Description: Florida has 4 species of Widow Spiders consisting of: Northern and Southern Black, Red and Brown. The Brown Widow is the most commonly encountered in Florida residences and businesses. The commonalities among the species are that they are all large, poisonous spiders, roughly 1 ½" in length when their legs are extended. Additionally, they all have colored markings on their undersides. The difference between the species is the location, shape and color of those markings

Northern Black: Jet-black and shiny in appearance. Distinctive row of red spots in the middle of its back and two reddish triangles resembling an hourglass on the underside.

Southern Black: Jet-black and shiny in appearance. Distinctive red spot at the tipped end of the abdomen and a red hour-glass mark on the underside of the abdomen.

Red: Reddish-orange head, thorax and legs with a black abdomen. The abdomen may have a row of red spots with a yellow border. Instead of a complete hourglass shape on the underside, the Red Widow may have one or two red spots.

Brown: Varies in color from gray to light brown to black and presents as either one solid color, or multi-toned, as depicted in the picture to the left. The abdomen has variable markings of black, red, white and yellow. It has an orange or yellowish-red hourglass marking on the underside of the abdomen.

They're here! Outdoors, their favorite hiding places include the crawl space beneath homes, hollow tile blocks, under rocks and in storage sheds. Indoors, they may be seen in the angles of doors and windows, in shoes, in the folds of clothing and under objects which are in dark, undisturbed areas.

Damage: A widow bite is extremely painful and toxic. After-bite symptoms include severe pain in the bite site, fever, chills, muscle spasms, nausea, difficulty breathing and acute abdominal pain.

Description: The Banana Spider is among the largest web-weaving spiders in the country. The female is distinctively colored, ¼-1/2" in length and has conspicuous hair tufts on her long legs. Males are slightly larger, are dark-brown, and are often found in the webs of females.

Seasonality: Year-round outdoors.

Attractions: Being insect eaters, they are attracted to areas with a slight breeze, which provides a consistent in-flow of food. Their webs are extremely large enabling them to withstand heavy wind currents.

They're here! They are most commonly found in forests, along trails and in the corners where shrubbery adjoins. These spiders are not indoor dwellers and will not do well if transported inside.

Damage: None.

Description: The Spiny Orb Weaver is one of the most easily recognized spiders in Florida. They are very small, usually 1/8-1/4", are wider than they are tall, and have distinctive red and black marks on a hard, white shell.

Seasonality: Year-round outdoors.

Attractions: Citrus workers frequently encounter this species, and they may be found on trees and shrubs around houses and nurseries.

They're here! For their size, Spiny Orb Weavers spin very large webs. Also unique to this spider, their webs are spun with tufts of silk. It is unknown why they do this but one theory is that it makes the web more visible to birds thus ensuring that the birds don't fly into the web and destroy it.

Damage: None.

Description: The Jumping Spider is very small, usually less than ¼" long. Their eyes are arranged in three distinctive rows making them easy to identify. Many are brightly colored, sometimes with iridescent coloration.

Seasonality: Year-round outdoors.

Attractions: The Jumping Spider is usually not seen until they "jump" on their prey. This spider has a voracious appetite and hunts frequently during the day. They prefer a "hi-rise" view of the neighborhood and will lie in wait for their prey on any surface which puts them at a higher elevation than their prey. Examples include the side of buildings, top of fences, walls and planters.

They're here! Jumping Spiders do not construct webs to catch their prey. Typically, you'll only see them during a jump.

Damage: None.

Description: The Wolf Spider is one of the most common Florida spiders. They are very small, usually less than 1/8", and are brown with camouflaged markings.

Seasonality: Year-round outdoors.

Attractions: The Wolf Spider prefers to be on the ground for hunting and nesting and they blend right into the landscape with their camouflaged coloring.

They're here! These spiders do not spin webs to trap prey, they dig burrows or hide under debris. Like other hunting spiders, they have excellent eyesight and are sensitive to vibrations.

Damage: None.