A Black Widow spider is classified in the genus Latrodectus and in the family Therididae. All together there are around six different species of Black Widows and all of them are venomous.
A Black Widow spider is also referred to as the “hourglass” or “shoe button” spider. The Black Widow is a shy and a nocturnal spider. All species of Black Widows are found in warm climates of the north and south, which are approximately 45 degrees north or south of the equator. The Black Widow spider can also be found in four of the American southwest deserts as well.
Black Widow
The Black Widow weights about one gram; they are anywhere from one to one and a half inches long and their leg span is anywhere from one to three inches long. There are several differences in appearance between the male and the female Black Widow spider.
Both have a spherical abdomen, but the male is usually half the size of a female. The female is a shiny black color and on the underside of its abdomen there is a reddish colored hourglass shape. On the other hand, the male Black Widow spider has yellow and red bands with spots on their back. When males are newly hatched they are a white, sometimes with a yellowish tint. Newly hatched Black Widows are harmless and resemble the males more in appearance. The Black Widows do spin webs, however their webs contain no specific patterns or shapes but their silk is stronger than any other spider. Also, the female spider will rarely leave the web.
It takes anywhere from 70 to 90 days for a Black Widow spider to sexually mature. The Black Widow typically mates during the springtime. A sac will contain anywhere from 250 to 700 eggs. A Black Widow typically lives up to three years and their main diet consists of a variety of insects.
Black Widow Spiders – Bites
The adolescent and male Black Widow spider is harmless; leaving the female as the only one that is venomous. The female Black Widow spider’s venom is not only more venomous than any other spider, it’s actually deadlier than a rattle snake bite!
The danger of being bitten by a Black Widow is that the victim most likely will not feel it. However, there are some symptoms to look for, which may include but not be limited to: abdominal pains, sore muscles, especially on the feet, a dry mouth and paralyzed diaphragm, excessive sweating, and swollen eyelids. If a Black Widow spider bites somebody they should seek medical attention immediately. The victim is usually given antivenin or calcium gluconate.
While spiders do bite and I have been bitten by a brown widow (related to a black widow but less venomous and rarer- but I still thought I would die it hurt so bad but had no more lasting effect than a few days of raised adrenaline levels), I want to warn people that not all “bites” are definitely spider bites. there is a lethal infection called mrsa that even doctors mistake for spider bites. if you continually get bite marks but see no spiders, pleas have yourself tested for mrsa. oh, and you all may find this hard to believe, but i have begun keeping black ans brown widows in jars and feeding them since being bitten. i don’t hate them, nor do i love them- they simply fascinate me and i am trying to learn from them. i still kill most of those i find and destroy the egg sacs, for safety’s sake. wolf and crab spiders are also found in our home and yard, but i don’t think there are any recluses, thank goodness! may everyone be well and live happily!
Hey everyone! I was bitten on June 2nd, 2012. Today is day 5 and I fell a million times better. On that Saturday afternoon, I changed into a T-shirt because I had company over.
I saw a black spider on the floor. I thought to myself, “Thats wierd..what is a random dead spider doing in the middle of the living room?” I shrugged, and threw the spider away. About 20 minutes later, I felt an intense burning feeling on the right side of my belly button. I looked at it, and figured that something bite me, because there was no way that pain came from no where.
I looked at the inside of my shirt where the pain was, and long and behold I see some guts and spider webs. I quickly remembered about the spider, and went straight to the trash can to investigate. I picked up the dead spider, and began to cry right when I saw the red hour glass on its stomach. I have heard so many terrible things about the black widow, and I was sure that I was going to die or come close to it.
I began to feel my right arm cramping up. I quickly put ice on it and prepared for the worst. Day one was nothing compared to day two and three. During the first day, the pain came mostly from the bite. That night, my eyelids became freakishly swollen. At that point, I was like eff this, I’m going to the emergency room.
I was in an out in 1.5 hours. They did not prescribe me anything, but they wanted to run some tests, so I just asked to leave to that I can sleep it off. Plus, I do not have insurance. The doctor basically told me that it was rare for someone to get anti-venom, and that I felt cramping because the venom was trying to break down my muscles.
The next day, I felt it all in my legs. It cramped so bad. I think the worst part of it was knowing that it was the poison trying to paralyze me. I was scared that my body could not handle it because I don’t really eat my vegetables, and I am pretty short for my age. That night, my legs were sweating profusely. It was the most uncomfortable feeling ever. I was unable to sleep, because no matter how many times i wiped my legs with a towel, I would get all sweaty again in seconds.
My body was cold, so I needed a blanket to sleep, but at the same time I was sweating, so if I used the blanket, my blanket would definitely be drenched in sweat, so I was sleepless. Day three was basically the same, but a little better. I took lots of baths, which really helped me relax. Day 4 was awesome. I finally felt much better. The actual bite site still hurts if i touch it, but other than that, I felt fine. This was the worst thing that ever happened to me.
I found myself crying my eyes out, because I just wanted the pain to stop, and I could not take it. I now appreciate my health soooo much! I am so grateful for my life.
Moral of the story: Shake your clothes and turn them inside out before you wear them!
Most people freak out when they see a Black Widow. I also will but as long as you stay calm and dispose of it immediately, that way everyone is safe. One interesting fact is Black Widows can kill a deer in one bite!
