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Black Widow Spider
(Size: 1 cm)
The name kind of sends chills down your back, huh? Well, this tiny spider (half an inch long) gets its name from the fact that after mating, the harmless male black widow, much smaller than the female, will either be eaten or let itself starve to death.
As mentioned, only the female is dangerous. She is easily recognized by the red hourglass marking underneath her glossy-black body. The Canadian variety of the black widow is slightly less dangerous, but with no cause for less caution, however.
Despite its reputation, the black widow is a shy creature which tries to avoid contact with humans as much as possible. The black widow usually hides in animal burrows, wood or brush piles and dark, quiet places. One should always wear gloves to protect one's self when working in such places. The black widow spider is found in southern Canada, from southern Ontario to the southern Prairies and certain parts of B.C.
Years ago in the United States, some people would occasionally die from widow bites. The victims were mostly young children and the elderly. Nowadays, with such wonderful improvements in the treatment of bites, deaths related to the black widow spider are virtually unheard of. In Canada, there has never been any recorded deaths related to this tiny arachnid.
When the black widow does bite, it usually feels like a pin prick. The puncture will be surrounded with redness and some swelling. The symptoms start to act up in about 15 minutes: painful muscle cramps spreading away from the bite, anxiety, and in some cases, a weak pulse, clammy skin, difficulty in breathing, and nausea. With children and in the elderly, there might be convulsions accompanying these symptoms.
You should hurry as fast as you can to a doctor or hospital. Try to catch the spider if possible for positive identification. An aspirin may also help relieve the pain. Keep the wound lower than the heart if possible. Clean the wound with soap and apply ice to control the swelling. Depending on how serious the case is , the doctor might not give antivenom because there's a chance of severe reaction in some patients.
A last piece of advice for men: in the past, most cases of widow bites were reported by men going to an outhouse. Anything sticking below the seat might startle a black widow spider who decided to call this place home!