How to Control & Remove Black Widow Spiders
The black widow spider is a colorful yet dangerous arachnid.
Black widows are medium-size spiders who often have a black body with a bright red hourglass-shaped marking on the underside of their abdomen.
They are often found in crawlspaces, basements, garages, and sheds. Although they can be found outdoors in some parts of the country during warm summer months, they prefer to live indoors near human habitation where they find food and shelter for overwintering or when it’s too cold outside.
Want to know how to get rid of black widows and other common house spiders? This blog post will teach you how to identify if you have any black widow spiders lurking around your home and what steps you should take to get them removed before they become an issue for your family! You can also check our blog on why are people scared of spiders.
Characteristics of a Black Widow Spider
There are five species (widow spiders) of poisonous spiders found throughout North America, with the Black Widow Spider being the most common.
They are easy to recognize with these characteristics:
- They have a dark shiny body with slender legs.
- The females are often more rotund than males and have markings under their abdomens. These markings look like an hourglass.
- Male black widow spiders can be recognized by their heads, which are about six times as wide as their bodies. Often, they are smaller than females. The male is light brown with dark bands on the top of its body, while the female is black with red bands. One way to tell if you have a male is to look at the abdomen. If the eight small spots form two rows of four over it, then it is a male.
Black Widow Spiders are not aggressive, but bites have been known to result in human deaths. The female spider is the only poisonous spider in North America that’s capable of killing humans.
Black widows prefer warm, dry areas and often build their webs near homes or other man-made structures; they are commonly found inside buildings.
Black widow spiders feed on insects, frogs, toads, lizards, birds, and bats. They usually kill their prey by injecting venom into the victim’s body; it then proceeds to wrap its prey up in silk for later consumption. After giving birth, females may even provide a meal for their young by regurgitating food into her mouth, which she shares with them through mouth-to-mouth transfer.
Where are Black Widow Spiders Can Be Found?
Black widow spiders can be found in many different regions of the world, including but not limited to: North America, Australia, Asia-Pacific Islands, Africa, and Europe. The female black widow spider prefers warm weather but will still live wherever it can find shelter. The female black widow spider typically lays eggs in secluded, dark places like logs, stones, and leaves.
They are found in barns, cellars, and woodpiles, as well as gardens. Anywhere that they can find cover from the weather is perfect for them to make a home. This means that widows have an easy time adapting to new surroundings since they are not picky when it comes to shelters.
Black widow spiders are solitary animals that rarely share a web, even when they live close to each other. The black widow spider spins a web of irregular, tangled, crisscrossed silk with many open spaces. It is not always easy to see as the strands of silk are nearly transparent. The female usually does the construction, and the male often does not participate.
It can be up to 1m in diameter and take several days for its construction. The female uses her web for egg-laying and can be found hanging upside down near the center. The male’s web is smaller and usually out on the periphery.
How Dangerous is a Black Widow Spider?
The black widow spider is a venomous spider found throughout the world. Death from bites can happen within six hours of being bitten, but most people only experience mild symptoms that include nausea, vomiting, muscle cramps, fever, or chills.
The black widow’s venom is very similar to that of a rattlesnake, and its bite contains neurotoxins that attack the central nervous system causing pain and eventually death. The female will not kill the male after mating because he provides nutrients to produce eggs; however, she may eat him if hungry enough.
The bite of a black widow is comparable to the sting of a cobra or bee with burning pain radiating from the site. The venom acts quickly, reducing blood pressure (hypotension) and respiratory function (respiratory failure). Severe muscle cramps are also familiar with the loss of bladder control due to the paralyzing properties of the venom.
In healthy adults, death is rare as long as medical treatment is administered quickly. However, it can be fatal, especially in a child or someone who has impaired health. If you suspect that a black widow bit you, seek medical attention immediately and, if possible, bring along the spider so the symptoms can be diagnosed appropriately.
Black widows are not aggressive spiders, so they will only bite when provoked. However, it is best to avoid unnecessary contact with them or any other venomous arachnid.
How to Get Rid of Black Widow Spider
Black widows are giant, shiny spiders that look black. They’re also known for the distinctive red hourglass shapes on their abdomens. This is the best way to identify one when you encounter one. Unfortunately, their bite can be dangerous to humans and even deadly in rare cases. The good news is that there are a few ways to get rid of them, so you don’t have to live in fear of encountering one!
A method that works very well is to place sticky traps on the floor, ceiling, and in any cracks or crevices. The black widow spiders often hide in dark areas like these to avoid being caught by predators, so you should check these areas thoroughly.
The traps should be left in these dark crevices overnight and removed early the next day. These will trap many spiders, so dispose them down the trashcan outside to keep your environment clean.
If you find one inside your home, do not try to pick it up to avoid getting bitten. Instead, pour a small amount of water on the spider, and it will be forced to flee or find another dark area that is safer.
You can also Place a dishtowel on the floor underneath where their webs are hanging. Black widows only walk on horizontal surfaces, so they’ll fall onto the towel when they try to cross it.
Remove anything that may attract black Widow Spiders, such as garbage cans or piles of lumber.
Put out yellow “bug” light bulbs in dark corners of your home to keep them away. Black Widows are not attracted to light.
Plant bushes and vines away from the foundation of your home. Black Widow Spiders will hide in lattices, large pots, or other garden structures. If you choose not to remove these items, be sure to move them as far away from your home’s foundation as possible.
Treat outdoor areas around your home with insecticide spray or granules. Black Widow Spiders typically nest underground, so treating these areas with insecticide will help to keep them away from your home and any people who may be nearby.
No matter which method you use, it is essential to wear gloves before touching the spider or its eggs. The venom of the black widow spider is very dangerous if it gets into your skin or onto your hands, so always wear gloves when handling one.
Lastly, if none of the methods effectively get rid of these creatures, you can call pest control in Nashville. A licensed pest control professional will be able to remove the spiders and ensure that none of them sneak away.