Black widow spiders in Ont. not cause for alarm

Lots of them. But there is a truism in entomology; the colder the climate, the less lethal the spiders are in the ecosystem. I've seen Black and Brown Widows in Alberta all my life. Never been bitten, but I hear it's not much worse than a wasp or bee. A Black widow here is nothing compared to one down under.

Australia has the largest number of deadly snakes, and spiders. But Northern South America has the Brazilian wandering spider. They not only can kill you very painfully, they will attack you unprovoked.

I was bit by a black widow in Winnipeg and it is a little more painful than a wasp/bee sting but the chances of dying from it are pretty slim.

I have them in my yard. Snakes too.

When I was in school in Ottawa in the 70's, a workman was bitten by a Black Widow while working in a manhole. It was only about an hour from the time he was bitten to the point we saw him and his hand was horribly swollen. Over the period of a week the tiny little pinprick wound actually began to necrotise to the size of a dime before the worst was over.

I've seen them out here as well as a brown recluse. Bites are very rare. They’ll avoid people when possible.

Saw them all the time when living in the Southern Interior of BC. They pretty much stick to their Webs. So as long as you stay clear you'll be fine.

I caught a black widow a couple of years ago while working in a bank in Lethbridge. When I put it into a small bottle of rubbing alcohol, it let out quite a stream of whiteish venom. I still have it around here somewhere.