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< Return to Natural History of Our Yard Page Black Widow These nasty things are everywhere out here - near hose bibs, in corners. The good news is that they mostly pick a place for their web, then stay there. It's not like you find them wandering around the house. Their webs are very tough and strong, and chaotic-looking. You can recognize them in the dark by the tearing sound they make when you accidentally put your hand through them. (Do not do that.) Black Widows are very poisonous, and can leave you sick and in all-over pain for many days. Two neighbors have been bitten, years ago, and in both cases their doctors basically told them "Yeah, you're gonna feel horrible for a while, but you'll probably live." If you are ever bitten, get medical help! If I understand correctly, the big black ones, like this one here, are always female. The males are little, and unremarkable. Females are generally shy, and come out on their webs at night. They can be aggressive if defending an egg sac. Black Widows are the only thing I'll spray with poison. Sometimes they are hard to stomp because when you try to knock them off their webs they run back into a hiding place (like, into a crack). Blecch. Horrid things. They do have eight legs, but tend to hang out with their legs close together like this. To get an idea of the size, the critter on the left is a perfectly ordinary earwig. (He got away.) Yes, they do have a red hourglass on their undersides.

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