Black widow?

donn12 · Jun 30, 2011

I think it is. I scraped a spider web off my barn and this little girl came down.

Mace Canute · Jun 30, 2011

It sure looks like it is according to this site.

Black Widow Spiders, Black Widow Spider Pictures, Black Widow Spider Facts - National Geographic

dex3361 · Jun 30, 2011

Yes that is a Black Widow. I always look for them when I see the web so disorganized looking. There may be other spiders that spin webs without a pattern but I know a Black Widow does. I also can spot them from the glossy body. Did you get a look at her underside where the red hour glass is. Around here they do not have red markings on there back just on the belly. At least the ones that I have seen.

Brad_Blazer · Jul 1, 2011

Another thing to look for is that their web is extra strong and it crackles as it breaks.

retiredmgn · Jul 1, 2011

donn12 said:
I think it is. I scraped a spider web off my barn and this little girl came down.

Creepy. I've read guys using outhouses are the most frequent victims. I'll use an outhouse in Maine but when I head south... no way, uh-uh, not in a million years, not gonna happen.

crash325 · Jul 1, 2011

Yup that's a black widow. Messy web is first clue, fat shinny black butt, tells the tale. Now and they you will see one without the hour glass on the underside. Fairly common in my area. Not deadly but can make you "Most uncomfortable".

Might be a good idea to spray down your barn, sheds, fire wood and so on. If you find one there are more.

wroughtn_harv · Jul 1, 2011

crash325 said:
Yup that's a black widow. Messy web is first clue, fat shinny black butt, tells the tale. Now and they you will see one without the hour glass on the underside. Fairly common in my area. Not deadly but can make you "Most uncomfortable".

Might be a good idea to spray down your barn, sheds, fire wood and so on. If you find one there are more.

One time in California I killed 18 of those hussies in one telephone cable splice pedestal. The southwest is their habitat.

Bird · Jul 1, 2011

I'll never forget my paternal grandmother found one on the wall in the house many, many years ago. I don't think that old farm gal was afraid of anything, so she just smacked it with her hand to kill it and got bit. It wasn't long before she went to the doctor and for awhile thought she might lose the hand. It eventually healed, but she had a good sized lump or knot that looked like an extra knuckle the rest of her life.