In Europe, Latrodectus tredecimguttatus – the European black widow – inhabits the Mediterranean region, but recently and due to the changing climate, the widows have been expanding their habitat.

When Lacey A. Bluemel saw her first black widow spider tucked beneath a woodpile at her East Falmouth home back in October 2023, she hoped it would be her last.

The female of the species found in Oklahoma, Latrodectus mactans, can be identified by its jet black body with an hourglass-shaped red mark on the underside of the abdomen. When mature, she measures ...