I’m not sure what kind of bite I have… but from what I’ve read, it sounds to most likely be a Black Widow bite. I didn’t feel any pain, but then my lower back started itching really badly. I thought I was having an allergic reaction to something because I had hives on other parts of my body that would come and go.
The next day, I realize there’s a “bruise” about an inch in diameter where I first started itching. I had other people look at it and they all said that in the very center there was a bite of some kind. The bite and bruise itself doesn’t hurt, but since that happened, I’ve had constant head and body aches, I can’t take deep breaths because it feels like something is pressing against my chest, my lower back KILLS and I’m having problems sleeping. The “bruise” is going away now, it’s slowly moving outward. But my other symptoms are still around. Idk if people reply on here, but if you have any idea what that could be from, it’d be nice to know.
I think that it is important to note that the real danger of a black widow bite is to children and the elderly. A friend is currently in and out of the hospital with her son right now because of a black wdiow. He is almost 3 and received 2 seperate bites while playing. Within a couple of hours he had swelling and was in a lot of pain. He was taken to the ER and then rushed to the childrens hospital. He was in anaphylaxis, had an erection that lasted several hours due to the blood vessels, and very high blood pressure. The hospital did not have any anti-venom so they called until they found some and actually sent a tech out to get it as he was not doing well. Within a couple of hours he was doing much better after the injection. Of course now he has developed a severe reaction from serum sickness that includes a rash that is covering his entire body. He is on antibiotics and steroids and if it is not better by tomorrow he is going back to PICU at the childrens hospital. What I have learned is that black widows affect adults badly but in a small child it is much worse and a trip straight to the ER is necessary. I have a 17 month old and to say I am now super paranoid would be an understatement.
I’m fairly certain I got bit by BWS a few days ago. I’ve seen them inside my house plenty.
I woke up with very achy legs and a very terrible, throbbing headache; thought I might be dehydrated. Around that time, I also noticed that my leg itched/burned. I went to the mirror to check it out, and discovered a very large, red, swollen bite. I didn’t connect the two symptoms until after I had spent all day sucking down fluids and foods with electrolytes , only to find that the pain increased throughout the day. I finally took some motrin, but that only took the edge off. The next morning, the headache was full blown (and got worse if I moved too much, pounding like my BP was high.) I was nauseated, my legs ached very much, and now I was feeling pain along my spine and in my neck. I was supposed to meet up with a friend for breakfast, but she insisted she take me to the ER instead.
Of course, the worst headache ever gets triaged below colds, so I waited for two hours to just be seen. Gave me a cup to pee in, I’m assuming they thought it was pregnancy. Then they told me, “you’re probably just dehydrated.” I insisted I wasn’t, and asked them to look at the bite. The doc was unwilling to commit to that diagnosis, but he did say that a BWS could definitely be causing my symptoms. They gave me some light painkillers and some O2 to relieve the headache, but it was all back by the next morning. The headache is less intense today, but I’m still pretty achy everywhere and everything hurts incredibly when the otc pain meds wear off. Benedryl, Tylenol, Motrin are going to be the best bets for home care unless you have something stronger laying around.
I was bitten on the head this past winter. Felt like a pinch just above my forehead. I scratched my head and a small black something or other fell out and got lost in the carpet. That afternoon I started having painful cramps and spasms along with joint pain and a severe headache. The spasms made my stomach and abdomen rock hard. I got better after about 24 hours and didn’t seek medical attention. Had the symptoms gotten worse I would have. This spider was just a little one based on the glimps I got of it as it fell out of my hair.
This morning, after yesterday moving around old dusty planter boxes lined with spider webs inside and out, I found a HUGE black widow clinging to the siding just above the boxes. I had moved and planted those boxes bare handed yesterday. Stupid stupid. Had I been bitten by this giant I would have been in the ER hanging onto life.
Lesson learned. Wear gardening gloves folks.
I have a black widow has lived for almost 6 years. Every site i have seen they are only supposed to live up to 3 years. It is very funny because she is missing a front feeler. Plus i hardly ever feed her. i will be soo sad when she dies. my question is is it normal for them to live that long
I think I was bitten last week by a BWS. Went in a small storage shed & got tangled in some strong spider webs, brushed them off & then later at work I felt sharp pricks on my side. Since then I have been experiencing flu like symptoms, severe headaches, low back pain, leg pains that have kept me awake for 4 nights, now having rib cage pain.
I’ve had nausea, chills & just feel like crap. The areas where I got bit is red, sore & fairly large. I put hydrocortisone ointment on it, but it hasn’t helped. There are a lot of BWS on our property. Do you think it’s still necessary to go to the doctor?
I got bit by a small black widow. It was not anything amazing or even painful AT FIRST. I felt what was like a pinch. I grabbed my pant leg to scratch the area and thought no more about it. I would guess 10 minutes went by and I began to feel like I had been punched in the groin area. 30 minutes pass and I started having chest pains. That’s when I went to the E.R. The bite area was not remarkable. It was a faint red spot about 2-3 mm in diameter.
