You didn't tell me Black Widows Live in Arizona!! There was even a youngling in tow!!!

220

Oh, by the way, we have tarantula hawks here too.

369

u/arizona-lad 2d ago

You are really going to freak out when you see your first Palo Verde beetle.

95

u/darkmatterhunter 2d ago

How I imagine OP trying to take more pics since each one is progressively worse lol

81

u/Drowning_in_a_Mirage Phoenix 2d ago

Arizona is like the Australia of North America, we've got almost all of the venomous snakes, reptiles, arachnids, and insects found on the continent, and many that only live here.

28

u/RenSharp888 2d ago

Yep! Brown widows too!

58

u/Spoonbills 2d ago

Listen they’re scary looking but they’re super docile and only bite if you’re aggressive toward them.

Be nice to spiders. We need them.

17

u/clemjonze 2d ago

I’m sure it was on page 32 of the Arizona pamphlet, right after valley fever and vinaggroons.

14

u/GrandCanOYawn 2d ago

Rattlesnakes are gonna be a real eye opener for you 😆

22

u/ShortbusDouglas 2d ago

11

u/munoodle 2d ago

They are reclusive and really don’t prefer to be around us, but definitely check crevices before you put your hands there

10

u/PMME-SHIT-TALK 2d ago

I’m pretty sure black widow spiders can be found everywhere on earth except very cold places like Canada Russia Nordic countries etc

25

u/PHX_Architraz 2d ago

If you have black widows, it usually means you don't have scorpions (they compete for the same food supply), and that's a trade I'm willing to take the widows in.

As a bonus, if you have either of those you likely don't have too many crickets.

Also, if you want to chase them off without killing / getting near them, just take a stick and mess up their webs in the morning. They'll get the hint and move on after a few days.

6

u/Imaginarium16 2d ago

Well, you didn't ask.

6

u/okrasnake 2d ago

We have one right by the back door that is helping us keep bugs and other spiders out. My dogs don’t mess with her so I let her be 🥰

8

u/Beaoorrrrr 2d ago

Black widows are probably the least of your worries here.

5

u/dotnsk 2d ago

We have giant crab spiders, too. Found one on my ceiling last week.

5

u/BluegreenColors 2d ago

ALL the spiders live here 🕷️

4

u/Brease 2d ago

Widows are friends. Leave them be if they are outdoors and out of the way.

6

u/GreatMacGuffin 2d ago

Yeah, they're pretty neat.

We got a lot of neat spiders. I love them all. We got some pretty cool scorpions and birds of prey too. Stick around, they are all really interesting.

5

u/BirdmanH54 2d ago

They are low on the dangerous locals list.

6

u/kteeds 2d ago

I literally have a black widow and brown recluse fight club in my garage. I just leave them be and let them handle their turf issues on their own.

5

u/Narrow-Stranger6864 2d ago

They live in every state of the US. We just have more because…well…desert😓. There is a canal path lined with bushes close to where I grew up (AZ) and I called it the path of death because the bushes were RIDDLED with widow nests. Luckily, they aren’t really hostile spiders. They run away if you scare them properly and in my whole life of living here(born and raised), I’ve never met anyone who was bit by one.

4

u/MrKrinkle151 2d ago

I mean, yeah? They live all over the US

3

u/Monsoon_Magic 2d ago

The amount of people in here saying Brown Recluse instead of Arizona Brown Spider is sort of alarming…

4

u/housewithapool2 2d ago

Where did you think they lived?

4

u/SignoreBanana 2d ago

Bro, we're the Australia of the US. Get with it.

3

u/surfcitysurfergirl 2d ago

Watch out for the brown recluse spiders 😩

4

u/GuessFuzzy7008 2d ago

Black widows are VERY good pest control. They hide during the day and are very shy with humans. I have cats, so if I find one inside I scoop it in a cup, jar, using paper, then toss it outside.

Their silk is super strong and you'll find pretty big bugs in their webs at times. I kept one as a pet for her whole life (3 years, I got her as a baby brown spider and had no clue it was a black widow at first) and loved watching how cautious they are when wrapping food. They are wonderful, just don't put them in your hand and try to squish, then they will bite lol.

