All About Black Widow Spiders

Black Widow Spider is by far the most toxic animal in the United States and can kill humans within a few hours with a single bite. Only mature females actually carry poison, males and male and female boys pose no danger to humans.

Their deadly mixture of neurotoxins destroys the victim's nervous system, blood pressure, and respiratory rate. With small prey, strikes can often result in immediate death. The poison also breaks down the skin, muscles and even bones into a liquid form for Black Widow to digest. This takes only 30 minutes to an hour for humans. The only reason that Black Widow is not one of the main causes of death in North America is due to the spider himself. She only attacks if she is afraid of humans and has no other choice. Even if she feels completely confined and forced to attack, her focus is still on running away alive. Thus, Black Widow only injects a small amount of poison before releasing humans and running for safety. This is the only reason why Black Widows's mortality rate is only 1%.

Like all species of spiders, Black Widow is nocturnal and prefers to hunt prey during the night time. Females are easily identified by the black color of the lower abdomen and the characteristic red hourglass shape, while males are a light brown color with various tan marks. Both men and women weave asymmetric webs of various shapes and sizes that contain a stronger silk compound than any other spider.

These spiders dig holes in the ground during the winter to ensure warmth, but during these months they may look for shelter in their homes and buildings. The life expectancy of a female Black Widow is 9 to 15 months, during which she can produce more than 700 offspring. Their main diet consists of other spiders, mice, insects, crickets, and other small mammals, the greatest threat of which comes from predatory birds and many of the same species they feed on.

Black widows usually live in solidarity except when mating or caring for their youth, so this type of invasion is not common unless an overwhelmingly rich presence of insects is available. This usually serves as a fly and mosquito breeding ground and can be avoided by removing the water on the premises. Another approach is to make the house unattractive for spiders by reducing planting, removing tree branches near the roof, and raising fire and other debris at least 12 inches away from the ground.

Most spiders, including Black Widow, require only a small crack to pass through, so make sure to thoroughly caulk all the cracks and gaps outside the house. Also, periodically inspect areas such as door jams and windows to ensure they are properly sealed.

If these wise tips do not keep Black Widow outside your home, consider contacting a pest control specialist for proper removal of these insects.