The E.R. Doctor said that it did not look like a spider bite and I told him that I was fine before that little red dot appeared on my leg. For whatever reason my wife told the Doctor that I was bit by a black widow spider and of course he argued with her and told her that is not what it was. She goes on to call poison control and gave them my symptoms and by this time I was feeling it. Poison control told her that was what it appears to be. At the time they were treating me for a heart attack.
I had been given three doses of nitro and and a nitro patch put on me. My wife goes back home and where I stood up there was a crushed black widow that I did not notice had fallen out of my pants. She puts it in a sandwich bag and brings it to the Doctor and says “here’s the problem”…..My point is not all spider bites look the same not even if they are from the same spider.
Mine began with a lump under the skin, the next morning still a lump under the skin. the next afternoon it swelled and looked like blisters and then red lines appeared going up my arm. Since i had taken an antibiotic the night before and the symptoms got worse went to ER. Er began IV’s immediately and stated it was some type of spider bite but were not sure what kind. I was almost admitted to the hospital because the infection was beginning to travel but they think they caught it in time. Currently on 3rd day and swelling is down but still puffy and sore, must go back tomorrow for a recheck at the ER. If this happens go to Doc or ER immediately!
The data presented here was indeed valuable. I hope that you guys continue performing a good work so that a lot of other people today can benefit from it.
I never actually saw anything but the other day I went to work and felt minor pain in my right upper leg. I went to the bathroom to check it out and saw two red dots on a large bump. I went home and researched insect bites and the only thing that matched was the black widow. Although the minor pain is the only symptom I would really appreciate any advice.
I live in southern Mo. I have seen and killed lots of black widow spiders. when I was a kid back in the 50’s I saw something shiny in a small knothole near the top of a fence post. taking a closer look I could see something brown and very shiny. I poked a long stick into the hole and out came a very aggressive widow spider with a red hourglass on its abdomen. it did not look like the brown widows posted on other sites. Is it possible that a black widow could also be brown.
I can honestly say the venom from the Black Widow was the most intense pain in my young life. 2 weeks of agony from a tiny pinch-like feeling on my hand.
I was making my rounds at work, when I set my hand down for a bit. not moments later, it feels as though someone had pulled a single hair from my hand. When I looked at my hand, I see a shiny spider, which I flicked away. I immediately informed my SGT, who said there was nothing to worry about.
20 minutes later, there is a strong pressure in my chest and back making it difficult to breath, and my thighs are cramping. 10 minutes after that, I’m curled on the floor, unable to stand and gasping to exhale a breath. Finally my SGT realized it was time to call an ambulance.
While at the hospital my Dr did not believe I was bitten, but said I was experiencing an “anxiety attack”. During recovery, I experienced arm spasms, nausea, vomiting, muscle cramps and the feeling that my hands and feet were on fire. It took 1 week before I could walk on my own again, and 1 week after to return to work…to this day, my arm still twitches
My advice: if you are bitten, try to safely catch it for identification.
p.s. I don’t agree with disturbing their webs and going on a Raid spree. I, personally, enjoy the fact that they kill the roaches, ants and water beetles in the house. They almost rarely leave their web and will not disturb you unless your not careful where you reach.
A good book on BWS bites is. “kilo-Quad tucker treasure.” Billy you ask” Would anti-venom have helped.” Perhaps. The reason anti venom is rarely used is because of the possibility of morbid immune system interaction to the antivenin making the cure worse than the bite. Sine 1956 there have been no recorded fatalities in the US from BWS bites but some from anti venom. Therefore, a doctor will not give anti venom unless patient shows life threatening signs.
I was bitten once, though I’m not sure if it was a black widow,i did not see it.I was on a trampoline, and I felt something on my hand, right behind my thumb. two red welts appeared, and i looked on google and as far as I can tell I was bitten by a black widow. Thankfully, it didn’t seem like the thing did not inject to much venom, all I got was a sore hand!
I live in Northern VA on a wooded lot. I have positively identified black widow spiders in my garage over the past few years. I got bit by SOMETHING small this past Saturday at 4pm. I was fixing a fence outside, shuffling leaves and brush with my feet, I had on boots but they had become untied and loose at the top.
I felt a sharp pain in my ankle inside my boot, took off my boots and shook out some leaves. The bite was small and red – thought it might have been a tick since Nov is heavy tick time around here. The NEXT morning I woke up at 5am (about 12 hours after the bite) very restless and started feeling pain in BOTH my lower legs and flu-like symptoms. The pain felt like shin-splints I used to get in football. I started to research bites on the internet. While researching, I started to feel pains in other areas like my lower back, started to get tremors and was very irritable and restless.
I took my BP and it was 180/147 (typical for me is 130/85) ….time to get to the ER. I told them I didn’t have the spider, but my research led me to believe it was a black widow. By that time I started to feel pressure in my chest. I never had abdominal pain, which I read many people report having. The ER doc gave be something to bring down my BP and something for anxiety. They kept me for 2 hours until my BP got down to 140/100. The Dr said he didn’t think their lab even carried anti-venom, but after he checked he said they had 1 vile that could be used in an extreme case (because side-effects are severe).
Day 3 and I’m resting but still in pain – in my lower legs only.
Hoping it’s over tomorrow.
