Kindom: AnimaliaPhylum: ArthropodaOrder: AraneaeFamily: TheridiidaeGenus: LatrodectusSpecies: mactans |
Kindom: AnimaliaPhylum: ArthropodaOrder: AraneaeFamily: TheridiidaeGenus: LatrodectusSpecies: mactans |
| This is a female Black Widow. You may identify her by seeing her shiny black abdomen with a red hour glass marking on it. Thier webs look very messy like your hair if you do not brush it or wash it for days. Black Widows feed on small insects like beetles and moths. |
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Size: About 1 1/2 inches (38mm) long, 1/4 inch (6.4mm) in diameter. |
COLOR:
Usuallyshiny
black.
DESCRIPTION: The female is usually black with a red spot or hourglass- shaped mark on its round
abdomen. The male usually has light streaks on its abdomen.
HABITAT: Black Widow spiders are common around wood piles, and are frequently encountered when homeowners carry firewood into the house. Also found under eaves, in boxes, outdoor toilets, meter boxes, and other unbothered places.
LIFE CYCLE:
Egg sacs are brown, papery, about 1/4 inch long and oval. They hold from 25 to 900 or more eggs, which have an incubation period of 20 days. Growth requires two to three months, with older females dying in autumn after egg laying.
TYPE OF DAMAGE:
The Black Widow is not aggressive. It will, however, bite instinctively when touched or pressed.
CAUTION:
Be very careful when working around areas where black widow spiders may be established. Take proper precautions-wear gloves and pay attention to where you are working. Black Widow bites are sharp and painful, and the victim should go to the doctor immediately for treatment. To control the Black Widow, carefully remove all materials where they might hide. They can be cleaned out of
an area simply by knocking down the webs, spiders, and round tan egg sacs with a stick and crushing
them underfoot.
INTERESTING
FACTS: The female eats the male after mating. She hangs belly upward and rarely leaves the web.
Of the 30,000 types of spiders, the Black Widow is probably the one best known and feared. Although spiders are often blamed for all kinds of symptoms, from local itching to diffuse rashes, the fact is that spiders rarely bite humans, and in fact, most spider bites do not even break the skin.
The bites of very large spiders such as tarantulas can be painful. Otherwise, in the temperate regions, the only spiders to be feared are the black widow and the brown recluse.
The Black Widow is a medium-sized spider whose body is about a half-inch long. The name is derived from the mistaken belief that the female invariably kills the male after mating. Although the spider is mostly found in the southern United States, it may be seen throughout the US. Five species are common to the US, with two of them being the most common:
The Southern Black Widow has the shiny, black, globular abdomen with the distinctive red hourglass on the underside.
The Northern Black Widow has a row of red spots down the middle of the upper surface of its abdomen and two crosswise bars on the undersurface. The markings can also be yellow or white, and the spider itself may be brown or have red legs.
Black Widow spiders are nocturnal and, thus, are active at night. They prefer dark corners or crevices. They are said to avoid human dwellings, but you can find them in such areas as outhouses and garages. Only the female Black Widow bites humans, and she bites only when disturbed, especially while protecting her eggs.