Appearance
Female
- Most easily recognized.
- Shiny black body
- Red mark shaped like an hourglass on her round abdomen
Male
- Harmless
- Half the female’s size
- Bands and spots of yellow and red on their backs
- Legs are much longer in proportion to his body than that of the female (approximately twice his body size)
Where Found
- North America
Characteristics
- Not usually deadly to adults since amount of venom injected is so small
- Will try to escape before biting
- Aggressive when guarding an egg mass or if cornered and pressed
- After mating, the female sometimes eats the male, earning the name “widow”
Contact Us
Contact us for help with a Black Widow Spider problem. You may also call either our Central Coast office or our Ventura County office.