On Sept. 9th my husband put on his shoes and got bit by a black widow but he put his foot back into his shoe and got bit again. Went to ER with leg spasms and lots of pain. Was given a muscle relaxant and pain meds thru IV. Heart rate was OK. They released him and the next day we went on a cruise and on the second day of the cruise my husband went into an arrest. We were napping at the time. He died the next day and we did an autopsy and they found an aneurym in his brain. It was just 3 days after his bite. Was wondering how much the spider bite had to do with his death? Does a spider bite cause an aneurysm or something that caused his pre-existing aneurysm to burst? Autopsy told us he had a pre-existing aneurysm but did his blood pressure rise and cause this to burst? I sure wish I knew.
I just moved to the Phoenix area, did a walk around our new house tonight… killed 10 black widow spiders around the outside perimeter of the house, near the ground. Came out at night with a flash light in one hand, and a can of raid in the other. I imagine I’ll do daily walks each night for a while until I gain some confidence we’ve got them gone.
Where I live at we are prone to have a variety of spiders but one always gets my attention and that is the Brown Recluse spider and two days ago I woke up and noticed a mark on my left inner thigh and another little mark on the same leg but on my calf but not as red. Now the one on my thigh has gotten more red and more tender.
When I first noticed it it had a white head and I scratched it off and two days later it turned black in the middle and I popped it and at first blood came out and then a head came out and it bled some. I cleaned it with alcohol and it has gotten harder and more tender. The one on my calf hasn’t changed much and I don’t really know if it is a bite. Have spiders been known to bite twice at the same time?
I don’t know what else to do but keep it clean but other symptoms I’m not feeling thank God so maybe it wasn’t a lot of venom. How can I get rid of these recluses? I have the smashed bodies of numerous spiders that have been killed in hopes that it would send a message, but maybe they ate getting the wrong message. Sincerely from one who is in a battle.
October 29th I reached into a milk crate that had been sitting out side for a month full of knickknacks, and unrolling a black Clomeman fabric firewood carryall, a black widow pounced out to the right of my knuckles and ran off to the nearest dark spot.I jerked my hands back and cried out my mans name but he was 1/2 a acre away. I looked at where I feel a pin prick and both spots have a so tiny drop of thin blood.
I lick it out of instinct and spit.Within 5 minutes there looks like a black sliver in the center of a zit,so tiny though.Ring finger bite swells tight and largely raised.Pinky bite black dot, that’s it. I went to work for an hour sweating with anxiety Dreading the haunted house later.Now home I will tell u I have and am experiencing low temperature,shaking since shortly after bite and a {little ga ga dizzy} and nauseous. 4 hours into it what should I do.I think I’ll go to bed.
i was bitten on august 6 2011, i had all these symptoms i actually thought i was going to die. she bit me on the ear when i was standing outside at dark she had drop down on me while building her web i thought it was a bug of some sort when i went to knock it off i felt a prick on my ear, i am still not recovered fully from it.
i still have paralysis in my face still have spasms in my foot. and still feel like crap and its been two months now. the bite finally healed after about two weeks but the long term affect off the bite is still with me, believe me you will know you have been bitten by a brown widow when the pain starts i don’t think i could have been in that much pain if i had been bitten by a rattle snake.
4.5 weeks ago, I stepped outside to let the dog out the slider glass. while standing there I felt a moth on my knee on the soft inner top. I brushed it off. 2 days later the knee swollen tight and shiny with 2 red round dots. then it felt extremely painful overnight, and I used crutches all of a sudden. Ice, heat, wraps nothing helped. I used magnetics right away, and after 2-3 hours were actually doing something so that I had in-tenseness and removed them, and administered them again later on the area. (Nikken) It has been a long haul using minimal overthecounter pain killers. I am not on crutches and have a limp. Electric heating pad is used often, lots of water, lots bedside. 3 am is when I get up and massage and move it.
the back of the knee is tight, all nerves and muscles, hamstrings, calves, felt like I ran 100 miles on one leg. All is slow progress. The nerve in the knee cap is excruciating at times only now. I hope this helped. Nutritionals are being used now, and lots of water still.
I have killed 15 black widows in our backyard this season. Most were females. I spray around the outside and everything outside with Home Defense. It kills them slowly. Sometimes I find a dead one a day after spraying where none were seen.
But the BEST thing to kill them with is Wasp/Hornet spray – the stuff that shoots 20 feet. This stuff kills them quick and for certain. No survivors and quick kills. Next best thing to a well aimed hammer. I’m in Sacramento area. We have had twice as many as usual and I attribute this to the heavy rain season which I think produced more bugs, hence more spiders.
I believe I was bit on Sept 31, It is now October 5Th and the pain can be unbearable, some of the worst ever. Unfortunately I had to work and have been unable to remain still for much of the days. It started out looking/feeling like an ingrown hair. I did not think much of it as I did not feel a bite and the area was too red to see any bite marks. Like many of you I found it difficult to find much on the web about the bites other than webmd.
What i have experienced: is high intensity pain after being up and moving around for any prolonged periods of time. The bite is on the top of my knee so if I am moving it is becoming very agitated. My leg also tends to swell up from my thigh to my ankle. I am taking benadryl and aspirin which helps for a little while however what helps the most has been when I have kept the leg elevated with ice on the bite and no movement at all. Which is not easy when you have to work.
