Arkansas is home to a wide variety of animals, including several spider species that can represent a serious hazard due to their poisonous bites. While many spiders serve an important role in bug management, homeowners and visitors must be aware of the few that are potentially hazardous.
This article will look at the four most poisonous spiders found in Arkansas, including their unique traits, habitats, and potential health hazards from their bites. Whether you’re an outdoor explorer, a nature enthusiast, or simply inquisitive about local animals, recognizing these spiders is critical for safely exploring the Natural State’s natural landscape.
Stay knowledgeable to protect yourself and enjoy the intriguing, but occasionally hazardous, world of Arkansas spiders.
1. Northern Black Widow
Black Widow spiders are the most well-known venomous spiders, with a terrifying reputation due to their highly lethal bite. The venom of one of these tiny spiders is 15 times more poisonous than that of a prairie rattlesnake, causing muscle spasms, cramps, seizures, chest pain, and vomiting.
Severe symptoms can develop within 30 to 60 minutes of being bitten, beginning with pain at the bite site and steadily escalating. Bites usually resemble two little, crimson pinpricks.
The Northern Black Widow is prevalent across Arkansas. Their bodies are black and spherical, with a characteristic red hourglass-shaped pattern on the abdomen. Females are normally 0.5 to 1.5 inches long, while males are smaller and have lighter-colored patterns on their abdomen, which can be just red or white spots instead of the distinctive hourglass shape.
Despite their intimidating appearance, Black Widows are not violent and only bite when threatened. They prefer to be left alone, spinning their webs in dark, protected areas like woodpiles, leaf piles, barns, and crawlspaces. When reaching into dark places, exercise caution since spiders may rush out to bite if their webs are disturbed.
If you’ve been bitten by a Black Widow spider, try to identify it and then carefully clean the area. If the bite is on the leg or arm, secure a bandage over it to restrict the spread of venom. Apply ice or a cold pack to the bite, then seek medical attention. Typically, treatment consists of giving antivenom. Although bites can be exceedingly painful, they are rarely lethal in healthy people.
2. Southern Black Widow
The Southern Black Widow is Arkansas’s second Black Widow species. They are extremely similar to their northern cousins, but there is one distinguishing feature. The upper and lower sections of the hourglass on the Southern Black Widow’s abdomen are usually always linked. In the Northern Black Widow, the hourglass is divided into two distinct spots.
Southern Black Widows, like Northern Black Widows, build their webs in protected spaces such as old barns, basements, sheds, woodpiles, and other places where they can nest without being disturbed. If you observe a web in these regions, resist the temptation to sweep it away, even with a stick or gloves. Black widows are known to rush out to explore hazards and may readily climb a pole or span a glove to reach exposed skin.
If you’ve been bitten by a Southern Black Widow, you should seek medical assistance immediately. Initially, the bite may feel like a pinprick, but pain usually appears within a few hours and can extend to the belly, back, or chest. Muscle cramps, nausea, perspiration, high heart rate, and difficulty breathing are all possible symptoms, especially in sensitive persons.
While antivenom is available for severe cases, the majority of therapy focuses on pain reduction and symptom management with muscle relaxants and supportive care. Most healthy adults recover completely, but symptoms can continue for a few days to several weeks, necessitating timely medical intervention.
3. Brown Widow
Brown Widow spiders are less venomous than Black Widows, yet their bite can still inflict extreme agony, nausea, and muscle aches. Brown Widows are smaller and lighter than Black Widows, and they both have an hourglass marking, but it is yellow or orange in hue. The spider’s body color varies from tan to dark brown.
Brown widows are not native to the United States, yet they thrive in the warm weather of southern states like California, Texas, and Arkansas. Brown Widows are more commonly seen than Black Widows because they favor slightly more exposed sites such as wooded areas, empty pots, outdoor furniture, and woodpiles.
Bites are typically less severe than Black Widow bites and can be easily confused for other insect bites. If painful symptoms develop and worsen, seek medical treatment.
4. Brown Recluse.
The Brown Recluse Spider is a medium-sized, long-legged, poisonous spider native to the United States. They are about 0.25 to 0.5 inches long with inch-long legs, and males are slightly smaller than females. This spider is quite nondescript, having a tan/brown body and no apparent markings.
When indoors, they spin webs in undisturbed corners that resemble the characteristic cobweb shape. Outside, they spin a tube or cocoon to keep themselves warm during the winter.
Brown recluse spiders, as the name implies, are shy. They are most active at night and prefer to stay hidden during the day. The majority of bites occur between June and October when spiders are on the hunt for a partner. Bites may feel like a minor sting, but the full impact is often felt several hours later. The bite may blister, enlarge, and become painful two to eight hours later. Bites can induce a fever and severe agony.
The spider’s venom also has a necrotic impact, destroying the tissues around the bite and leaving a slow-healing puckered scar the size of a half dollar. In extremely rare circumstances, Brown Recluse bites have resulted in systemic reactions such as renal damage. If you’ve been bitten by a Brown Recluse, clean the area, apply a bandage over the wound, apply a cold cloth or ice to the location, and seek medical assistance.
Staying Spider-Safe
Spider bites are rarely lethal, and the majority of contacts with spiders in Arkansas are harmless. If you suspect you’ve been bitten, monitor your symptoms and, if necessary, get medical attention. As with most animal interactions, the best defense is prevention.
Be mindful of your surroundings if you’re staying somewhere with dark corners and hidden spots. Be cautious when reaching into fissures, holes, or cracks. If you come upon a web, search for its owner and try to identify them before upsetting them.
Above all, don’t let the dread of creepy crawlies mar your holiday. They may not be the friendliest Arkansas residents, but, spiders aside, you’ll be warmly welcomed throughout the state!