Venom toxicity - the Black Widow Spider can inflict a painful bite which can be fatal, especially to the young and elderly. An effective anti-venom was developed in 1956.
Damage - Only a small amount of venom can cause serious illness, as the poison attacks the nervous system. Systemic envenomation usually results in headache, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, pyrexia and hypertension.
Spider Identification - the body of an adult black widow is about 1/2 inch long. The female black widow is normally shiny black, with a red hourglass marking on the underside of the abdomen. The marking may range in color from yellowish orange to red and its shape may range from an hourglass to a dot.
Habitat - prefers woodpiles, rubble piles, under stones, in hollow stumps, sheds and garages. Indoors it can be found in undisturbed, cluttered areas in basements and crawl spaces.