5

u/_TaylorMade 1d ago

If it helps, unless they’re provoked, and I mean fear for their lives, they will never bother you. I’ve had them in my garages and patios for the 30 yrs I’ve been in Tucson and have never been bothered by one. But it is important to remember if you leave shoes outside or in your garage to tap them out for spiders and scorps. You crouching them as you insert your foot will definitely provoke a response

3

u/Yerfuct 1d ago

My old house had a crap ton outside. They were awesome at keeping down the amount of bugs down.

5

u/Nice-Yogurt4552 1d ago

I've found a few black ones but mostly brown widows less dangerous i definitely got bit by one

3

u/KhanTengri Tucson 2d ago

Every summer in Arizona you encounter a new bug you’ve never seen before here

3

u/chainlinkchipmunk 2d ago

They mind their own business, just watch where you put your hands and feet.

I've relocated so many without a single issue.

3

u/DE4DM4NSH4ND 2d ago

I dont even kill black widows. If you dont uave kids around theyre actually great for pest control. Just dont leave your shoes outside

3

u/Adorable_Newt7562 2d ago

My neighborhood is crawling with them we even had some in my house they are very shy non aggressive.. now that it’s getting hotter we’ve seen less.

3

u/ExtremelyUnqualified 2d ago

Black widows live in arizona

3

u/ZoeTravel 2d ago

A lot more scary stuff than spiders here...

3

u/Chuytastic 2d ago

Yeah been for years

3

u/BlueShift42 2d ago

Anyone mentioned the most venomous scorpions in North America?

3

u/Neko_Dash Phoenix 2d ago

BTW, there are black widows around. Watch out.
Thanks.

3

u/a_youkai 2d ago

They live everywhere.

3

u/QualityOfMercy Phoenix 2d ago

I’ve got two in my garage right now. I call them Lucy and Ethyl.

3

u/creepshowens 2d ago

They’re so cool!! Shout out to my co-worker Jesús for the lighting assist on this shot

3

u/ferricaflix 2d ago

As someone born and raised here, this post is hilarious! Black Widows were the first bug we learned about with the Scorpion as a close second. Arizona is full of creepy crawlies! Just assume everything here is trying to kill you, from the tiniest insect to the largest plant. All of them are bad news.

3

u/SilverTetsusaiga 2d ago

Fun fact: If you have a pool, you can find them under the lid to your pool skimmer (sometimes around the skimmer in general from the pool side too ) as well. It’s not often but it happens more than you think. It also doesn’t matter if the skimmer is accessed frequently or not either.

Source: First hand experience as someone who cleans pools for a living. (And who found a black widow in a skimmer lid a week ago).

3

u/cheekyjlo 2d ago

Haha, yup lots of them!!

3

u/lixious 2d ago

I had one charge toward me once when I was breaking up its nest with a broom. It ran up the broom handle. Don't do that and you'll be fine.

I mean, I get why she was mad though.

3

u/thepeoplesninja45 2d ago

My garage is full of them! They creep into the house every now and then. We even have a thing called Wolf Spiders… not harmful but scary to run into 😂

3

u/allmyguts 2d ago

Hey, just to let you know, we have black widows.

3

u/RickJames_Ghost 2d ago

In every state minus Alaska.

3

u/Parking_Leek_7773 1d ago

Who the heck didnt tell you this

3

u/HawnPinapplPicka 1d ago

Welcome to Phoenix!!!!

3

u/rugburn250 1d ago

I thought black widows lived everywhere?

5

u/the1theycallfish 2d ago

https://giphy.com/gifs/woqo2w8RoxQbdAWC0l

2

u/tv_walkman 2d ago

They took over my yard after the rain last fall, I've known about a dozen residents managing various parts of my small garden. And I've only brought a couple inside by mistake!

2

u/BoringJuiceBox 2d ago

People talk about the stuff we have in AZ, but honestly humid places are WAY worse IME. I’ve seen hordes of mayflies in Mississippi, huge flying roaches in Hawaii, house centipedes, etc. Most scary stuff I see inside here are the random scorpion, I’ve only been stung once in 22 years here because I sat on one. Lots of black widows outside and RARELY a brown recluse(they call them recluse for a reason).

