Black widow
Venom affects nerves and can cause strong muscle pain and cramps. Deaths in the US are very rare.
- Lives in
- 48 states
- Size
- 0.5–0.6 in
- Open US records
- 4,693
- Group
- Spider
How to identify it
- Shiny black female with a round abdomen
- Red hourglass or two red marks under the abdomen
- Messy, strong web low to the ground, often in garages, wood piles and water meters
- Males are small, brown and harmless
Size: 0.5–0.6 in (female body length). Habitat: Dark, dry, undisturbed spots: wood piles, sheds, crawl spaces, under outdoor furniture.
Also called southern black widow, northern black widow, western black widow.
Three native species: southern (L. mactans), northern (L. variolus) and western (L. hesperus). We count them together because they look alike and bite alike.
Where it lives
- Lives here
- Rare records
- Gone
- Not here
When it is out
Look-alikes
- Black Widow vs False Widow False widow: harmless
- Black Widow vs Brown Widow Brown widow: painful, rarely serious
State by state
| State | Status | Open records | Counties |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | Lives here | 1,473 | 47 |
| Texas | Lives here | 441 | 96 |
| Arizona | Lives here | 365 | 14 |
| Massachusetts | Lives here | 287 | 6 |
| Colorado | Lives here | 198 | 22 |
| New Mexico | Lives here | 192 | 29 |
| Utah | Lives here | 172 | 18 |
| Virginia | Lives here | 155 | 41 |
| Oklahoma | Lives here | 128 | 21 |
| North Carolina | Lives here | 123 | 27 |
| Delaware | Lives here | 105 | 2 |
| Maryland | Lives here | 93 | 16 |
| Kentucky | Lives here | 81 | 13 |
| Georgia | Lives here | 77 | 26 |
| Florida | Lives here | 76 | 26 |
| New Jersey | Lives here | 61 | 9 |
| Tennessee | Lives here | 58 | 23 |
| Missouri | Lives here | 57 | 26 |
| Nevada | Lives here | 57 | 10 |
| Illinois | Lives here | 51 | 26 |
| Oregon | Lives here | 39 | 12 |
| South Carolina | Lives here | 38 | 15 |
| Washington | Lives here | 38 | 10 |
| Arkansas | Lives here | 36 | 14 |
| Alabama | Lives here | 34 | 17 |
| Mississippi | Lives here | 31 | 12 |
| Louisiana | Lives here | 30 | 12 |
| Ohio | Lives here | 26 | 6 |
| Indiana | Lives here | 21 | 6 |
| Idaho | Lives here | 18 | 5 |
| Pennsylvania | Lives here | 18 | 6 |
| Kansas | Lives here | 16 | 9 |
| Nebraska | Lives here | 16 | 4 |
| New York | Lives here | 12 | 3 |
| Michigan | Lives here | 10 | 4 |
| Montana | Lives here | 10 | 7 |
| West Virginia | Lives here | 8 | 5 |
| Rhode Island | Lives here | 7 | 2 |
| South Dakota | Lives here | 5 | 2 |
| Wisconsin | Lives here | 5 | 1 |
| Wyoming | Lives here | 5 | 3 |
| Connecticut | Lives here | 2 | 1 |
| Minnesota | Lives here | 2 | 0 |
| Vermont | Lives here | 2 | 0 |
| New Hampshire | Lives here | 1 | 0 |
| Iowa | Lives here | 0 | 0 |
| Maine | Lives here | 0 | 0 |
| North Dakota | Lives here | 0 | 0 |
| Hawaii | Rare records | 12 | 1 |
| Alaska | Not here | 1 | 1 |
States not listed have no open records and are outside the range.
Questions
Where does the black widow live?
In 48 states: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming. Rare records also come from Hawaii.
Is the black widow dangerous?
Medically significant. Venom affects nerves and can cause strong muscle pain and cramps. Deaths in the US are very rare.
How do you identify a black widow?
Shiny black female with a round abdomen. Red hourglass or two red marks under the abdomen. Messy, strong web low to the ground, often in garages, wood piles and water meters.
When is the black widow most active?
Most open US records fall in June to October.