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Adult black widow spiders have shiny, jet black, rounded, globular abdomens with two reddish or yellowish triangles on the underside that form a characteristic hourglass marking. These spiders are about 1/2-inch long, not including the legs (about 1-1/2 inches when legs are spread). Webs are usually built near the ground (occasionally within dwellings) normally in trash, rubble piles, under or around houses and outbuildings such as privies, sheds and garages. The venom of the black widow spider is 15 times as toxic as the venom of the prairie rattlesnake.
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The brown recluse spider is soft-bodied, yellowish-tan to dark brown, about 1/4 to 1/2 inch long and have long, delicate grayish to dark brown legs covered with short, dark hairs. The leg span is about the size of a half-dollar. Distinguishing characteristics are the presence of three pairs of eyes arranged in a semicircle on the forepart of the head and a violin-shaped, dark marking immediately behind the semicircle of eyes with the neck of the violin pointing toward the bulbous abdomen. These spiders usually are found in undisturbed clothing, bedding, woodpiles, debris, old barns, storage sheds, and garages.
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