The American Black Widow Spider or “Black Widow” is highly venomous. Females carry the calling card traits of a black body, large abdomen, and reddish hourglass-shaped marking on the underside of its abdomen. They are occasionally also brownish-black and are a more orange hue before adulthood. Black Widows prefer warm, dry, dark habitats to build a web and can be found in such areas year-round. Commonly discovered in firewood piles, hollow stumps, garages, etc., it is easy to stumble upon one and inadvertently make it feel threatened and getting bitten.

Black Widow bites are typically from the notorious female, who bites when she feels that she or her eggs are threatened. Their venom is up to 15x more potent than that of a rattlesnake. A bite can cause pain, fever, elevated blood pressure, perspiration, difficulty breathing, and nausea. These symptoms can last up to three days before fading. In rare cases, their bite can be fatal.

You may have an infestation if you notice spider webs around your property, which appear asymmetrical and disorganized, silken egg sacs near doorways, or see the actual spider. For safe inspection and treatment, contact professional pest control.