Is That a Black Widow?

We’re only days away from school being back in session here on the Gulf Coast of Florida. Last week, we talked about keeping an eye out for silverfish. Another creepy crawly you might encounter while pulling school clothes and supplies out of storage is the black widow spider. 

When it comes to poisonous spiders, you are more likely to run into a recluse spider than a widow in our part of the state. But you should be aware that Florida is home to several species of widow spiders, including the Southern Black Widow, Northern Black Widow, Brown Widow, and Red Widow. 

Like our favorite insect, the mosquito, only female black widow spiders bite - and usually only when they feel you are threatening their egg sac. Otherwise, they are more prone to run away and hide. Males don’t bite and are often more threatened by the females than we are. They’re called black widows for a reason.

What to Look For

Female black widow spiders are black, about 3/8″, with spindly legs. Their most prominent feature is the red hourglass mark on their abdomen, although some may have two transverse red marks separated by black. They eat insects that wander into their webs and threaten their egg sacs. 

The females rarely leave these irregular webs, but when they do, they run down the funnel shaped retreat to an “escape hatch.” Dark, dank sites like water meter boxes, crawl spaces, and wood piles are where they are most commonly seen. 

Male black widows have longer legs and elongated abdomens with white and red markings on sides. Again, they don’t bite. They live only to breed with a female, after which the female usually kills and eats the male. Even if they get away, their life span is relatively short and they can only mate with one female. 

The bite of the black widow is not usually fatal, unless you have allergies, but it can be painful. The best treatment is to go to the emergency room.

False Widows

There are a few spiders that are sometimes mistaken for black widows. Cupboard spiders, Staetoda grossa, are often mistaken for black widow spiders. They are smaller, about half to two-thirds as big as black widows. They may have markings, but they tend to be white or more orangeish, and are actually brown, not black. That can be hard to see in the moment, though. Cupboard spiders do have a venomous bite, but it is not harmful to humans.

Red widow spiders are native to Florida and rarely seen elsewhere. They have similar red markings on their abdomen but are much lighter in color. Their tan bodies are hard to mistake for the dark black of the black widows. Red widow spider bites cause a similar reaction to black widow spider bites and should get medically treated. 

Brown widow spiders fall on the color spectrum between red widows and cupboard spiders. They have longitudinal stripes and sometimes an orange hourglass on their abdomens. Some get a bit darker brown, but will be much less shiny than the black widows.  

Noble false widows are the closest looking to black widow spiders. But they sport geometric shapes on their abdomens that look like a pentagon, or even a skull. They also feature a thin white band. Their bite may sting for a moment, but it does not have any venom.

Buh-Bye

Most spiders are easily enough escorted out of your home with a container and a little cleverness. But we know not everyone wants to be so courteous – or brave- especially if they’re worried about being bitten. 

That’s why spiders, even though they’re arachnids and not insects, are part of our Go Green Perimeter Plus coverage. For an affordable fee, we inspect your home and recommend sealing up any unexpected entry points, and rid your home of spiders, silverfish, roaches and ants. Besides three scheduled annual visits, we come back as often as it takes to make sure. To find out more, or schedule your first appointment as school kicks off, please give us a call!