WZZM 13 (ABC)
Michigan DNR
Diagnostic Services (at MSU)
Female
Female
Male
PHOTOS - The pictures above are not taken in Michigan. They are simply pictures of the spider I found on the internet to help people understand the different looks of the Black Widow. Being as I found them on Google Images, I do not know what site they were from but I will add the address if someone can identify them.
In no way was I meaning to steal these pics as my own and I apologize to any who were misled.
Abdomen - Females - A glossy black with a red hour glass shape on the underneath side (may be half a glass or split in half). Many will have red marks on the back of the abdomen as well as white stripes on the sides. Males - Usually have red or yellow stripes or spots across the back. Infant Widows of both sex usually look more like the adult males.
Cephalothorax - Approximately half the size of the abdomen, it is also glossy black but has no markings.
Legs - Both, Male and Female have long thin black legs. Though the male is much smaller than the female, it has longer looking legs. In some cases, the legs will have bands of red around them.
Size - Females are approximately 1.5 inches including their legs. Males are much smaller.
Bite Info - Though the Black Widow is the most venomous spider in the United States, less than 1% of its bites will result in death. Young children and elderly adults are most at risk of fatality if the bite injects its venom. Often it can bite without actually injecting any venom, leaving its bite harmless. However, if after being bitten, the victim begins feeling muscle cramps or abdominal pain, they should go to a hospital. Hospitals have medicines to counter the venom as well as reduce the symptoms.
Other Notes - There are a few different Genus of the Black Widow. The Northern Black Widow would likely be the one found in Michigan in Michigan.
In some cases, the Black Widow will have more of a brown coloring to it.
Genus - Latrodectus variolus
In no way was I meaning to steal these pics as my own and I apologize to any who were misled.
Abdomen - Females - A glossy black with a red hour glass shape on the underneath side (may be half a glass or split in half). Many will have red marks on the back of the abdomen as well as white stripes on the sides. Males - Usually have red or yellow stripes or spots across the back. Infant Widows of both sex usually look more like the adult males.
Cephalothorax - Approximately half the size of the abdomen, it is also glossy black but has no markings.
Legs - Both, Male and Female have long thin black legs. Though the male is much smaller than the female, it has longer looking legs. In some cases, the legs will have bands of red around them.
Size - Females are approximately 1.5 inches including their legs. Males are much smaller.
Bite Info - Though the Black Widow is the most venomous spider in the United States, less than 1% of its bites will result in death. Young children and elderly adults are most at risk of fatality if the bite injects its venom. Often it can bite without actually injecting any venom, leaving its bite harmless. However, if after being bitten, the victim begins feeling muscle cramps or abdominal pain, they should go to a hospital. Hospitals have medicines to counter the venom as well as reduce the symptoms.
Other Notes - There are a few different Genus of the Black Widow. The Northern Black Widow would likely be the one found in Michigan in Michigan.
In some cases, the Black Widow will have more of a brown coloring to it.
Genus - Latrodectus variolus
I live in Ludington, Michigan and a couple of years ago a boy found one on the side of his house in the summer months. Was an article in our local paper about it with pictures. Although, no idea of why or how it came to be in Michigan
ReplyDeletemy name is april and i live in anderson South Carolina.... i came home tonight, and found that my dog left me a surprise in my floor beside the door... i went to clean the "suprise" and found a black spot on the wall... it was a spider. it was black, with 3 red spots on its back, wh white stripes... it looks EXACTLY like the spider in picture 2 on this page... i searched and searched and searched for this spider on the internet, down here, we have the southern black widow, solid black, wh the red hourglass shape on its stomach... i have never seen a spider like this befor, so i thought in no way it would have been a black widow. how did it get all the way down here, to south carolina????? please help!!!
ReplyDeleteplease write me at april.hill35@google.com
ReplyDeleteSorry April, your address came back non-deliverable for some reason. Here is my reply....
ReplyDeleteHi April
Though it is called the Northern Black Widow, it is still a black widow. I am not positive on where all it is found, but it would not surprise me if they are in South Carolina. Often when people put pictures on sites, they tend to just use the one everyone recognizes. I believe that black widow lives in quite a vast region covering many states and can even be found in Florida, but I am not positive of that so dont quote me on that. lol Likely it just isnt as common there as the other standard hour glass widow.
You definitely want to get rid of him from in your home. Since she was by the front door, it is likely she had just come in that way and has not laid eggs or anything. That would be my guess at least. :o) They are not aggressive spiders, but not to be handled either. I sure wouldn't leave it in my home. lol There is always a possibility you have more around the house though. So you might want to get some spray and spray around the doors and windows every couple months. If you can afford it, have a professional do the whole perimeter of your home. Maybe the attic or basement if it is unfinished. If you cannot afford it, go to a Lowes or Home depot or something. They have jugs of spray meant for spraying around your doors and windows.
