Carpet Beetle
It is easy to identify Black Widow spiders because they have a red hourglass mark on their abdomen. Females are larger than the males and can be up to 13mm in length. You will find their irregularly shaped webs in dark corners low to the ground.
Have caution around dark areas of clutter like wood piles and junk as there most likely will be black widows there. They are considered the most venomous of the North American spiders. Their bite is not fatal to humans, but painful none the less. Seek medical attention if you have been bitten.
Black widows lay up to 400 eggs at a time usually in the summer months. The egg sacs are tightly woven with silk in sort of a pear shape. They will be heavily guarded by the mother spider so watch out! Black widows are cannibalistic and even the baby spiders will eat each other. Even the mother will eat some of the young for nutrients. So not all of them survive. The life span of the Black Widow is generally a year.
While you might not want Black Widows in the home they do serve a purpose outdoors. They consume flies, mosquitoes, grasshoppers, beetles and caterpillars.
If you suspect an infestation of Black Widow spiders in your home call Hart’s Extermination right away.
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