A black widow spider is the most venomous spider found in the United States. The black widow spider belongs to the family Theridiidae and their scientific name is Latrodectus mactans. Black widow spiders are predominantly found in the western and southern parts of the United States. The male spiders are smaller than the females and the females are more harmful. A black widow spider’s web is an irregular tangled mesh that is normally built in any dark area protected from the weather.
- Black Widow Spider: This site provides good introduction on black widow spiders.
- Black Widow Spider-Overview: Here, an overview of the black widow spider is given briefly.
- Black Widow Spiders-FAQ: This site provides all the details about black widow spiders in the FAQ format.
- Black Widows- Photos: Here, a clear picture of a black widow and baby black widow is shown.
- Black Widow: Site containing basic introduction on black widow spiders with pictures.
Description
The black widow spider has a shiny, coal black color body. The female spiders are 8 to 13mm in length and have a round abdomen with long slender legs. The underside of the female abdomen is in the form of red hourglass and has red spots over their spinnerets. The male spiders are 3-4 mm in length with a lengthened abdomen and their legs are larger than females. The young spiderlings are normally orange, white, and brown in color.
- Black Widow Spiders - Description: This site provides good descriptions of the size and color of the black widow.
- Description: The size, color, and body of the black widow are clearly explained in an understandable format.
- Latrodectus Mactans: Introduction: This site provides a clear explanation of the physical appearance of the black widow, including size and color.
- Spider Bites: Here, the look of a male and female black widow is clearly explained.
- Cobweb Spiders: This site provides a general description on male and female black widow spiders.
Habitat
The black widow spider usually lives in dark, sheltered places such as hollow logs, under bushes, loose stones, firewood piles, under furniture, shoes, boxes, false ceiling areas, and barns. Black widow spiders live in the warmer regions of the world of latitude 45 degrees North and South. They are found in all four deserts of the American Southwest region.
- Black Widow Spider Distribution: This site provides a quick glance of black widow distribution.
- Black Widow Habitat: This site provides common living places of black widow spiders.
- Black Widow: Here, various locations and places where black widows can be found are given.
- Black Widow Range and Habitat: This site provides the range and habitat of the black widow spiders.
- Black Widow Geographical Range: This site provides the geographical locations and habitat of the widow spiders.
Life Cycle
The female spiders lay eggs in sacs that are round in shape and approximately ½ inch in diameter. Each sac contains about 300-400 eggs and normally, 4-9 egg sacs are produced during summer. After the egg incubation period, about 1-12 young spiderlings survive. The eggs are hatched inside the sac and the spiderlings are dispersed through ballooning. The female spiders mature after 92 days from the emergence, whereas a male matures after 71 days. After maturing, females live for about 179 days longer and males live for 30 days longer.
- Black Widow Life Cycle: Here, the full life cycle and growth of a black widow spider is given with clear explanations.
- Life History: The life cycle and habits of the black widow is given in an understandable format.
Types of Damage
Black widow spiders are not aggressive and if bitten, the pain occurs only after one to eight hours. The venom of the black widow affects the nervous functionality and causes dizziness, blurred vision, nausea, and difficulties in breathing. Serious complications and death are very rare with black widow bites. If bitten, a doctor may give a specific antivenin or calcium gluconate to counteract the poison.
- Venomous Bites: Here, the effect of the venom, severity of the bites and the treatments involved are given with a clear explanation.
- Black Widow Bite: This site provides information on black widow bites, symptoms, and treatments.
- Black Widow Treatment: This site gives a clear explanation on the insect bites, signs of pain, and medicines.
Control
Here are few control measures: always handle firewood with gloves, seal all the cracks and crevices in the house, sweep with a stiff broom to remove webbings, and clean shoes before putting them on.
- Control Measures: This site provides non-chemical and chemical control measures for black widow spiders.
- Control: Here, simple tips to prevent black widow bites are given.
- Prevention: Here, basic preventive measures from black widow bites are given.
Interesting Facts
Here are a few interesting facts about black widow spiders: the female spiders eat males after mating, the female rarely leaves her web, the female bites using her large fangs, males are smaller than females, and black widow spiders are normally shy and found in seldom distributed places.
- Amazing Facts: Here are some amazing facts about black widow spiders with good pictures.
- Black Widow Spiders - Facts: This site provides interesting facts about widow spiders with neat pictures.
Written by Michael S. Atwood