As for getting rid of the one in your home on the wall? A good old rolled up newspaper would do the trick. lol I have a rule. If they stay outside I wont harm them. If they come into my territory they risk their lives. Whether they live or die depends on if they are aggressive or dangerous or the difficulty of removing compared to just finishing them off. Since we really dont have any dangerous ones in Michigan that usually isnt a problem.
Hope this helped a little. Dont know what else to say. If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask.
Email me at Kenja824@hotmail.com
April- Northern Black Widow Spiders are found throughout the eastern US, from southern Canada south to Florida, and west to eastern Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas.
ReplyDeleteWe have a spider infestation in the kitchen window above the sink. While I am terrified of spiders- somehow because the spiders have been half 'outside' and seem to stay in the same area- I have grown to like watching them. About 2 years ago a gazillion eggs hatched and it was really neat to see all the teeny tiny babies all over the window screen.
I always thought they were just a black orb weaving spider- but after realizing they hang upside down- and are glossy- I've identified them as Northern Black Widows. I always thought they would be larger than a wolf spider- and these are tiny- like dime/quarter size with the leg span.
Hoping to get some photos soon to post. I most likely will just leave them be, as they haven't seemed to cause any harm. My only concern is that they will crawl into the house when the window is open- but so far seems like they stick to their webs or they hide during most of the day in the side of the window casing.
While you may very well have black widow spiders in Michigan, the female in the first picture is not one of them. This specimen was photographed in Houston Texas in 2008.
ReplyDeletehttp://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Southern_Black_Widow_08-08-22.JPG
You are welcome to use the image but please include proper attibution.
I apologize for the misleading pics. These and the Brown Recluse (I believe) are the only ones I have that are not from here. I added them from Google images only because I felt it was important to have an image of them for people to identify.
ReplyDeleteI have added the address under the pic you mentioned and a message about the pics below the pictures. I do hope this is done to your satisfaction.
I went into my basement last night and I seen a big black spider. My first thought was black widow..it didn't have any markings on it..but I had read that not all of the females do. I put the spider into a ziplock container and put it outside. After re-evaluating the spider I found, I have ruled out the possibility of a black widow. The butt was not as big and round as the widow and it was not as shiny. The spider I found is all black..the length of the body was at least 1/2 in.(Could have been closer to 1 in. or maybe even 1 1/2.) The width of the body was probably about a 1/4 in. I took a couple of pictures of this spider and would like to get your take on it..After doing some research I think it was a black house spider..but I would like a 2nd opinion. If you give me your email address I will send them to you.(Saginaw, MI.)
ReplyDeleteMy son just found a spider in our house & I can't find any pics of it on the internet. It was black & about the size of a nickel with interesting red lines on the top of the abdomen. Just black on the underside. Any idea what it was?
ReplyDeleteI am sorry but without a picture or a much more detailed description, I cant identify it. Even with those there are times when I cannot.
ReplyDeleteIt could be several different kinds. I believe the Northern Black Widow usually has the hourglass, but I cannot guarantee it always does.
If I had to guess, I would say possibly the Steotoda, also known as the False Widows sometimes. Usually its markings are tan or orangish yellow, but they do sometimes have red lines along the sides of their abdomens. Spiderzrule.com has a page of them and the first photo has one that is red.
Copy and paste this address to your address bar..... http://www.spiderzrule.com/steadota.htm
I found this same spider on my porch today. This is the first site i went to and find it weird that I live in Tulsa, Oklahoma but its considered a Northern Black Widow... Ive also found a Brown Widow which has said to be moving its way into our area of the states.
ReplyDeleteI live in Missouri and I killed one inside today on my ceiling. Looked young... but markings matched up perfectly.
ReplyDeleteken if you need a picture, we just took one yesterday of a female, she was inside a electric meter can, dnr says this is a normal place for them to hide. the location is 3 miles east of lake city, michigan off m-55
ReplyDelete(near houghton, too!)
Hello, I have no photos, but am 90% certain I've seen multiple juvinile spiders (both male and female) in the basement bathroom at my mother in laws house. (Niles, MI) The males had yellow hour glasses and a few of the females had the red on the bottom, both were pretty small though, about the size of jumping spiders, but also spindly and shiny black with the markings. The females were underneath the cabinet, the male was up in the corner of the room. I was panicking and caught between shock and embarrassment, I squirted them with bleach. I didnt tell her until a few months later because I didn't think I was right..Until these photos.
ReplyDeleteI live in between Grayling and Roscommon Mi. I killed one of these spiders on my front porch just the other day. So they are becoming more populated in Mi. Also the area I live has never had a tick problem till this year. I think the mild winters have something to do with it.
ReplyDeleteMy wife caught one, observed six others and 200 or so of it's little ones on m-28 near Strongs Michigan.
ReplyDeleteThey were found under the eaves of the house.
I Have Found Northern Widows At Camp owasSipe (Forgive My spelling) On several Occasions. NE Of muskegon.....Despite The Nature Coordinators insistence Otherwise.....Best Place To Find Them Is Under The Sand steps Leading Down To The Range.... :-)
ReplyDelete