How Long Do Black Widows Live

Black Widow Spider

Latrodectus hesperus

Description | Identification| Black Widow Bite

Are black widows dangerous to humans?

The black widow spider is considered the nigh venomous spider in North America. The venom of the female blackness widow spider is 15 times as toxic as the venom of the prairie rattlesnake. Merely the female black widow is dangerous to humans; males and juveniles are harmless.

The female black widow will, on occasion, kill and eat the male after mating. More than than 35,000 species of spiders occur worldwide. About 3,400 species of spiders in 64 families are plant in North America.

Description/Identification

Female black widow spiders are most .5 inch long, to well-nigh 1.5 inches long when the legs are spread.
Males are about half the female's size, with smaller bodies and longer legs.
Both females and males have shiny, globular abdomens and are more often than not black, and sometimes brown.
Females usually have a scarlet hourglass shape on the underside of their abdomens. In some species the females have a series of scarlet spots and two crosswise bars on the underbelly.
Male blackness widows frequently have xanthous and crimson bands and spots over their backs, as practise both sexes of black widows in their young stages.
Newly hatched spiderlings are predominately white or yellowish-white, gradually acquiring more black and varying amounts of cherry-red and white with each molt.
Juveniles of both sexes resemble the male and are harmless to humans.

Watch a Video About the Black Widow Spider

Common Questions well-nigh Black Widow Spiders:

Are blackness widow spider bites fatal?

How can I proceed blackness widow spiders out of my business firm and yard?

What should I do if I am bitten by a black widow spider?

Other spiders that are dangerous to humans:
Brownish Recluse Spider
Dark-brown Widow Spider

Spider Bites | Prevention | Health and Medical Disclaimer

Geography – Range

Blackness widow spiders inhabit most of the warmer regions of the world to a breadth of about 45 degrees N and S. They occur throughout all four deserts of the American Southwest.

In the Las Vegas area for pest control, click hither.

Related Species

Widow spiders (genus Latrodectus) are the all-time known and largest of the cobweb weavers (family Theridiidae). All widows are venomous, though not all can crusade injury to humans. Black widows contain about 6 species out of almost 2,000 in the large Theridiidae family.

The female person black widow spider, though information technology is the well-nigh venomous spider in N America, seldom causes death as it injects a very modest amount of poisonous substance when it bites. Reports indicate human mortality at well less than i% from black widow spider bites.

Anyone bitten past a black widow spider should seek medical care; an attempt should be fabricated to grab the spider for identification.

The species L. hesperus is common in the western US and is the blackness widow plant in the North American deserts. 50. mactans is the black widow common in the eastern and central The states. The brown widow spider, L. geometricus, is also establish in the US.
L. mactans is found in most warm areas of the world.
L. geometricus is found in Africa and the U.s..
Fifty. curacaviensis is constitute in the Americas.
L. hystrix, L. dahli, and L. pallidus are establish in southern Europe, northern Africa, and southwestern Asia.

Comparisons

The brown widow spider (Latrodectus geometricus) is not as dangerous as another widow spiders because the brownish widow spider is less likely to bite someone, and injects less toxicant. Withal, it is a venomous animal, and must exist treated with respect. It is found throughout the earth'southward tropical regions, and has been introduced into southern Texas, central and southern Florida, and has now also been found in southern California.

Hundreds of Australians are bitten every year by the red-back spider (Latrodectus hasselti), a close relative of the black widow spider. The ruby-red-dorsum is establish in all parts of Commonwealth of australia except in the hottest deserts and on the coldest mountains.

Behavior

Both western and eastern black widows spin webs that lack shape and form. Their webs are erratic in appearance, and the silk is stronger than almost all other arachnids. The webs are rough and viscous. The black widow spider is shy and nocturnal in habit, usually staying hidden in her web, hanging abdomen upwardly. Although not ambitious, she may rush out and bite when her web is disturbed.

Habitat

Black widows are found on the underside of ledges, rocks, plants and debris, wherever a web can be strung. Cold weather or drought may bulldoze these spiders into buildings.

Food & Hunting

Similar most arachnids, the black widow preys on insects. Prey caught in the web include a variety of insects (cockroaches and beetles) and other arthropods. After ensnaring its prey in the web, the black widow makes small punctures in the victim's body and sucks out the liquid contents. The black widow is preyed upon by mud-dauber wasps.

Breeding

Developed male person black widows wander in search of females but practise not seize with teeth. Females may occasionally kill and consume a male after mating but this is more the exception than the rule.

The female person lays several batches of eggs, containing upwards to 750 eggs each, in one summertime. The egg case, most .5 inch in diameter, is suspended in the web. It is white to tan in color and has a paper-like texture. There may exist iv to nine egg sacs produced during a summertime. Immature blackness widows are colored orangish and white when they emerge ane to 4 weeks later. Unremarkably, simply i to twelve young survive after the egg incubation menses of xiv to 30 days, due to cannibalism past their young man spiderlings.

The female black widow may live for more a yr and a one-half. Growth requires 2 to four months, depending on availability of prey. During this time females molt six to eight times and males three to 6 times. Females mature most 90 days afterwards egg sac emergence and live another 6 months to a year. Males mature well-nigh 70 days after emergence and alive only some other month or 2.

Vital Stats and Information

Genus: Latrodectus
Phylum: Arthropoda
Sub Phylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Araneae
Sub Order: Labidognatha
Family: Theridiidae
Species: half-dozen
Weight: ane gram.
Length: 1-1.5"
Bridge: 1-3"
Sexual Maturity: 70-90 days.
Mating Flavour: Spring
Incubation: fourteen-thirty days
No. of Eggs: 250-700/sac
Birth Interval: 4 to 9 egg sacs/summertime
Lifespan: up to 3 years
Typical Nutrition: insects

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