Page 14 - Florida Pest Control Examinations

SOUTHERN BLACK SOUTHERN
WIDOW MALE BLACK WIDOW
FEMALE

Photo Courtesy of UNIVAR Photo Courtesy of UNIVAR

BROWN WIDOW

Photo Courtesy of
Dr. Rick Vetter Photo Courtesy of UNIVAR

1.Antenna- none 6.Cephalothorax SOUTHERN BLACK WIDOW
2.Eyes- 8 7.Petiole- none 4
3.Prosoma- Chelicera (fangs) 8.Abdomen- oval shape 6
4.Legs- 8 9.Color- varies reddish to black
5.Wings- none 10.Other- some have hour glass marking 3
Life Cycle 8
Two to four hundred eggs are deposited in an egg sack of dirty cream
color. It takes from 10 days to a few weeks for the spiderlings to hatch.
Development from egg to adult may take from two and one-half months
to nearly eleven months. A female may live for one or more years after
maturity.
Photo Courtesy of UNIVAR

WIDOW SPIDERS Actual body size 1/2”

The web of a widow spider is irregular with no distinct pattern. It is very strong in comparison to
most spider webs—a good feature for identification. The name is because usually she eats the
male after they mate. The newly-hatched spiderlings are cannibalistic and will eat each other,
so usually less than one hundred actually survive. They climb to a high place, spin a piece of
web, throw it out in the breeze and float away (this is called ballooning).

The female Southern Black Widow is glossy black with a globe-like abdomen. She has a deep
red hourglass marking on her stomach, and is the most common widow spider encountered in
Florida. The Red Widow is a reddish-orange color overall, with a black abdomen. The Brown
Widow is gray to brown colored, and some may have the familiar hourglass marking, although
it is orange or yellow. The Northern Black Widow is black with some red spots and triangles,
which might resemble the hourglass. All the Widow spiders have strong venom, but usually will
not bite unless provoked. Problems associated with the bite, which can be severe, will start 15
minutes to a few hours later.

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