It feels the best in the morning after it has had a chance to relax and not be so angry. The red area is still growing, the tissue is stiff and very sensitive. Anything brushing against it feels like a splash of hot grease and lasts for about the same amount of time. hopefully I will repost soon with a time of complete reaction. Good luck to the next person reading this and I feel for those who posted before me.
Hello. I have a mark on my back that kind of looks like a bite and has a swollen line on it that comes around the side. I’ve had it for 2 days and it just seems to be getting more sore and my entire back is stiff feeling. i went to bed last night with a bad headache but i think that most of my symptoms are from worry.
i plan on going to the er tonight but i’m not sure how much of a rush i should be in. it feels like a big swollen bruise on my back and side but there’s no blue. just red. any comments would be appreciated. my email is eisha92peanutalicia [at] yahoo.com
I’m not going to say I was bitten by a BW since I didn’t see what actually bit me. I was working out in my yard Labor Day Weekend. I was hot and tired and pulled out a lounge chair from our shed to rest awhile. NOTE: I’ve had to dig cotton like sacs from the crevices of these chairs that was like pulling out a tooth. I didn’t check the chair this time because I was tired.
I dozed for awhile. Woke up and had 4 sets of these fang like marks. Three on my left arm around the elbow area and one set on my neck. The little bugger traveled and had a field day. The worse “bite” was right on the elbow. Initial reaction hours later was itching, swelling and redness around the sites.
The next day we had this Popeye arm thing going and it looked like I was sporting an Adam’s Apple. Off to the doctor (wouldn’t confirm what bit me) and put me on a steroid medication to take that swelling down. After 12 days of that, no swelling but those fang like marks were pretty visible and the worse area was sporting a pretty deep scab and still itched. However the symptoms started emerging AFTER the steroid use.
Tired, lethargic, I’m talking rubber-necking, disoriented, can’t concentrate, sweats, nausea – comes on in waves, joint pain and no I’m not a hypochondriac..I think I tolerate pain pretty well but this is the pits! I’m more frustrated with the medical help I’m getting, or should say lack of it. Oh and did I mention headaches? Some doozies let me tell you, and that whole metallicy mouth thing going on. What’s up with that? Oh I’m not done…one of the bite sites I had scratched and the little bite scab came off! Oh my gosh I thought I ripped half my arm off!
It burned, it hurt, it irritated me all day! Scabs have come off from cuts and nothing…this was like someone poured alcohol in the open wound and now I get this red streak under my arm where whatever was under that scab oozed out and now has irritated the area all over again. So I take Tylenol for the headaches, I rest when I get sweaty (even though I’m not doing anything to begin with) and Benadryl to help with the itching along with hydrocortisone cream and cocoa butter to help with the scarring because I’m going to have a nice one at the real bad spot.
My dad works on swimming pools here in Mississippi. I have been with him on many calls and know tons about black widows as they adore swimming pools. The females are black and shiny with long, slender legs. They have red hourglasses on their UNDERSIDES, not the top. Black Widows love drained swimming pools.
I have often seen them sitting in the jets. They will also get down in the liner, if you have a hole in it. If you find a Black Widow, it is best to spray their webs and fill your swimming pool back up a.s.a.p. They love the skimmers most of all, drained or filled pools. If you live in the South, and your area is known to have these spiders, please lift up your skimmer with extreme caution, even using leather gloves or a hook. My dad once lifted up a skimmer and found a huge female Black Widow sitting right next to his middle finger.
I had brown recluse bite me a few times!
There was a woodpile and i kicked it over to play some frisbee golf. It was like two stings (not at all like a bee sting) or just pains. Not just pains…. Well, my wife had noticed I had gotten sick about a week later, then I decided to show her my “bee stings”.
I just found 2 black widows today at my house in my yard. I’ve been having to catch bugs for my sister’s entomology class, which what we must do is capture the bug while it is still alive and put it in ethyl alcohol. So we decided to catch the bigger widow.
We threw it in the alcohol and it nearly escaped out of the jar. We put it back in and closed the lid, and to our surprise, it stayed alive for about 10 minutes being submerged in the alcohol. These things are tough, NEVER underestimate them, it’s no wonder why they are so deadly.
Nancy,
I hope your fiance’ is doing better now. My cousin got bitten on the chest by a brown recluse and about a month later he died from it. He was showing the same symptoms as your fellow was before he went into a coma and never woke up. GET HIM TO THE HOSPITAL!
I live in Tennessee. I found a black widow just hanging out on those new garbage containers the city provide us a few weeks ago so I caught her and put her in a controlled environment. Last night I Notices she was hanging beside a 3/4 of an inch the chick pea the color of a paper bag. So today I removed it. She was very protective. Then it made me think to clean out my garage monthly. FYI I felt pretty bad about killing her babies but hey then again I don’t want to die.
I’m very confused, see i got a bite the other day but i didn’t think anything of it because it didn’t hurt bit i got in the tub and it burned soooo bad so i looked and there were two little holes so i looked it up and the only thing that does that is a widow so why doesn’t it hurt?
