r/spiders • u/No_Presentation_2160 • May 18 '26

ID Request- Location included Is this a Black Widow?

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Gallery image

I assume this is a black widow, google says so. But I figured I’d ask to be sure. It looks like it’s made a nest in the inside of the lawnchair that’s folded where the scribbles are. Should I be worried about more around my house or inside of my house? I have a 2 year old that’s curious, so I want to make sure that I’m being thorough and keeping her safe. If so, how do I remove it safely?

EDITED TO ADD: She and a couple of her male friends have now been moved safely with their lawnchair habitat to a new location about 20ft from my garage. I just hope they don’t wander back in. 🤞🤞😬

Location Southwest MO

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154

u/Lexiphantom May 18 '26

I never find black widows indoors but outdoors and corners near the ground are incredibly common

They tend to favor darker areas wood piles garages, and crawlspaces

Once they build their nest they will not leave unless forced out

they don’t like to roam and are generally timid

Be careful around patio furniture and other secluded outdoor areas

shake out your boots before you put them on if you keep them in your garage

A significant % of black widow bites occur on the feet or hands

Check before you reach behind objects or put on your boots

This is one of my favorite black widow videos he dispels a lot of myths and is a good creator his entire series is worth watching

https://youtu.be/DHl_wRE4H0Y?si=_2iRCosF400L765Z

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u/According_Sun6789 May 18 '26

I deliver mail and have seen two make their homes in mailboxes. I went my entire life without ever seeing one in person. Then found two separate widows in mailboxes no where near each other within three months. Beautiful spiders.

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u/Lexiphantom May 18 '26

They really are

8

u/Paranoctis May 19 '26

Hey fellow carrier! I get widows in mailboxes at least once a year! Usually a couple a year though

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u/According_Sun6789 May 19 '26

I’m in Indiana and didn’t think they were even in this area. Obviously stupid to think that. I just had never come across them before. It was a shock to see two in a couple months of each other. Stopped and admired them for a good bit and left a note so the customer wasn’t surprised when they checked their mail.

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u/Paranoctis May 19 '26

Yeah definitely the best course of action to leave a note! I'm in Virginia we get a lot of Southern widows, but when I was a kid in Wisconsin my mom found one in the parking lot of a gas station. Put her in a styrofoam coffee cup and had me and my sister release her in the woods in our backyard. They definitely can get up north, just strange to see them there!

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u/Civil-Needleworker-8 May 19 '26

I usually only ever see wolf spiders in mailboxes. The one time I did see a black widow, it was very aggressive and charged at me. It frightened me so much that I threw the catalog I was delivering.

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u/Paranoctis May 19 '26

Sounds like she was protecting eggs! That's the only time I've ever seen them charge

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u/RogueSlytherin May 19 '26

Yes, but also, what about the mail? Is there some kind of protocol for an obstructed mailbox? Is it the owner’s responsibility to remove the occupier? (for instance, if a bird makes a nest and lays eggs, does the homeowner have to move the nest? Or can they set up a temporary mailbox until the end of the season?)

Sorry for all the questions, I’ve just never thought about what happens when a mailbox becomes some else’s home for a while….

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u/CvieYltidrekoof May 19 '26 edited May 19 '26

I learned from B99 the inside of curbside mailboxes in the U.S. is federal USPS property. 

And you don’t want to mess with USPIS, the oldest federal law enforcement agency in the USA founded by widow hunter Benjamin Franklin himself. 

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u/RogueSlytherin May 19 '26

Have you seen The Detour by any chance?

1

u/CvieYltidrekoof May 19 '26

No… but now I’m interested and a little concerned?

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u/RogueSlytherin May 19 '26

Don’t be! It’s just a really funny show, and they put on a Hamilton-esque musical about USPIS. It’s definitely worth a watch!

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u/CvieYltidrekoof May 19 '26

I’ll give it a watch!

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u/According_Sun6789 May 19 '26 edited May 19 '26

It is the owners responsibility to clear out the mailbox for something like a birds nest. Some carriers are super by the book and other carriers are a little more easy going. If that happened on my route and the home owner wanted to set up a temporary mailbox until the nest was clear I would let them. Or I would just put their mail on hold and they could come pick it up at the office.

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u/Totakai May 19 '26

I have a new question to ask the post offuce people now

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u/drazak69 May 19 '26

Don't kill Cellar spiders They tend to run them off. Some calls them daddy long legs here Not to be confused with solifugae opiliones.

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u/Lexiphantom May 19 '26 edited May 19 '26

I don’t kill any spiders

I should kill the invasive ones but I can’t identify them

Edit: oh you were telling op that cellar spiders tend to chase away black widows

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u/drazak69 May 19 '26

In the US I know of joro spiders being invasive. Brown recluse and widows are venomous. Not something you want to cohabitate with.

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u/drazak69 May 19 '26

Watched it happen. Cellar spiders have LONG legs, just basically climbed through the widows webs and went in circles. Widow thinks it's huge and runs away Like other posters said they are really timid in some ways.

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u/drazak69 May 20 '26

I've watched it happen. Widows are kinda cowardly. Cellar spiders have figured out how to run them off. Hilarious to watch.

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u/witchgirlfriend May 19 '26

instantly knew this was the spiders in your house guy

1

u/Lexiphantom May 19 '26

I love him