2

u/Entrepreneur-Exact 2d ago

That youngin might be her mate whom she will eat. The females have the hourglass and the males are smaller no hour glass.

https://giphy.com/gifs/k0q2MAyTUBY8E

2

u/Mysterious-Extent919 2d ago

You can find thin under the skimmer cover. I almost got bitten but lucky it doesn’t move when I opened the lid cover. It spooked me

2

u/Cygnus__A 2d ago

I leave the black widows alone. They are great at pest control. Just don't mess with them and you are fine.

2

u/Dizman7 2d ago

Wait till you see how fast the scorpions are!

2

u/Square_Barracuda_69 2d ago

I keep telling people that Arizona is a mini Australia and everything wants to kill you, yet people continue to flock here in hords.

2

u/Repulsive-Carpet9400 2d ago

I can deal with stuff.

Except for the T Rex American cockroach.

I kill 3 per year in the house...then spend 50 hours sealing every cranny they could possibly enter thru. .Had one come up thru the drain while brushing my teeth.

Yeah, no.

You won't win.

2

u/GrannyTurtle 2d ago edited 2d ago

Oh, those guys. I have one on my porch - they make the worst webs. I leave her alone and she leaves me alone. (The males are smaller.)

Get a decent black light so you can check for bark scorpions - those nasty little buggers have a bad sting that will make you regret your life. They glow green under a black light. They are way worse than a black widow. If a child gets stung by one, it’s a medical emergency.

A lot of us prefer sandals and flip flops because you can tell at a glance that they are safe to put on.

2

u/AVRA333 2d ago

I'll never forget the first time I saw a fully grown banded garden spider in dt Mesa. I was all, did someone lose their pet spider!? Way too big and beautiful to be in an urban area. It was like 8" from corner to corner of the x!! (This is not the one I saw, just for reference)

2

u/CesCru999 2d ago

Brown widows are too found in AZ thus seeing the black widow species in Florida I can say the ones in Arizona are much bigger in size than the widows in Florida

2

u/surfcitysurfergirl 2d ago

Oh heck yeah they are here they LOVE the heat

2

u/nurdle 2d ago

When my daughter was born, there was a black widow & her web on our front door. I didn’t want to get anywhere near it. So I grabbed a can of Aquanet and a lighter & made lit her up. To my surprise a bunch of babies came out, but I burned them all, too. Sorry, not take any chances.

2

u/desertgal2002 2d ago

Very much so. I’ve found my fair share. 😖

2

u/commander_sinbin 2d ago

That's ok. The Scorpions will take care of it

2

u/enigma_explorer 2d ago

probably from California

2

u/joeleidner22 2d ago

You didn’t ask..,

2

u/Grokent 2d ago

We used to have a lot more black widows when I was a child in the 80's. Pesticides damn near wiped them out. Also, the brown widow is apparently invasive and has moved in from California which has increased pressure on black widows.

I haven't seen a black widow egg sack in over a decade.

2

u/Manhattan-Quark_369 2d ago

We had scorpions, wolf spiders, black widows and Tobacco worms in our garden… yes we had a working garden in AZ.

2

u/Past-Lunch4695 Tucson 2d ago

OH YEAH. I just moved into a rental and this place is INFESTED. Eggs for miles on every screen. Paying for my OWN monthly pest service because the landlord acts like everything is my fault. Found. Scorpion in the bathroom this morning. Cant wait to move.

2

u/soopirV Tucson 2d ago

I took my leather toolbelt out of my closed tool cab, put it on with shorts, worked for about 20 minutes hanging crown molding (so tons of ladder work), had to pee, set the belt down on my cedar chest, came back and found the LARGEST widow I’d ever seen in a web tucked into the void that normally hangs against the leg- it was akin to skin with me for 20 minutes of violent action and I had no idea…still get the jeebies thinking about it!

2

u/Fentoni-227722 2d ago

I drowned one and it came back to life

2

u/qwerty4007 Phoenix 2d ago

Most people toss away any plans of moving to Arizona when they hear about the 120 degree heat. They don't usually get to the part about the scorpions, black widows, and thorns on every plant.