Hi, Out There. I was bitten by spider at one the southern ca hotel. I spoke to the manager
and he show no concern, other investigating the matter. He call security and they took
pictures and that end the matter. This happen on Sept 4 2011 [ sun ] between 3:00am
and 8:00am. Which was the time that I got up to take a shower and notice the bite. I had a
headache and felt dizzy. I took 2 aspirin and went down to have breakfast. Ate well and
left for Palm Spring.Ca [ Casino ]stayed there till 4:00 pm and return home to [Rancho,ca ]
I stater to take shower and my wife notice the big bite behind the right knee.
It was 1/4 in by
the 2nd day it turned to about an 1.00 in and very red. I try to applied [ Antibiotic ointment]
and the skin came off.What a shock!! I was scare. My said you want go to hospital and I
said less wait till tomorrow. [Tues Sept 6,2011] It is healing well. Thanks God.
I haven hear any thing from the Hotel Manager yet. place you faith in God and pray a lot…
I was bitten here in East Texas while picking up something in the yard that had been laying there a while and leaves were all around it. I felt a pain in my finger. Later I saw two very small holes. At that site it was white, with a red circle around it. The bite was on the first knuckle of my middle finger.
I went to the doctor and he gave me something, and don’t remember what it was. I had to go take care of grandchildren four hours away, and did not take the medicine. I could not sleep at night the pain in my finger was so bad — just throbbing. This happened more than six months ago, and I still have a hard knot on that finger that is noticeable. I am assuming it was a black widow because I have seen them in toys, etc., that the kids have left outside for a while. I usually don’t have such a severe reaction to anything. Maybe when you get older, your resistance is lower. I don’t know. I could not use my hand at all because of that darned finger. Very, very painful and a big waste of time when I had things I needed to do. I could not pick up my grandchild, use a utensil with that hand…not even write. I can understand something like pain and swelling lasting a few days, but this went on for weeks.
This is day three after being bitten. I live in the Bay Area here in CA. I was out trimming a bush when
I felt this sharp burn on my chest, like someone was holding a match on me. I dropped the hedge trimmer and then felt on my breast more sharp pains. At that point, I knew something had bitten me.
Ironically I had just started to cut off a branch by a raggedy looking spider web. I understand from what Ive read that is how Black Widow webs look. Went in the house and looked in mirror, Saw an inch long red welt with the two holes and then further down there were two more bumps. Didn’t feel too bad that first night, just a little burn radiating from the bite. However I woke up yesterday, with a headache, then I got severe stomach cramps that went on until noon today. I still have some cramping, headache and a queasy stomach. No good times here.
I believe we are currently dealing with 3 black widow spider bites on the chest of my fiancee. He has been down for two days now. Sweating profusely, thirsty but not able to drink very much. Loss of appetite and extreme lethargy. His feet hurt and his skin hurts, he can’t get comfortable and his eyes are swelling, he says he feels like he has the flu, I am monitoring him in case his breathing becomes affected. He has three crater-like bites, white in the centers and red swelling orbs around them. They are getting redder and if not better by tomorrow he promises to go to the hospital.
this is what my friend says could this be bad?……..Well i got up this morning and went to cooking breakfast and went to the silverware drawer to get a spoon a they was a spider web, even though i hate spiders i thought it would have been a little house spider, NOPE it was a black widow and i took and swiped the web and it fell to the floor and i killed it but i am worried it bit me as i went and wiped under the counter to knock the web down, i am feeling nauseated but i hope it just from worrying I HATE SPIDERS and why was it in my house, those things are poisonous, Exterminator will be here this week!!!!!
please contact me on favcbook ambertate13@yahoo.com it should pull right up thank you
@Miranda, I also thought I was going to die…
On Aug. 1st, an insect bit me 2x; my r lower leg (near ankle) & on my the right side of my face above my jaw, near my ear lobe. Today is Aug 27th and my leg is still bruised and feels it and my face still feels very sore and burns it felt orig. like I got punched in the face by a brick. Now it feels like I have been punched, no redness just internal soreness and muscle aches. Last week I found 2 black widows downstairs and just found another one (male this time) upstairs near me…:( looks like I need a bomb or something. I am posting this to help anyone as the medical Dr’s seemed to know or care little about black widow bites unless you had a flesh eating disease.
(I was also bit last year 2x but on my tummy and my leg or arm…was fatigued and short winded but nothing like this round. Did have the 2 pricks of scarred blood visually last year. This year there were 2 small marks but no blood visibly scarred on my face.)
Note: Hydrocordisone DID NOT HELP this at all.
I tried it and it did appear to make it worse.
SYMPTOMS:
*extreme fatigue
*night sweat
*kind of short winded or out of breath feeling.
*extreme burning and throbbing that radiated up the right side of my face, down my neck,up behind my ear on to my head.
*Redness and swelling on site of bite spread largely. Itching and hives continued in the area intermittently for 3 weeks approx. Still itches at times.
*Sometimes it would get red and slightly blue-ish behind my ear also. *Allergies worsened majorly nose adenoids became really swollen
*Swollen lymph nodes especially right side.
One near my ear/neck was the size of a large grape!
*Abdominal pain which the dr’s wrote off as GERD…WRONG! The antacids made my tummy worse and sick. (mainly within 1st 2 weeks of bite)
*Quizy/light headed feeling at times. (also mainly within 1st 2 wks of bite)
*Hard time sleeping due to pain (which wasn’t well for my mental/emotional state)
*Neck and or front throat stiffness rigidness, head and neck pain in general.
