About Black Widows in the East Valley
The western black widow (Latrodectus hesperus) is one of the most venomous spiders in North America and one of the most common in the East Valley. Females are easily recognized by their shiny black body and the red hourglass marking on their underside. They are not aggressive by nature, but they will bite when they feel trapped or threatened — which is exactly what happens when someone reaches into a dark corner where one is hiding.
Black widow venom is a neurotoxin that causes intense pain, muscle cramping, nausea, and in serious cases, difficulty breathing. While fatalities are rare, bites require medical attention and can be especially dangerous for children and the elderly. Because these spiders favor the same dark, sheltered spaces that people use for storage, encounters are more common than most homeowners realize.
Where Black Widows Hide and How They Get Inside
Black widows are ground-level spiders that build irregular, tangled webs in dark, undisturbed areas. Around East Valley homes, you will commonly find them in garages, tool sheds, meter boxes, block wall caps, under patio furniture, around pool equipment, and inside irrigation valve boxes. They are also found in stacked firewood, rock piles, and dense landscaping.
They rarely enter the main living areas of a home, but they do show up in garages, laundry rooms, and closets that connect to the outside. They are drawn to areas where insects gather, so exterior lighting that attracts bugs also attracts black widows. Block wall fences, common throughout the East Valley, provide ideal harborage along their entire length.
When Are Black Widows Most Active in the East Valley?
Black widows are most active during the warm months when they build webs and hunt. Peak activity runs from June through August. During cooler months they become less active and retreat to sheltered areas, but they do not leave your property.
How to Get Rid of Black Widows
Killing individual black widows on sight does not solve the problem. If conditions on your property attract them — sheltered harborage, insect prey, and moisture — new spiders will continue to move in from neighboring lots and surrounding desert.
Professional treatment involves targeted application of residual products along your home’s foundation, block walls, eaves, and known harborage areas. Web removal is also part of the process, as it disrupts their habitat and makes re-infestation harder. Regular perimeter treatments on a monthly or bi-monthly schedule provide the most reliable long-term control, especially in the East Valley where black widow pressure is consistent throughout the warmer months.
