Black Widow Spiders

Growing up in New England, black widow spiders were a known creature that was rarely, if ever, seen (occasionally there would be a report of one hitching a ride up north in some produce). Latrodectus mactans, the southern black widow (which is the species of the Latrodectus genus most associated with the "black widow" name), inhabits the southern part of the eastern US, and so is a rarity in the colder climes of New England.

When I moved to South Carolina I was aware that I would be living in an area in which black widows were native, but even so it would be almost a year in the region before I saw my own live specimen. That is in part due to the general reclusive nature of L. mactans. For all their notoriety, the black widow is in fact a very shy and passive spider, much preferring to run and hide as opposed to actively attacking with it venomous fangs.

Still, these are venomous animals and they should be treated with respect. The advent of good indoor plumbing has significantly reduced the number of black widow bites, but there are still unfortunate incidents of people putting their hands in the wrong place and starling one of these spiders and getting a bite, which, while unlikely to be deadly, will result in some severe discomfort for upwards of a week.

While doing a bit of garden weeding last week I found a juvenile female black widow and was able to take a couple good photos. Black widows like dark damp secluded areas to set their messy webs. This one was hiding in the mulch at the time I found her and was likely a bit sluggish from the slight chill that had set the night before.

The red marking on the back indicates that this is a juvenile black widow. As they get older and molt the back markings decrease until they are a solid black, with only the red hourglass shape on the underside of their abdomens.

The fascinating face of a black widow.

Black widows are a decent sized spider. This lady was very passive and just hung out on my glove. Their fangs are quite small and so posed no risk with a heavy work glove on.