please identify, i think it might be a black widow

Watch Reply
More
Mark unread Print Skip to new
chuckava North Sea, NY Aug 20, 2011

Hi, I am an electrician, and while working on a job site i found this spider. Immediately I thought it was a black widow spider. But the house owner took a picture i took of it and sent it to a pro. The pro calls it a "False Black Widow." Now I found pictures of false black widows online and none of them even look like a black widow, the colors off, none have the red dots. there bodies aren't even the same proportion. Well I guess i need a second opinion. In the picture unfortunately the spider is dead.

Thumbnail by chuckava
Post #8766101
Quote
kwanjin (Zone 7a) Aug 20, 2011

This one looks right. A Northern Widow.

http://bugguide.net/node/view/554957

Post #8767853
Quote
chuckava North Sea, NY Aug 21, 2011

but do u think its anyway a false black widow?

Post #8768479
Quote
kwanjin (Zone 7a) Aug 21, 2011

It's a Black Widow, just a different species. All the Widows are in the Latrodectus genus but the species vary. It can still have a dangerous bite.

Post #8768732
Quote
sallyg Anne Arundel,, MD(Zone 7b) Aug 23, 2011

By the way- I have found seven true black widows in my yard this summer. A typical suburban yard, though we previously had a semi abandoned horse farm and barns in the next property.
Watch out for messy , strong non sheet like webs close to ground or between rocks. I had two of them at entrances to vole or yellow jacket holes, another in an empty bird house set on the ground all summer.

Post #8772828
Quote
kwanjin (Zone 7a) Aug 23, 2011

We lived in a home with a giant nest of them in a new developement. Very frightening when you have very small kids in the house.

Post #8772870
Quote
sallyg Anne Arundel,, MD(Zone 7b) Aug 23, 2011

Wow, yeah!
I was conflicted about killing the BW that apparently took over and evacuated my yellow jacket nest, but with me poking around in the garden all the time, and teenagers, and kids next door, well I figure they have to go.

Oh yeah they often have perfectly round, tan, pea size egg cases in the web too.

Post #8773716
Quote

Post a Reply to this Thread

Please or sign up to post.
Back to Forum Homepage

More Insect and Spider Identification Threads

Go to all Insect and Spider Identification threads
BACK TO TOP