*Nervousness/worried
*Any stress made the pain excruciating and unbearable
*My blood pressure was higher than normal even a few weeks later of the bite at my dr’s appointments.
*Some heart palpitations as if I had been running.
*PAIN & burning…If I had to describe it, it felt like something was eating away at my muscles internally on the right side of my face/neck/head area. It would even radiate to my right side of my collar bone, shoulder and mide scapula area.
*Some hand zinging sensations down my r hand and weakness also was present.
*General weakness.
*There were no skin lesions or flesh eating disease present.
TREATMENT:
*Besides the Cleocin (antibiotic they gave me diagnosing me as having strep or a staff infection) was REST, rest and more REST.
*Drink alkaline water or just more water in general.
*Himalayan Sea Salt baths helped.
*Seeing a Natural Holisitic Dr. in the Denver area (Deb Zepf she is wonderful!)who made some oils and gave me some drops to cleanse me and draw some of the venom out which has also helped. She also had me do an IONIC CLEANSE which did seem to help with the neck tightness and felt better immediately.
*For my allergies/hives/craziness: Hydroxizine helped only 12.5mg a night. Perscribed by my allergist. It helped relax the muscles in my neck, in my throat and helped with hives on my r side of the bite area and with anxiousness.
*Benadryl (before the Hydroxizine which is similar to benadryl the benadryl would help a lot I found out on Aug 5th)
*Allegra (which I take daily but any anti-histamine would help esp. those who suffer with allergies/asthma)
*Of course my saline nasal rinses helped now with the adenoid swelling and Rhinaris (salt spray)
*I event tried chewing a garlic clove untill I couldnt take it then swollowed it.
*Oregano oil; few drops in water.
*Probitoics from Nutri-West (Dr. Jeffrey Parker who is also wonderful!) to help with antibiotic side effects on tummy and in general.
I will be getting more Ionic cleanses to draw out the impurities and will be taking more sea salt baths, (epsom salt will suffice) as I feel I feel like there is still some venom in me it feels bruised when I touch it, and I don’t like it at all. I’m very sensitive and It’s still there. I wonder if I need another round of antibiotics but they Holistic Dr.’s oils feel great the oil is put on the bites and have some healing & soothing properties.
Finally my immune system is now responding better…I’m getting my energy back slowly and my sanity also.
I am moving soon and will be bombing the house and if there are any other recommendations on how to not bring them with me to my new place. Please advise!
Thanks for reading and advising~
I was bitten by a black widow 8 days ago… What a ride! I started with flu
Like symptoms day 1 next day I could not breathe, my lungs were full
And stiff, runny nose too. Slept all of day 3 tremors, fever, muscle spasms
I told my husband day 3 that I felt like I was dying ( disconnected from
Myself) I also made mention that I felt like the dentist had given me
Those numbing shots all over my body. Day 1 – Now Intense headache
Chest pains, dizzy, exhaustion!
BW bites are no fun! Hope I do not run into one again any time soon.
Wound still looks bad. Hope I get well soon!
I needed to add that the black widow spider was small. I had fever and sever aches the first 2 days but feel normal now on day 3. I’ve taken the charcoal tabs every 2-4 hours. I live in southern middle Tennessee.
I was bitten Aug 19, 2011 at 6pm in the evening. I saw the spider and trapped it. I have actually been bitten by brown recluse spiders 4 times over the course of 7 years. The first time I went into arrest and was life flighted. In the years since that first bite, I’ve educated myself extensively about treatment. Activated charcoal tablets and a plant called Plantago (locally called dock) are the remedies. I swear by it. It has saved my life, my skin, and numerous other people that I’ve told and treated for bites.
I was bitten by a black widow on Tuesday, August 16, 2011 at approximately 9 p.m. I live in Northern California – Sacramento area. We have always had an abundance of black widows in our area. They have always scared me and I kill them whenever I see them. We seem to have more than usual this year. My friend and I used to drink a few shots and go black widow hunting with our can of Black Flag, flash light and long torch Bic lighter…oh my what fun!
It is ironic that I was actually pulling my American Flag out of the rain gutter because I thought it had blown up there and gotten stuck by the leaves or debris in the gutter and wanted to bring it in for the night because the light below it had burned out….not knowing it was actually trapped in a widow web. I was pulling on the flag to bring it down so I could bring it in for the night, when I felt something like a hot pin prick or a small cigarette burn on my arm. I kind of jumped and saw something fall but more like slowly glide to the ground (probably still attached to it’s amazingly strong web). I looked with the light of my cell phone and found nothing, but I came back out with my infamous Mag Light and sure enough, there she was already starting up her new home just under the flag but right next to my sprinkler on/off valve. Needless to say, I killed her with my Black Flag Ant and Roach Killer (It took nearly half the can). I came in the house and noticed my skin turning bright red and it felt like it was on fire. The area continued to burn hotter and turn redder. I was on the phone with the Doctor’s office when I started to feel sweaty, shaky and nauseous. I drank another shot and smoked a little and then felt better. The next morning I had forgotten about the bite but my shoulder (just above the bite) hurt like I had slept on it wrong and my neck glands felt swollen and tight. I did not have any appetite all day and have not had an appetite for three days now. I feel funky if I do eat. The redness in my arm was almost completely gone that very next day. Later that day, the bite started to appear again and I noticed to little like vampire bites. It started to feel irritated and itchy. Later during the day, my whole arm started to feel weak and I felt a little agitated. It is now day three and my neck hurts and my whole arm ( I was bitten in the Triceps area of the right arm) feels extremely weak. I find it difficult to lift arm or even typing as I am doing now, feels foreign. I feel like I am having some sort of neurology issue.