2

u/Wonderful_Cricket327 2d ago

There are plenty of black widows in Arizona as well as recluse spiders

2

u/Embarrassed-Sun5764 2d ago

Get a UV light for scorpion on your perimeter. Use the strongest pesticide you can get. Buy 2 to spray all the walls and cracks. Put glue traps in your garage and MOVE THINGS AROUND. Black widow’s hate that! Don’t bring holiday decorations back into the house from the garage. Don’t bring “anything “ back into from the garage til the widow’s are gone-

2

u/sunflower_dreams 2d ago

Oh yes… when I first moved here there was an infestation of them in the garage of my house 😵

2

u/wamimsauthor 2d ago

We had one also.

2

u/Physical_Site_4259 2d ago

AZ has everything that stings and bites.

2

u/Snoo_87717 2d ago

Polyphemus Moth Black witch moth White lined Sphinx Moth Giant Silk Moth Sphinx or Hawk Moth Desert leaf cutter ant believe it or not. Tarantual hawk = Pepsis wasp They have amazing colors but their movements and colors indicate clearly....do not touch. I actually managed to pull a juvenile tarantula that had been stung away from one once. Took 2 months before the tarantula could move. Solpugids

Some fun things you might run in to in AZ at some point. Some already mentioned.

Its cool seeing bats as the sun sets. Saw some off Scottsdale road yesterday.

2

u/SunlaArt 2d ago

Yeah, they're here! Very much so. I have lived in different parts of AZ, and there was no place in the state I haven't seen them. I'm more interested to know where they aren't!

2

u/lodoslomo 2d ago

I have them in my yard. I don't bother them they don't bother me!

2

u/awarmguinness 2d ago

Want to hear about our diverse rattlesnake species?

2

u/perezidentially 2d ago

Yup. I thought it was all fun n games watching the 2 live in the garage, - live and let live-, then one day saw a big ole egg sac , n visions of Arachnaphobia movie ran through my head, so I said, " Oh hell no. Time to go. ".

2

u/perezidentially 2d ago

Also wolf spiders, trannycholas, snakes, owls, hawks, lions, bears, oh my. Its almost a 'you name it, we got it, state'.

2

u/maddogracer161 2d ago

My goodness in eastern arizona we have such a big population of black widows. It's insane. I've lived in AZ for my entire life, lived all around the state and eastern az has the most out of any place I've been to. Lol

2

u/StepLarge1685 2d ago

Oh yes they are! Found one female with a VERY large abdomen hanging out in our pool skimmer above waterline the other day. I think she was getting to unleash holy hell. Threat was neutralized.

2

u/GlockOneNine 2d ago

Ok, listen carefully - THIS IS IMPORTANT: You need to take off and nuke the site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure!

....I hate spiders lol

2

u/HappyGidget 2d ago

We recently found 2 black widows in our backyard. Talk about terrifying!

2

u/Godzilla8u4m3 2d ago

Black widows and little brown scorpions. Both reasons to legally keep a flamethrower.

2

u/thesuncatchery 2d ago

Oh yeah black widows are very common here. U can pretty much bet they’re in every dusty corner of every outdoor shed and under every wood pile in every back yard etc etc

2

u/Cornczech66 2d ago

yup, they live in Arizona

This was inside my "little Saguaro" in our front yard

2

u/BranDong84 2d ago

This is a list of all the things that will kill you in AZ.

Scorpions

Arizona bark scorpion — most concerning; painful sting, can be dangerous.
Giant desert hairy scorpion — huge and gross-looking, usually less dangerous.

Spiders

Black widow — medically significant bite.
Brown recluse/desert recluse — rare-ish but nasty bite potential.
Tarantulas — big, hairy, mostly harmless but unsettling.
Wolf spiders — fast, chunky, creepy.

Centipedes / Millipedes

Giant desert centipede — very creepy, painful venomous bite.
House centipedes — fast nightmare fuel.
Millipedes — not dangerous, but gross and can release irritating chemicals.

Roaches

American cockroach / sewer roach — big flying horror.
German cockroach — infestation nightmare.
Desert cockroaches — show up outside and around homes.

Ants

Fire ants — painful stings.
Harvester ants — painful bite/sting; can be medically rough.
Carpenter ants — home damage concern.

Wasps / Bees

Africanized honey bees — dangerous in swarms.
Paper wasps — aggressive near nests.
Tarantula hawk wasps — one of the most painful stings around.
Cicada killer wasps — huge, scary-looking, usually not aggressive.

