The Northern Black Widow is a solitary creature that does not set out to prey upon humans. Normally found hiding in a dark corner of a garage, shed, attic, or closet, the black widow is not a spider that you will see running across your living room carpet. Female black widows are easily identifiable as they have black bodies with a red hourglass marking on her back.
Black widows spin sporadic messy looking webs that are not symmetrical and beautifully shaped like other types of spider webs. Black widows typically hang out in their web, or sit nearby the web, while they wait for new prey to become entangled. Once trapped, the black widow moves in for a paralyzing bite which will deliver a poisonous neurotoxin to the trapped insect.
Humans become accidental victims of the bite of a black widow when they reach into areas where a black widow is sitting or where the web is spun. The spider instinctively reacts to the threat by biting the incoming hand. Once bitten, a human victim should seek medical care. The poison that was intended for insect prey is powerful enough to cause serious problems for humans as well. Children and the elderly are particularly susceptible to the poison of the black widow. Black widow bites can cause abdominal pain, nausea, profuse sweating, and swelling at the bite site. The bite from a female black widow spider is poisonous but one from a male black widow is not.
Contact an Ocean County, NJ pest control professional for help with removing all types of harmful and annoying insects in and around your home.