Does anyone know anything about Black Widows

Now thats what I call going out with a bang!
Isn't the bite almost like a bee sting... maybe a bit more painful?
Can't really kill ya thought eh???

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Originally Posted by sw204me

Spiders usually stay with the egg sack once they lay it to protect it, which is odd cause when the young actually do hatch they eat a lot of the babies. So I wouldn't worry too much about eggs. I have only seen one black widow in person and never saw another, and just think, if she did mate, you have one less black widow to worry about cause the females eat the males after mating.... :8:

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yea def don't let it bite you... but you probably already knew that. it can cause some excruciating pain, and the worst part, the anti-venom is sometimes as fatal as a bite to some people.

Johnny,
there has only been one reported case of someone dying by a black widow bite since 1990, and another died from the anti venom. before the anti venom the death toll was in the 60's, so it is defiantly worse then a bee sting. especially for children, elderly, and people with compromised immune systems. it's venom is 15 times more potent then a rattlesnake's venom, just to give you an idea.

A bite from as black widow can actually go unnoticed and you may not even know you been bitten till you become really ill, it can kill you, although its rare for it to get that severe, here some quick facts about em:

* The local pain may be followed by localized or generalized severe muscle cramps, abdominal pain, weakness, and tremor. In severe cases, nausea, vomiting, faintness, dizziness, chest pain, and respiratory difficulties may follow.

* The severity of the reaction can depend on the age and physical condition of the person bitten. Children and the elderly are more seriously affected than young adults.

* In some cases, abdominal pain may mimic such conditions as appendicitis or gallbladder problems. Chest pain may be mistaken for a heart attack.

* Blood pressure and heart rate may be elevated.

* People rarely die from a black widow's bite. Life-threatening reactions are generally seen only in small children and the elderly.


Short list of symptoms:
* Painful rigid abdomen
* Severe diffuse muscle pains
* Excessive salivation
* Sweating
* Nausea/vomiting
* Breathing difficulties
* Headaches
* Weakness
* Anxiety

Getting bit by one would really suck, but you could be far worse off...for example, if you got bitten by a brown recluse....ya, your in some really serious trouble.

Don't worry I won't let it bite me. Not after my last spider bite. I didn't feel that one, didn't even notice it until I looked down and saw the red swelling.

I am waiting for my camera batteries to charge so I can get a good pic of it. Its not going to be easy though. I think her back legs are broken cause she is just dragging them around.

I can't believe how big she is, I always thought they were small spiders. Well compared to some I have seen she is small :D

You definately don't want to get bitten by a black widow. I saw a show recently on (I think) the Discovery Channel where a boy got bit by a black widow between his toes and man it looked painful!! He was swollen everywhere, especially on his face, and where the bite was the doctors could barely even touch the area without the kid crying in pain. And his poor parents, they had to make a decision between him staying in the hospital and riding it out (which would take about a week or 2) or using the anti-venom, which is dangerous in itself due to possible allergic reactions to it, but would relieve all the symptoms almost immediately.

Here's some general info on black widows from this website:
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/black...article_em.htm

That site goes further in depth on medical treatment and such.


The black widow is a medium-sized spider whose body is about a half-inch long. The name is derived from the mistaken belief that the female invariably kills the male after mating. Two species are common to the United States.


The southern black widow has the shiny, black, globular abdomen with the distinctive red hourglass on the underside.


The northern black widow has a row of red spots down the middle of the upper surface of its abdomen and 2 crosswise bars on the undersurface. Just to make things interesting, the markings can also be yellow or white, and the spider itself may be brown or have red legs.


Black widow spiders are nocturnal and, thus, are active at night. They prefer dark corners or crevices. They are said to avoid human dwellings, but you can find them in such areas as outhouses and garages. Only the female black widow bites humans, and she bites only when disturbed.


If one of your kiddo's/dogs does happen to get bit by it, you need to pressure wrap the whole limb to keep the venom from spreading. Like, if you kid gets bit on the finger, just go ahead and wrap up the whole arm and go to the ER.

I just killed a few black widows :sabduel: this morning. They are all over the place, like Emily said got crickets, got spiders. I have had them in the house, yard, green house. They die just like any other bug. I don't sweat it, just wack em or spray'em. Next?

I have her in a container so she doesn't bite anyone. I don't want to kill her though, she is awesome looking and so big. I also don't want to release her here hear the houses.

We are going fishing tomorrow (yay gonna catch some BIG trout from the river) I would like to release her there way out in the middle of nowhere. Do you guys thing she will survive long enough to make it out there?

Here are some pics.

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a3...i/DSCF3234.jpg

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a3...i/DSCF3233.jpg

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a3...i/DSCF3232.jpg

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a3...i/DSCF3231.jpg

This was the best shot I could get of the hourglass. I wasn't about to try and flip her over and hold her there lol

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a3...i/DSCF3235.jpg

Yup, that's definately a black widow. Umm, I would imagine that a pond/lake would be a great spot for her, especally if you can find an area with a lot of insects.