|  | Bites Stings | Spider Bites

Poisonous Spiders Native to Ohio

There are roughly 600 species of spiders native to Ohio, a number high enough to give nearly everyone in the local populace a horrible case of the willies. Still, as frightening as these creepy crawlies are, only two species native to Ohio actually pose a threat to humans. These are the famous black widow spider and the less-well-known brown recluse. While some other species are technically poisonous (they possess venom,) their venom is either harmless to humans or they lack the necessary mandibles to bite. This makes the widow and the recluse the only Ohio spiders that can be as frightening as they look.

  1. The Black Widow

    • The widow can be found across most of Ohio, both in the thick woods of the Ohio valley and in rural and even urban areas. The widow tends to be shy, placing its webs and nests in corners of basements and sheds, in abandoned buildings or under rocks or logs. Fortunately for the untrained observer, the black widow looks very frightening. The females -- the ones that bite -- are quite large, with a bulbous black backside splattered with bright red markings and eight long, skeletal legs. Bites usually happen when a person stumbles across a nest by accident, causing the spider or spiders to feel threatened. Single bites can result in instant pain followed by muscles spasms and cramps, while multiple bites can be life threatening. In all cases, immediate medical attention should be sought in order to evaluate the threat of the bite.

    The Brown Recluse

    • The brown recluse spider just barely qualifies as an Ohio native, its cataloged range only encompassing the southwest tip of the state. True to their name, recluse spiders like warm, dark places like garages, sheds, logs and tree hollows. Especially in the northern states, recluses are almost always found in an enclosed area due to their preference for the warmer southern climate rather than cold northern winters. Unlike widows, however, recluse spiders are small and look like many other common species. One of their only distinctive traits are their extremely long legs. The bite of the recluse is also more problematic, as there is often no initial pain. Within hours, however, a deep throbbing pain may develop, followed by a fissure or hole in the skin that is extremely slow to heal. The toxin of the recluse causes necrosis, which slowly kills the tissue surrounding the bite. Medical attention may be required to close the wound.

    Imported Spiders

    • There is always the small threat of encountering a species of poisonous spider not native to Ohio. Some collectors do keep poisonous species though it is not common and sometimes illegal, especially if the species is not native to the United States. In theory, these animals could be released into the wild where they can encounter humans and cause problems. While this is an extremely unlikely event, any bites from unknown spiders especially in the elderly or in children should be closely monitored for any signs that medical attention is needed.

Spider Bites - Related Articles