Tag: brown widow spider

side-by-side image of two spiders. at left, a brown widow, hanging vertically in webbing, showing its underside toward the viewer. the spider is dark brown to black in color, with an bright orange blotch on the bottom of its abdomen. at right is a black widow spider, hanging vertically on a stick, viewed from the side. the spider is dark black in color with a bright red splotch visible on the underside of its abdomen.

Brown Widow Spiders’ Aggression Likely Driver of Black Widow Decline

Black widow spiders have earned a fearsome reputation for their venomous bite. But in parts of the southern U.S. these spiders have much to fear themselves—from spider relatives who really don’t like their company. A new study shows that brown widow spiders, of a species in the same genus, have a striking propensity to seek out and kill nearby black widows.

Entomology Today March 14, 2023 Leave a Comment

Do Chestnut, Lemon, or Peppermint Scents Repel Spiders?

In a study on three commonly cited natural spider repellents, both chestnut and peppermint oil showed apparent repellent effects on two species of spider but not on a third. Meanwhile, lemon oil did not have a significant effect on any of the three species included in the study.

Study Finds Oil-Based Pesticides Most Effective at Killing Contents of Brown Widow Egg Sacs

By Josh Lancette While going through pre-marital counseling earlier this year, my then-fiance (now wife) and I were talking about expectations we had for each other. Of course, the typical […]

Brown Widow Spider Reported for the First Time in Tahiti

By Josh Lancette Tahiti is a popular tourist destination, but one unwanted visitor has decided to make its home there: the brown widow spider (Latrodectus geometricus). A paper published in […]