Does anyone know anything about Black Widows

I think my husband found one a huge one on our door this morning.

I don't know if it is though. I has red on its underbelly, but it just doesn't look like an hourglass shape to me. More like two rectangles.

Also are they this far North? I am in North Idaho and I always thought it was too cold up here.

I like spiders but not venemous spiders hanging out on my door where my kids go in and out of all day.

I don't believe they are in your area. Im not 100% sure so becareful, but I have known them to be in the Southern California range, not Idaho.

We found this black widow in some grapes from Sobeys in Canada...
So they can sometimes do a little bit of travel but I dont know much about them really... Don't let it bite ya!


https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...lbatSobeys.jpg

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...dowSpider3.jpg

You can find them in the northern states even in wisconsin and up into maine.

I will have to get pics of her. She is pretty big. She is still alive though. I thought my husband was going to have a heart attack.

I just didn't think they'd be up this far.

Oh here is another good picture of it...
Just to help you see what they look like I guess...

http://www.ball-pythons.net/gallery/...0/IMG_4823.JPG

I'm afraid of spiders AHHH!

Yeah see the hourglass on this girl is really hard to see. I had to pick her up with old feeding tongs to actually see the hourglass.

Hopefully she didn't lay any eggs :eek:

My husband is so freaked out. He was shuddering walking out the door. He is so terrified of spiders. I am not too worried about getting bit myself, due to what I have read. I am more worried about my dogs and my kids.

in the apartment that i used to live in i found one behind a pillow on the ottoman that my cat always slept on. a few days later i was moving things around on the porch and found and infestation. lesson: if you get boxes of 1500 crickets for your geckos every 2 weeks, don't empty them into the cricket tub on your porch because spiders love catching the escapees. :shudder:

Oh I didn't even think of that. I keep my crickets inside in a closet with all my extra supplies. Now I don't want to go up there and get them out.

I have so many spiders in this house. At least once a day I kill one spider. I don't mind the little house spiders that live in my plants, they kill off other bugs. We have huge Hobo spiders. After being bitten by one and having a gaping hole in my leg I despise those things, and we have wolf spiders. The hobo spiders are the worst though, they like to chase me across the kitchen floor.

I am going to go get some diatomashus (sp?) earth today and put it every where.

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Originally Posted by Kristy

Yeah see the hourglass on this girl is really hard to see. I had to pick her up with old feeding tongs to actually see the hourglass.

Hopefully she didn't lay any eggs :eek:

My husband is so freaked out. He was shuddering walking out the door. He is so terrified of spiders. I am not too worried about getting bit myself, due to what I have read. I am more worried about my dogs and my kids.

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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:

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.

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Originally Posted by Purrrfect9

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.

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Where we go there is a old bridge and a lot of rocks. LOTS of insects for her to eat. Hardly anyone ever goes out there so I think it will be safe. I will walk her away from the fishing area where we fish though.

wow! i always forget how beautiful black widows are! and i really don't like spiders! lol. we found one in our doorway a few years ago and i just sat and stared at it for a few minutes while everyone else was freaking out trying to figure out what to do! lol! i think they ended up taking her down by the creek.

There most certainly are widows in your state. Heck, we have them up here in NW Washington.

Given the time of year, the spider is likely a male looking for a mate.
They do not lay egg sacs until spring.
The best thing to do would be to catch the little dude in a cup and take him out away from your home and release him.
Also, keep in mind that there are several different species of Latrodectus. They don't all have the "hourglass" that they are known for. In addition, the younger they are, the more different they will look.
Every Lat. species has the "widow" markings, but they don't always look like the perceived perfect hourglass.

Widows are great little spiders. My husband and I have kept them for many years in captivity. Great little bugs! :D

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Originally Posted by Shadowspider

There most certainly are widows in your state. Heck, we have them up here in NW Washington.

Given the time of year, the spider is likely a male looking for a mate.
They do not lay egg sacs until spring.
The best thing to do would be to catch the little dude in a cup and take him out away from your home and release him.
Also, keep in mind that there are several different species of Latrodectus. They don't all have the "hourglass" that they are known for. In addition, the younger they are, the more different they will look.
Every Lat. species has the "widow" markings, but they don't always look like the perceived perfect hourglass.

Widows are great little spiders. My husband and I have kept them for many years in captivity. Great little bugs! :D

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She is very cool. I am almost 100% sure she is Latrodectus Hesperus. She has somewhat of an hourglass but its more like rectangle shapes. I would keep her if my husband wasn't terrified of spiders. I also have a 4 year old and 2 year old. My 4 year old son, who I call my future entomologist would definitely NOT leave it alone. He can name the Latin names of a huge variety of bugs and reptiles. I swear the kids going to end up in the amazon someday discovering new species of insects :D Hopefully I will get to go a long for the ride.

They sure are beautiful spiders and just to look at them you just know that the thing is all business!

