Brown Widow Spiders in Virginia

The less aggressive relative of black widow spiders, brown widows are also found in Virginia. Learn more about their habits and the level of danger those pose to you and your loved ones.

What Do Brown Widow Spiders Look Like?

How Dangerous Are Brown Widow Spiders?

How Can I Protect Against Brown Widow Spiders?

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What Do Brown Widow Spiders Look Like?

Brown widow spiders are, not surprisingly, brown. They have a bulbous abdomen with an hourglass shape on the bottom. Unlike the black widow's bright red, the hourglass shape on a brown widow is yellowish or orange in color. Their eight legs are striated black and tan and are fairly long and narrow. The brown widow egg sac is also very distinctive, looking like a pollen grain due to it's many needle-like silk pieces protruding out from the surface.

Brown widows like to live in secluded areas that offer protection, such as empty buckets, mail boxes, under eaves, in garages or storage units, and the undersides of outdoor furniture. They generally choose places that are undisturbed for long periods of time.

How Dangerous Are Brown Widow Spiders?

In comparison to their black widow relative, brown widow spider bites are far less dangerous. While their venom is as toxic as other widow species, the brown widow injects a much smaller amount of venom in each bite. Rarely are reactions worse than any other household spider bite, red mark and pain when it happened.

Additionally, brown widows are a non-aggressive species and prefer to play dead or run away rather than attack. Bites usually only occur in situations where skin comes in contact with the spider, like while gardening, picking up empty buckets, or reaching into unused dark corners.

Brown widows can be dangerous to pets. Though uncommon due to their shy nature, the neurotoxins in a brown widow bite can cause severe reaction in pets, especially smaller or older animals.

How Can I Protect Against Brown Widow Spiders?

Brown widow spiders reproduce quickly. The females are able to lay thousands of eggs in a season, so disrupting the breeding cycle is key. Destroy any egg sacs you find and remove webs to force the spiders out.

As they prefer clutter or unused spaces, keeping your home and yard well-maintained and free of debris. Regularly dust and check areas such as storage piles, unused garden pots, and regularly check outdoor furniture.

Brown widows are susceptible to insecticides, so maintaining a professional pest control barrier around your home and in your yard with go a long way in preventing infestations and controlling any populations that had already established themselves on your property.

For all your pest control needs, we're here and ready to help. Call us today!

To learn about more local Virginia pests, check out our pest library and our other blog posts