Brown Widow Spider
An invasive widow spider that has largely displaced the black widow across coastal Florida.
Photo: hugo medina (CC0) · public domain/CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
Tan to dark brown with an orange or yellow hourglass marking on the underside of the abdomen (not red like the black widow). The egg sac is the clearest ID clue — it has distinctive spiky projections, like a sputnik satellite.
Underside of outdoor furniture, inside PVC piping, mailboxes, playground equipment, behind shutters, meter boxes and low shrubs. Extremely common across Florida's coast.
- Spiky, sputnik-shaped egg sacs in low corners and under outdoor furniture
- Webs in chairs, under patio tables, eaves and meter boxes
- Tan-brown spider with orange hourglass hiding in any undisturbed outdoor void
Brown widow venom is more potent than black widow venom per volume, but the spider injects less and is less aggressive. Bites are painful and can cause local swelling, nausea and cramping. Seek medical care if symptoms spread.
Rhino de-webs, removes egg sacs and treats the harborage directly, then maintains an exterior barrier program to prevent re-establishment.
Our Spider Control service