BLACK WIDOWS

Identification, Facts, & Control

Latin Name

Latrodectus (32 species)

Appearance

Black or brown with dark leg joints. Signature hourglass on abdomen

Black Widow

Usually found in crawl spaces, trash piles, window wells, garages, sheds, gardens and similar places- Female is a shiny black with red hour glass mark on the underside. Body 1/2" long. Male much smaller and conspicuously marked, but usually is not recognized as a black widow. The male is not dangerous to humans. They construct a very strong and distinctively irregularly, tangled, criss—cross shaped web of rather coarse silk. These webs are typically found in or around garages, drain pipes, and water heater closets.

Click on a species of spider below to learn further information.

Black Widow