Q&A for How to Identify a Brown Widow Spider

To prevent them from entering your home, start by inspecting the exterior of your house. Remove any items that could attract spiders, such as wood piles, dense vegetation, and long-stored objects, as these areas provide ideal hiding spots for spiders. Also, clear a perimeter of at least one foot around your home, keeping it free of vegetation and stored items. This one-foot barrier helps deter spiders from making their way inside your home.

No. Brown widows live in more tropical places. The UK is way too cold for most tropical spiders.

There are no documented cases of deaths from a brown widow. Even though they have a similar venom to the black widow, they cannot inject nearly as much, and their bites are much weaker, reducing the chance that the venom spreads.

That's not their typical habitat. However, anyone moving there or visiting from a more tropical area could accidentally bring one with them.

It will be brownish in color with gray, tan, or potentially black spots. It will also have an iconic hourglass on the underside of the body.

If you have a mild reaction, the bite will itch and puff up like a bad mosquito bite. A more serious reaction can cause burning sensations, an open ulcer wound, shortness of breath and other symptoms. If you have any concerns, call your doctor.

They have the same red hourglass shape on their undersides as black widows have, but their overall color is brown.

Yes, because of the warm climate. Check in caves and rocks.

Yes, they are generally found in tropical and subtropical parts of the world, including Hawaii, Florida, parts of Australia, and some Caribbean islands.

The brown widow spider is found throughout much of the US, especially in the southeast. They tend to inhabit the same kind of low, undisturbed areas as black widows.

Not natively, but they can still be transported there by accident through a tourist from the southern United States of America or South Africa.

Try to find a way to lure it elsewhere. You could spill some peppermint oil at the entrance; however, make sure it isn't too slippery to walk on. Don't deliberately harm the spider.

It is not recommended, as they may bite you. It's best to leave them alone unless they are bothering you. If you decide to keep one, be careful and avoid handling it.

Yes, there are brown widow spiders in Pennsylvania but they are rarely encountered.

It may be a brown widow. If you think it's a brown widow, and if it's in a potentially dangerous spot, you should probably get rid of it. It could also be a type of orb weaver as well.

Brown widows nest wherever they want to, generally in corners and dark places. They have been spotted near the ground and up high. They are pale, stripey brown with an orange hourglass marking on the underside of the abdomen and their egg sacs are more of a yellow and somewhat spiky looking. Males are very small with long legs and are not venomous.

You can find brown widow spiders in California, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, Nevada, and Louisiana,.

Brown widow spiders are not found in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania is not a warm climate state.

50-150 babies can hatch from a single egg. Most of the babies will perish from environmental challenges or predation.

Brown widow spiders usually prefer tropical climates. Central Texas or just the state itself has only 2 venomous spiders, the black widow (not brown, black) and the brown recluse or violin spider. Either way you should still look out for these if you live in Texas.