The female Black Widow spider is shiny black and has a reddish hourglass marking on her abdomen, which can be readily seen because she usually hangs in her web with her abdomen facing up. Her body is about ½ inch long (1½ inches when her legs are extended). She may live for more than a year, and sometimes kills the male shortly after mating. She lays several batches of eggs (up to 750 in one sac) each summer. Black Widows like to nest in dimly-lit, sheltered places such as garages, storage sheds, the base of outdoor spas, children’s playhouses, etc.

If bitten by a Black Widow spider, the venom will cause abdominal pain similar to appendicitis, as well as pain in muscles or the soles of feet. Other symptoms include paralysis of the diaphragm, profuse sweating and swollen eyelids.

Black Widow spiders produce a system reaction because their venom is a neurotoxin. The female Black Widow spider is the most venomous spider in North America (its venom is 15 times as toxic as that of the Prairie Rattlesnake). All stages of both the male and female are venomous (even the egg sacs).

CONTROL:  A monthly maintenance service is recommended if you have Black Widows or other spiders in your home or yard. Some spiders drift through the air on breezes, attached to a line of silk, then crawl into protected areas to nest.