Are there black widows in Durham NC? Sorry. Yes there are. THE BLACK WIDOW SPIDER is active when the temperature is 70 degrees or higher, but can survive lower temperatures with the right conditions. The black widow spider spins irregular webs, which is built at night near ground level. Once complete, these spiders hang upside-down in their webs.

THREATS

Bites will only cause localized pain, however, if a substantial amount of venom is injected it leads to pain, muscle rigidity, vomiting, and sweating lasting 3-to-5 days.

The venom of the black widow spider is reported to be 15 times stronger than a rattlesnake’s although most people who are bitten by the black widow spider suffer no serious damage. The bite  can be fatal to small children, the elderly or the infirm .

These small spiders have an unusually potent venom containing the neurotoxin latrotoxin, which causes the condition latrodectism, both named after the genus. Female widow spiders have unusually large venom glands and their bite can be particularly harmful to large vertebrates, including humans. Only the bites of the females are dangerous to humans . Despite their notoriety, Latrodectus bites rarely cause death or produce serious complications.

HABITAT

Outdoors, black widow spiders commonly live in protected areas  like under stones and in firewood piles. They are often found in barns, outhouses and sheds. Indoors, black widows prefer cluttered areas  of garages, basements and crawl spaces.

AVOIDING BLACK WIDOW SPIDER BITES