Once again wintertime is rolling out across the sunshine state. And honestly? It couldn’t have come at any better time. The mosquitos and ninety-degree days were really getting to me. As we drop into the low 70s, you’ll probably notice less of the flying pests when you go outside. But that doesn’t mean every insect in the state is just going to pack up and leave for the winter. No sir. In fact, on the inside of your home, you may notice more than ever. That’s why today, we’ll be talking about Florida Winter spiders.
Spider infestations are rare, but when they happen it can be a pretty harrowing experience. You wake up one day and have a few on you, maybe some webs in the corners of the room that weren’t there the night before. It can really give you a fright. But the best thing you can do is stay informed. That goes for this just as much as any other insect infestation. So to start off with, let’s go over some Florida spider species.
Florida Winter Spiders: The Usual Suspects
Every home has spiders. And nine out of ten times, they’re not an issue. But on our journey of identification, let’s start with the ones that you really don’t want in your home.
The Southern Black Widow
Commonly known as just “the black widow”, this is an endemic species of spider here in Florida. You’ll probably get a chill down your spine when you read the name. But, they’re not an aggressive species. They’ll never really bite without a purpose. The females are less than an inch long, including their leg span, and the males are even smaller than that.
Of course, these guys are pretty easy to identify at a glance. They have thick, black bodies with red tinges on the abdomen. Not only that, but you’ll see the classic hourglass motif on their underside. The males have slightly longer legs than the females, also. Their habitat is usually within rodent burrows, rocks, and woodpiles. But sometimes you’ll find them in the corners of your attics and garages. As long as you’re careful not to walk around barefoot or reach into dark corners that are dark, you’ll likely not have an accidental run-in with these spiders. They create large, messy webs during the day that you’ll see them hanging upside down in- making their hourglass belly symbol pretty easy to see.
You can also identify them from their distinct egg sacs. Female southern black widows create egg sacs in beige shade sizing 0.39-0.49 in. 200-220 eggs are released inside the sacs and all the eggs are around 0.03 in diameter. The incubation period is generally a month after which spiderlings emerge. All spiderlings have a whitish complexion at first which gradually develops into the black shade with every molt. The distinctive hourglass red spot or other marks usually common in adults are also missing in spiderlings.
These spiders have neurotoxic venom that affects your nervous system for a period of time. And if you’re bitten, you should seek medical attention. But don’t panic- these bites almost never cause death in healthy humans.
Northern Black Widow
I know this list of Florida Winter spiders isn’t coming off as very original, but just bear with me. The northern Black Widow is another east coast spider and is related closely to the southern variation. You won’t see as many of these in your back yard as the name suggests, but a few can make their way down here from time to time. The females of the species are predators and live in very strongly-build, three-dimensional webs.
The females of this species are slightly larger than the southern black widow, but the males are only about half the size, excluding legs and only counting for center mass. The hourglass mark on the stomach of the Northern Black Widow is broken up as opposed to the southern variation, making them slightly harder to identify at a glance. But they still have a bright red motif on their underside.
The males of this species are not black but are more gray or brown in color with small red spots dotting their bodies. Also, the males play their roles only for reproduction purposes and are mostly consumed by the females after mating or copulation, similar to a praying mantis.
The egg sacks are similar to their southern cousins and hold approximately two hundred eggs. These incubate for about three weeks in the sac that remains attached to the mother’s webs. Like the males, the juveniles and immature specimens have two pairs of diagonal whitish bands on both sides of the abdomen. After hatching, the baby spiders remain in the cocoon for around four weeks. They are taken care of by the mother until they are matured enough to forage for themselves.
Florida Winter Spiders – Brown Widow Spider
This article is really turning into a widow article, huh? That honestly wasn’t even intentional- but here we are! The brown widow belongs to the family of cobweb spiders. The females are about half an inch long, and males are about one third their size. They’re mostly brown or tan unlike their cousins, but some of them range from a pale yellow to nearly black in color. Their characteristic hourglass motif is usually brown or yellow and is on their underside as well.
They don’t have any pattern to their webs and is usually just a complete tangle of silk. Bites should cause you to seek medical attention, but obviously don’t panic. You’ll find these Florida Winter Spiders in unused, empty containers around your yard or in unfrequented mailboxes.
