Spooky Spider

Halloween is fast approaching (and I am unfortunately lacking a costume idea), and it's the perfect time to highlight one of Ohio's most feared spiders: the black widow. These spiders are in the cobweb weaving family Therididae.

Two species live in our state, the common black widow (Latrodectus mactans) and the northern widow (L. variolus). The one pictured above is the common widow, which you can tell because of its complete hourglass on the bottom of the abdomen. The northern widow has an hourglass that is usually split in the middle, though both species can show variation in patterns and could even lack the red markings.

These spiders are referred to as widows because of the idea that the female will eat the male after copulation. This is not always the case, and is really only likely if the female lives in an environment with few prey sources. However, the black widow is cannibalistic as a spiderling. Out of a few hundred hatchlings, only a few will continue on after eating most of their siblings.

Bites from a black widow are rarely fatal, but nevertheless could require medical attention. Pain from the bite wound might not even begin until a few hours later, along with nausea, muscle cramps, dizziness, sweating, and vomiting. Therefore it's good to know if and where these spiders are adding to your Halloween yard decorations in order to remove them or just stay away.