Venomous spiders in Washington

Venomous spiders living in Washington

1species

Black widow. Photo (Southern black widow): Kazvorpal, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

How to recognize them

Black widowMedically significant38 records, 10 counties

Black widow Latrodectus mactans, L. variolus, L. hesperus

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

Almost all spiders have venom, but very few can hurt people. We list the ones with medically significant bites plus a few that people often worry about.

Counties with records

None recorded
1 species
2
3 to 4
5 or more

Venomous spiders with open GBIF records, by county: 10 counties so far. Blank does not mean absent.

Active months

Open records of venomous spiders in Washington by month.

Harmless spiders people mistake for them

Black Widow vs False Widow False widow: harmless

Quick answers

Questions

How many venomous spiders are in Washington?

1 species live in the state: Black widow.

Which venomous spiders in Washington are dangerous?

Black widow: bites or stings need medical care.

Which harmless spiders get mistaken for venomous ones in Washington?

False widow. See the side-by-side comparisons below.