Speaking of spiders, my buddy and his wife just went on a cross country trip through the south/midwest. They rented a cabin one night and he ended up getting bit by a brown recluse on his ankle. It's been over 3 weeks and he still has a huge gaping hole in his ankle that drains an incredible amount of liquid. He thinks he may need skin graphs in the near future. Nasty stuff for sure! :O

I love spiders but I also respect them as I would Mamba or Gaboon.

:O Did he seek medical attention?
L. reclusa can indeed give some nasty bites!

Widows are indeed beautiful. It's a shame that they are dying off and no one can figure out why. :(

Now I'm sure there are some who will read that and start jumping for joy. :P

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Originally Posted by Shadowspider

:O Did he seek medical attention?
L. reclusa can indeed give some nasty bites!

Widows are indeed beautiful. It's a shame that they are dying off and no one can figure out why. :(

Now I'm sure there are some who will read that and start jumping for joy. :P

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What do you mean dying off? Do you have an article I could read on that? I am interested now. I have been following the Honey Bee story since they started.

Unfotunately she did die last night. I think she injured her back legs as she was dragging them around. She didn't look so good when I caught her in the first place.

I was hoping to take her out and release her.

There is quite a bit of research currently going on around the nation with Latrodectus. I'll have to go look through my husband's stuff to find some of the research, findings, etc. on the various species and their seemingly dwindling hardiness, shorter life spans and failure to thrive.

About 2 years ago we had a dozen s'lings we were raising. All were healthy, kept in proper environments etc. and yet they all ended up dying before reaching adulthood. :(
It hasn't been determined yet as to why various species are not thriving like they use to even as little as 10 years ago, thus the mystery continues.

*shudder* Woh... I'm from West Texas, so I know a lot about widows and recluses. Not to mention the fact that they TERRIFY me cause I'm arachnophobic. They're neat enough to look at when behind glass :)

Two interesting stories connected to those guys.
When I had a dog, she lived on the porch of our older brick house. TO give her some warmth we gave her a doghouse. She used it for a while but stopped suddenly and wouldn't go near it. One day my mom and I were spraying down the porch and mom moved the doghouse. A literal stream of black widows - mostly hatchlings but a few larger and one massive female - poured out across the pavement. Of course, I screamed and RAN inside to curl up on the couch as mom sprayed them all away into the grass with the hose.
At that same house, we had an old wooden picnic table for a while, which the adults used to sit at during a party once. A few days after said party, my mom noticed a painful to the touch blister on one finger. When it turned red around the edges, she went in to get it looked at and ended up getting a bunch of shots and the diagnosis of Brown Recluse bite. Apparently my family has a rather high tolerance for spider and bee venom cause that bite never really went past a blister...but still...

We try to catch and release spiders we find inside (or rather, my BF does), cause even tho I freak out at them I still respect them.

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Originally Posted by Shadowspider

There is quite a bit of research currently going on around the nation with Latrodectus. I'll have to go look through my husband's stuff to find some of the research, findings, etc. on the various species and their seemingly dwindling hardiness, shorter life spans and failure to thrive.

About 2 years ago we had a dozen s'lings we were raising. All were healthy, kept in proper environments etc. and yet they all ended up dying before reaching adulthood. :(
It hasn't been determined yet as to why various species are not thriving like they use to even as little as 10 years ago, thus the mystery continues.

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Thats really interesting. I don't know if you heard anything about Honey Bee's vanishing but they think it may be a virus.

I wonder if its something like that? Although you'd think it would work a lot faster.

Always makes me wonder ho much we affect insects alone with all of our pesticide/insecticides.

I also agree with the respect thing. Even if it is an animal I fear I wouldn't kill it out of fear. Unless it was hurting me or my family. I have to much respect for nature.

Cougars is my fear. I am terrified of them. When we go fishing I am constantly watching my back. Seems like they are everywhere around here lately.

Yes, I have heard about the honey bees. Sad too that this has been going on for several years. :(
We NEED honey bees (and not just for yummy honey for my tea :D).
My husband HATES bees of any and all kinds. He swears up and down that they are all out to get him. LOL
It's kind of funny because he's the one who isn't weirded out by anything "buggy" but if a bee gets in the house, he goes running and I have to chase it back outside.

@Argentra
If it was a recluse bite that did that little amount of "damage", it was likely a dry bite.
There is a huge difference between the potency and chemical composition of bee stings and true spider bites, a spider bite generally being a lot worse than a bee or wasp sting if venom is injected.

hmm... good point. I've seen pictures and heard plenty of stories about what real recluse bites look like from working at the zoo. Bleah, they're not pretty.

No, they're not! :O
I lived the majority of my life in Southern New Mexico so spiders, tarantulas, scorpions, snakes and just about anything that can sting or bite and inject venom is old hat for me.
I've been *very* fortunate (knocks on wood) to NOT have been bitten by a widow or recluse.
The bite may have been by a baby spider also.... ya never know. :D