Black widow spiders strike fear in the hearts of many people around the world. Many people are fearful of all spiders because they don't know how to identify one species of spider from another. By educating yourself on how to identify a black widow spider you can avoid coming into contact with one. But you don't have to be overly terrified of these or any other species of spider. They are an important part of controlling the populations of other insects and arachnids that are much more bothersome to humans.

The venom possessed by the black widow spider is more potent than several species of venomous snake. However, it is rare for an otherwise healthy human to die from a black widow spider bite. People can develop a serious and even deadly allergic reaction to the venom injected from a bite, but this doesn't happen very often. The venom when injected into a human causes pain and severe swelling near the bite site and surrounding tissues. In severe cases, nerves are damaged by the venom and the proper flow of blood to a finger or toe can be restricted causing a loss of feeling or ability to move the affected appendage. Sometimes this allows for gangrene to set in, and the affected finger or toe is amputated to prevent the rest of the body from becoming toxic.

Birds and other small predators can eat black widow spiders without being killed or paralyzed by the toxicity of the venom. But many of them decide this is one meal that is best passed up because ingesting these spiders, often causes them much stomach distress. Black widow spiders wear a warning label that many would be predators have learned to identify and use to avoid these spiders. The same warning label can be used by humans to identify black widow spiders and thus avoid them whenever possible.

Heed the Warning Label

Female black widow spiders are bigger than their male counterparts. The female has a glossy black coloring on her body except on her belly she has an hourglass shape that is an orange to red coloring. Typically, they also have a red or another brightly colored dot located near the spinnerets. This is her warning label to predators and humans that she carries powerful venom. A female black widow spider can grow to a size as big as 1 ? inches. Male black widow spiders are not as big as the females. They have longer legs but usually have half the body size in comparison to female black widow spiders. Males are a dark brown and do not have an hourglass shape on their bellies. But they do have a an orange to reddish colored stripe on the belly and a similarly colored dot near the spinnerets

Teenage female black widow spiders have brightly colored marking on their backs that will be exchanged for a glossy black bodysuit once adulthood is reached. The purpose of this coloring on the back is to alert predators that she is a venomous spider while she is walking on the ground in search of the location where she will establish her web network. Male spiders can also display such coloring on their backs, but they do so to signal to females that they are interested in mating.

Did you know?

Some people assume that spiders only live one season and then die off and another generation of spiders takes their place. A female black widow spider can live as long as five years, while a male spider typically has a lifespan of about two and a half years. Female black widow spiders lay their eggs during summer, depositing them into silk sacs. They can produce enough eggs for 5 to 9 egg sacs per summer with 100-500 eggs in each sac. Only about a third of these infant spiders survive to adulthood due to predators and environmental conditions such as a lack of food and habitat.

The webs of black widow spiders are most often located near the ground, unlike other species of spiders that prefer to build their webs up higher. Inside homes, most spiders prefer the dark dampness found in most basements. They not only build their webs on rafters but can build web networks under washer and dryers and even inside large wall cracks.

Seek Medical Treatment for a Bite

If you do receive a bite from a black widow spider, seek medical attention as soon as possible. Even if you are not sure what kind of spider has just bitten you, it is a good idea to head to your doctor or the emergency department for medical attention.

Black widow spider anti-venom has been developed to counteract the affects of the venom that has been injected into the body by a bite. Receiving this anti-venom as soon after a bite as possible can significantly decrease the severity of the reaction you can experience from a black widow spider bite.