system. Deaths are very rare. In most cases, a Black Widow bite will make you very sick, almost like a bad flu. The most common symptoms include extreme pain around the bite site, painful muscle spasms, nausea, fever, and difficulty breathing.

Most of the symptoms will resolve within a few days. Children, compromised, and the elderly are more at risk. Keep in mind that not all bites result in the injection of venom. Seek medical attention when bitten by a Black Widow.

Although deaths are very rare, people do die from Black Widow bites.