Black widows and “brown widows” are extremely successful in the Santa Clarita Valley, and this summer time heat is making their populations grow even more. A black widow’s venom is reported to be 15 times more venomous than a rattlesnake’s and their web more powerful than stainless steel.

The spider’s venom is a paralytic neurotoxin that freezes their prey and can be a significant health hazard to larger animals like  humans and pets.

Many people mistake spiders in their homes for Brown Recluses, but to date, there have been no registered cases of brown recluse bites in California. In theory, they could survive in an imported good for a period of time, but they wouldn’t reproduce effectively. Continue reading