Beetles / Bugs

Palo verde beetles — giant nightmare beetles.
Kissing bugs — can bite while you sleep; disease concern, though risk varies.
Assassin bugs — painful bite.
Blister beetles — can cause skin blisters.
Stink bugs — gross smell, annoying.

Flies / Mosquitoes

Mosquitoes — West Nile risk.
Horse flies/deer flies — painful bites.
Drain flies/gnats — infestation annoyance.

Ticks / Mites

Brown dog ticks — common around dogs/homes.
Chiggers/mites — itchy misery.

Reptiles

Rattlesnakes — western diamondback, Mojave, sidewinder, black-tailed, etc.
Gila monster — venomous, rare, protected, don’t mess with it.
Chuckwallas/large lizards — harmless but startling.

Other desert creepers

Vinegaroons / whip scorpions — look terrifying, spray vinegar-like acid, mostly harmless.
Solifuges / camel spiders / wind scorpions — fast, freaky, not venomous.
Jerusalem crickets / “potato bugs” — huge ugly crickets, can bite.
Cicadas — loud, weird, dead shells everywhere.

Mammals/birds that can be dangerous

Coyotes — pets at risk.
Javelina — can charge, especially with dogs around.
Bobcats/mountain lions — rare but real.
Bats — rabies concern.
Pack rats — carry fleas/ticks, destroy wiring/nests

2

u/Bleys69 2d ago

I had a cigar the other night, and when I came in I found one on my sweatpants leg.

2

u/stanmarshfan491 2d ago

This is one of their favorite places tho

2

u/JohnQPublic1917 2d ago

The biggest black widow I ever seen was under a gas pump at Window Rock.

2

u/WillHuntingthe3rd 2d ago

Spray everywhere!

2

u/Trouttuber 1d ago

They are in alot of states. All they really require are dark spaces..

2

u/CodPiece89 1d ago

They're not dangerous to you unless you're extremely unlucky or dumb, and I want to stress that I'm not saying you are. Yes they are very dangerous to be bitten by big they are not going to interact with you at all in 99% of people's lives. Not only this but they're not exactly interested in biting you unless frightened, I'm not saying you should handle one but if you're calm and can remain calm with one on you they're going to just try to find somewhere to hide. Unfortunately this does mean they're going to try to get in the dark on your body which quickly becomes dangerous if they decide to go in your clothes.

Point being, you're almost never gonna actually come into physical contact with them, and if you do, it's still extremely rare for an adult to die from their bite unless old or weak from some preexisting condition, and it's almost a guarantee you'll survive if you go to the ER.

That said if you have dogs, try to keep an eye on them sniffing around, as they will absolutely notice it and can get bitten, and it's very very very very bad if they do.

2

u/Kellzy1212 1d ago

They’re in almost every state. I saw my first a few years ago in a storage shed in Vegas.

2

u/Silocin20 1d ago

Black Widows and Brown Recluses are very common here. Arizona is the Australia in the U.S. We have many venomous creatures here.

2

u/Trouttuber 1d ago

How big was the one in tow? It could hate been the male....

2

u/sphank99 1d ago

That's like 1 of 3 spiders I knew lived here

2

u/Odd_Yogurtcloset1437 1d ago

Black widows are your friends. Brown recluse, not so much..

2

u/natiusj 1d ago

Live? Thrive!!

2

u/blastman8888 1d ago

Few summers ago walking out to the backyard at night with nothing but some shorts on. I felt a web as I was walking something running down my chest and my leg. Wife turned on the lights out back I saw was a black widow. You be surprised how fast these things can run.

Another time I was working on my jeep it had been parked on the side yard for a year. I slide under it on a creeper and reached up into the transmission area to open the fill hole there was a black widow in a web 3" from my face.

2

u/yeticoffeefarts Surprise 1d ago

Adorable.

2

u/GordonMightyBombay 1d ago

I got this big one that only comes out at night but I’m too scared so I just leave it be

2

u/Economy-Injury6552 1d ago

Yes, but honestly, the scorpions eat the black widows so it’s OK

2

u/Immediate-Sense-5735 19h ago

I’ve lived in Sedona for 10+ years. I’ve seen one or two rattlesnakes, one or two black widows, and one or two scorpions.

Outdoors You didn't tell me Black Widows Live in Arizona!! There was even a youngling in tow!!!

You are about to leave Redlib