Alpha Ecological Blog


Learning about Black Widow Spiders

Date: August 20, 2007 / Posted by: Admin AH / Customer Care Did you know?

The venom of a black widow is actually 15 times as poisonous as the venom of a rattlesnake!

Black Widow Spiders are usually found around wood piles, under eaves, in boxes, and other undisturbed places. They prefer to nest near the ground in dark places.

Indoors, the Black Widows like the same dark, undisturbed places like a basement, garage, crawl space and even behind furniture or under desks! Female Black Widows are about 1 ½ inches across and have a shiny black body with a distinctive red hourglass shape under their abdomens. The males are much smaller, with longer legs and red and yellow markings. Although just the mention of this spider's name makes you shudder, they are not aggressive spiders and rarely bite. The bites usually occur when someone brushes against the web or accidentally crushes it. The Black Widow Spider bites are painful and potentially dangerous because they contain poison that attacks the nervous system. Their venom is actually 15 times as poisonous as the venom of a rattlesnake! Because of the possible severity of these bites, immediate medical attention is important.


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