I know for a fact it was the black widow because I had just cleaned out the area she fell (or should a say gently parachuted to after biting me because she was still dangling from her web). I had just cleaned that area with my bare hands the night before (yes, i am crazy) and I would have seen or felt her web for sure. She had just started making her new home where she had landed and I was not about to let her turn that area into her own little paradise mansion. Therefore, out came the Blag Flag! I killed that little B-tch right then and there!!!
This is a scary type of bite because I can feel it messing with my muscles. I forgot to mention that the entire next day, I felt like I was going to start my monthly duty but never did. Just cramped over and over again, then it too went away. The only thing that is scaring me is the lack of muscle control in the arm, neck, and shoulder as well as some slight chest pain (can’t seem to take a deep breath) and the redness and little raised bumps all over the bite. They look like little pin prick puss bubbles. I will not break that skin open ever! I am being so careful because I have seen what happens if the skin breaks open and is not properly cleaned. I am too vain to cause unnecessary damage to my skin. I will pamper and baby this bite until no scar is left behind. This completely sucks though because I have the biggest desire to just scratch it to my little hearts content. What are Black Widows even in our ecosystem for? What good do they do? I much prefer my preying mantis friends and their little groupies. As far as I am concerned, the Black Widow can kiss my skinny little butt! I HATE THEM!!!!
Look for a trained practioner in your area using the Electro-Acupuncture of Voll machine (EAV). The EAV or Electro Dermal Screening (EDS) offers a non-invasive method for determining health imbalances in the body. The machine test acupuncture points and determines what level certain toxin are at in the body. i.e. in the extracellular fluid, on the cell membrane, inside the cell, inside the nucleus of the cell or inside the DNA of the cell. Its facinating. I recently saw Deb Zepf in Denver, CO she was able to find the right combo of formulas to balance my system and correct symptoms.
Hi, I was bitten 2 weeks ago on July 21 by a black widow spider in my home in Ajijic. I didn’t feel the bites but I felt it crawling down my leg. I killed it and immediately went walking to the doctor that works a block away. Within 10 minutes of having been bitten I was paralyzed from pain from my waist down. The worst possible pain from my back because of the cramping. 20 minutes later the ambulance arrived for me by then I had 2 IV’s and my blood pressure was 150/110 when it’s usually 90/60 and my pulse was at 50. 6 minutes later I arrived where they had the antivenom and my pulse was 30. I was given the antivenom and I left after a couple hours. The doc told me it would take a couple weeks for the venom to fully leave my body. It’s been a couple weeks now but I’m so exhausted it seems I don’t get enough sleep and today I woke up with a severe headache and I’ve never had headaches.
Hi,
This evening, after my sons found 2 black widows hiding under some rocks, I came across this page, and can’t even begin to read all the comments. It’s so sad what some have had to endure! My first line of defense if any of our family were bitten would be to take OIL OF OREGANO until symptoms subsided. Do a search, there’s lots of information out there on it; and a great book by Dr. Cass Ingram, “The Cure is in the Cupboard”. I hope I can at least help someone on here to get relief!
I got bit last week by a black widow spider. I was sleeping when I awoke to a pain in my right hand. I am not sure if it was at that moment or earlier while cleaning out my daughters apartment. I thought maybe I slept on my hand wrong, but that was definitely not the case. I got up to take pain med when the pain began going up my arm to my elbow. At that point I knew I might be dealing with a bite of some sort. By the time I arrived at the ER the pain was up to my shoulder. This was the worst Pain I have ever felt (since childbirth!). I had tremors which began in my arm, but traveled through my body for the first few hours. I had a terribly dry mouth and a chemical taste. My family and I prayed at that moment for the pain to not keep moving and it did stop in my shoulder and not spread into the abdomen or chest as the doctor had expected it would. Thank the Lord! The ER treated the pain and sent me home in a state of “feeling no pain” which was best.
The pain lasted a few days as it diminished. I also had nausea which has decreased but not gone away. The first few days I was out of it and very tired even after not taking the pain meds. I would compare it to flu like symptoms. In the last week I have had terrible muscle cramping and pain mostly on my right side. My hands and feet go numb periodically and I have had bouts with the chills when it is 100 degrees here in Texas. I too have had very strange and vivid dreams, unlike I have ever had. Very odd! I never found the spider, but did see the bite on my right hand. Just two slightly red marks that never got swollen or irritated.
I too found that there is not a lot of info on the internet about these bites so I wanted to share my story to help others. I am just a week into this and am not sure how long things will go on in my body but all I can do is just go with it until it has worked its way through. Just taking it day by day!