No confirmed photo of False Black Widow
False Black Widow
Steatoda borealis
- Venom
- No official source we use states whether this animal is venomous. That does not mean it is harmless: do not handle it.
Are there black widows in Ohio?
Last checked November 3, 2026 against official sources.
On this page
Yes.
ODNR: northern and southern black widows occur but are not nearly as common as in the southern states; most frequent in the southern unglaciated portions. Only females pose a bite risk.
Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife: “These infamous spiders are not nearly as common in Ohio as they are in the southern states. Within our state they occur most frequently in the southern unglaciated portions.” Source
More official answers for Ohio
Are there brown recluse spiders in Ohio?
Rarely. ODNR: very rare. Only nine specimens from three localities out of more than 24,400 Ohio Spider Survey records, no verified outdoor records, and the few records come from inside buildings. Most spiders sent in as brown recluses are misidentified harmless spiders. Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife
The 3 on Ohio's list
Northern Black Widow
Latrodectus variolus
- Where in Ohio
- Within our state they occur most frequently in the southern unglaciated portions. Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife
What the sources say
Venom: “Only the females pose a bite risk. Their bite can be serious, and anyone bitten should seek medical attention immediately.” (Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife)
Southern Black Widow
Latrodectus mactans
- Where in Ohio
- Within our state they occur most frequently in the southern unglaciated portions. Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife
What the sources say
Venom: “Only the females pose a bite risk. Their bite can be serious, and anyone bitten should seek medical attention immediately.” (Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife)
All spiders in the state: Ohio spiders.
Where black widow spiders live in the US
- Native or listed
- Nonnative or not established
- No official record in our data
- 1–9
- 10–99
- 100–999
- 1,000+
What else it could be
Photo: Ken Kneidel · CC0 1.0 · iNaturalist False black widow
Chocolate brown and never has red on the belly; slightly smaller than a mature western black widow (about 3/8 in body length); egg sac looks like a cotton ball with indistinct margins. Caution: UC IPM says a black widow's hourglass can be almost imperceptible or, rarely, completely absent, so a lack of red alone does not rule out a black widow.
False black widow (Steatoda borealis)
No red hourglass and not pure black; looks purplish-brown in bright light, and larger ones have a light T-shaped mark on the abdomen. Caution: a black widow's hourglass can rarely be almost or completely absent (UC IPM), so a lack of red alone does not rule out a black widow.
Photo: Jesse Rorabaugh · CC0 1.0 · iNaturalist Brown widow
Usually a mottled mix of tan, brown and gray, with a lengthwise stripe and diagonal side stripes; colour varies from almost white to almost black, and very dark ones are flat black rather than shiny black. Mature females are smaller than mature female western black widows (about 3/8 in body length). The egg sac is covered in silk bumps, like a very large pollen grain; UC IPM calls the egg sac a much surer way to confirm a brown widow. Caution: brown widows also have a red hourglass on the underside (UF/IFAS), and a mature brown widow looks very similar to an immature western black widow (UC IPM).
Photo: Erin Lalime · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist Common house spider
Penn State Extension: the female common house spider is 5 to 6 mm long with a yellowish-brown carapace and a dirty-white to brown abdomen with gray chevrons; its legs are yellow with darker rings at the end of each segment.
Photo: Stevenklioze00 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · resized Red widow
When spiders are seen in Ohio
What official sources advise
- Black widow bite: seek medical attention immediately (call 911 or Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222). Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife
- Blacklegged (deer) ticks can be active in every month of the year, so take precautions in autumn and winter too. Ohio State University Extension (Ohioline); co-authors from the Ohio Department of Health
Other questions about Ohio
Sources
- Common Spiders of Ohio Field Guide (Publication 5140). Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife (text by Richard A. Bradley, Ph.D.). PUBLICATION 5140; checked November 3, 2026.
Quoted passages (4)
“These infamous spiders are not nearly as common in Ohio as they are in the southern states. Within our state they occur most frequently in the southern unglaciated portions.”
“Only the females pose a bite risk. Their bite can be serious, and anyone bitten should seek medical attention immediately.”
“Their bite can be serious, and anyone bitten should seek medical attention immediately.”
“Brown recluse is represented by only nine specimens from three localities out of over 24,400 records in the Ohio Spider Survey database.”
- Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases (HYG-2073). Ohio State University Extension (Ohioline); co-authors from the Ohio Department of Health. June 6, 2013; checked November 3, 2026.
Quoted passages (1)
“One or more life stages may be active during every month of the year (Figure 4), depending on temperature. Because of this year-long activity, preventative measures should be taken outdoors where the tick occurs, even during autumn and winter.”
- GBIF.org occurrence records, human observations licensed CC0 1.0 or CC BY 4.0 only, accessed November 3, 2026. The datasets behind these counts are listed on our Sources page.