Did you know that there are over 58 species of spiders living with us in Florida? In this Spiders in Florida Series, we take a look at the most dangerous venomous domestic house spiders:
- Brown Recluse Spider (Loxosceles reclusa)
- Brown Widow Spider (Latrodectus geometricus)
- Northern Black Widow Spider (Latrodectus variolus)
- Red Widow Spider (Latrodectus bishop)
- Southern Black Widow Spider (Latrodectus genus)
In this series, we already covered the Most Common Domestic House Spiders in Florida.
Most Common Domestic House Spiders
- American House Spider (Parasteatoda tepidariorum)
- Daddy Long Legs (Opiliones order)
- Domestic House Spider (Tegenaria domestica)
- Jumping Spiders (Salticidae family)
- Southern House Spider (Kukulcania hibernalis),
- Yellow Sac Spiders (Cheiracanthium genus)
Below we discuss the Northern Black Widow Spider in the Tampa Bay area:
Northern Black Widow Spiders
The Northern Black Widow Spider is found in the eastern US, from southern Canada south to Florida, and west to eastern Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. Outdoors, they are found in old stumps, hollow logs, under fallen fence posts, in abandoned animal burrows or piles of brush, and the corners of sheds and crawlspaces.
Markings
In the northern black widow has a distinctive “hourglass” marking on their underside of the abdomen. The marketing is incomplete or split in the middle. Northern widows also have a series of red spots along the dorsal midline of the abdomen, and many have a series of lateral white stripes on the abdomen. The black widow hangs in an inverted position inside their web.
Bites and Venom
Black widow bites are typically infrequent since they are very timid and prefer to flee when disturbed. The venom of a widow spider is 15 times more toxic than that of rattlesnakes. Widow bites are much less severe since the small amount of the venom injected into the bite.
The statistic is less than 1% mortality (mostly children) of persons bitten by black widows. The toxin affects the central nervous system, and the severity of the bite depends on many factors which include the:
- size
- age and sensitivity of the victim
- location and depth of the bite,
- when the spider last used her venom
Pain is felt almost immediately after the bite, and increases for 1 to 3 hours but may last for 24 hours. In severe cases, large muscles become rigid with spasms, and there is a rise in body temp, blood pressure, profuse perspiration, and a tendency to be nauseous.
We have different maintenance programs for unwanted pests like spiders, roaches, ants, bed bugs, silverfish, fleas, and more. We offer same day, one-time, monthly, quarterly, and yearly extermination service programs which are all very effective pest control programs.
If you suspect a roach problem, contact a local experienced pest control company for an inspection immediately before they spread diseases?
Drive-Bye Exterminators offers home and commercial pest control services in Clearwater, Florida, and the surrounding areas. Family owned and operated for over 25 years, Drive-Bye Exterminators has state certified inspectors, and exterminators provide roach, subterranean termite, dry wood termite, roaches, spider, ant, and flea services to both commercial and residential clients. Whether a business owner needs help getting rid of a termite infestation, or a homeowner wants to rid their kitchen of ants, Drive-Bye Exterminators offers each client the same level of professionalism and excellence.
Request a FREE Pest Control or Termite Inspection today with the Professionals of Drive-Bye Exterminators. Contact Us Today at 727-787-2127.
