How to Identify a Black Widow's Habitat

The black widow spider is common in most areas of the United States, Europe and the Western Hemisphere. Although this nocturnal, poisonous spider rarely bites, you should protect your family by knowing where to find them.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Spray to kill black widows

1. Know whatblack widows look like. Their bodies are 1 1/2 inches, including legs. They are glossy black or dark brown, with a large, full abdomen. On the female's underside is a defined red hourglass shape.

2. Learn to identify the southern black widow's web. They usually spin them in warm, dark, dry places, where they're not disturbed. They appear as nonsymmetrical, mesh webs with a funnel-shaped opening at its top.

3. Recognize the northern black widow's web, found on low-lying tree branches. It spins its web to spread out over the branch. Near the branch's end, it spins a thick, dome shaped opening.

4. Search outdoors, where this spider prefers to live. Common outdoor habitats include wood piles, beneath rocks and decks, in stumps and hollow trees, in small animal burrows and in outdoor toilets.

5. Look for common indoor habitats, including attics, basements, trash cans, barns, garages, sheds, electric boxes, house foundations, in rarely used shoes, crawl spaces and deep within furniture.

Tips & Warnings

• While the black widow spider prefers an outdoor habitat, cold weather and drought conditions drive them indoors.
• Always remember, the black widow spider prefers to live in dark, dry places where they are protected and undisturbed.
• Never handle a black widow spider or poke your hand into its web. While they rarely bite and are rarely fatal, their poison causes extreme, long-lasting pain. Purchase a spray to kill black widows.