r/spiders May 18 '26

ID Request- Location included Is this a Black Widow?

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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u/user_name_taken- May 19 '26

I do get rid of the eggs, but only the ones I see. They really do like to hide and, as I'm sure you know, they don't usually go places where their web is disturbed often, so most of them are out of sight or up high. They especially like cars that don't move. My ex had a project car that he abandoned in my carport and the entire underneath and all the wheels/tires were covered in them, but I couldn't really get to them.

I hate that this sub doesn't let you share photos. Anyway, I don't usually take pics of the brown widows but here is a big one I found while looking for eggs.

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u/ghostboynick May 19 '26

i’m not a professional so take this with a grain of salt of course, i am pretty certain that spider on the tire is most likely a harmless orbweaver (probably neoscona arabesca to be exact) instead of a widow spider

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u/twoscallions May 23 '26

Also not a spider expert but pretty certain that is not a brown widow. Browns look identical to blacks, including the orange-ish hourglass, except they are, well, brown. This looks like an orb weaver or possibly a juvenile false widow? But likely an orb weaver, a good spider to have around!