The Black Widow Spider has to be one of the most recognizable spiders. She is named black widow because oftentimes she will eat the male after mating. The bite of a male widow is not considered dangerous but a little nip from the female widow can be very dangerous to humans. The web of this spider is erratic in nature and very sticky and the strands are very strong.
My experience with the Black Widow has been – if you give her space she will run and hide from you. The main two ways I see people get bit are getting too close if she has a egg sac, and putting their hands in areas that the spider is hiding.
If threatened this spider will bite or if she has eggs she will protect them. I often find these spiders in children’s outdoor toys that have not been played with for awhile. I always encourage parents to check these toys regularly. They are almost always outdoors or in garage entry points but can make it inside from time to time. The most common way for them to come in is when you carry them in on something that had spent some time outdoors.
