THE BLACK WIDOW
Most spiders are usually harmless, but their bites can also be very painful.
Even the bite of the black widow is not lethal unless a child or a very ill person was bitten.
Nevertheless, a spider bite can cause serious damage so in case a person was bitten it is of great importance to find a doctor as soon as possible.
When it comes to the bite of the black widow a person will experience a shooting pain but the bite spot is not that easy to see, so there should be some extra precautions when it comes to children who do not have the possibility to realize they were bitten.
The black widow injects neurotoxin when biting and this substance causes shooting pain, convulsions, fever and breathing difficulties.
The symptoms will start fifteen or twenty minutes after a person was bitten and they usually last for a couple of hours or they can reappear several days in a row. A specific serum is necessary for the treatment of this type of bite.
ABOUT THE BLACK WIDOW:
Forest cuttings and stumps of trees are the places where the poisonous female black widows hide.
The Black Widow is a long-legged and gloss black spider with a distinctive bottom edge which is orange,
red or yellow like the hourglass.
The diameter of the largest Black Widow is 5 inches.
The Black Widow bite:
- The sting of the black widow can usually cause sharp, severe pain, but sometimes it may be pain-free.
- There can be seen one or two red spots caused by the bite of poisonous teeth.
- There could be redness, swelling and inflamed lymph nodes.
The sting causes severe muscle cramps, nausea, vomiting and high blood pressure. - The patient urgently needs assistance. Hospitals who have an antidote must be easily accessible.
- If you manage to catch the spider, bring it with you for identification.
THE BLACK WIDOW BITE SYMPTOMS
The symptoms of a black widow bite cannot usually be detected at first, since it takes about forty minutes for you to feel the first symptoms. As mentioned before, some people feel a sharp, shooting pain when a spider bites them, but some do not feel anything at all.
Nevertheless, with or without pain, this spider will inject the venom into your blood stream. This is why the entire body feels the consequences of a black widow bite, and that is why you feel nauseous and weak.
The first symptom is pain around the bitten area.
The 
severity of these symptoms varies from person to person, as a person may feel heavy or mild consequences of a black widow bite. This depends solely on the victim’s immune system, and how the bitten person’s body will react to such a bite, some may feel severe pain and they will be in need of prompt medical surveillance.
As for what the eyes can see, there should be two red dots in the bitten area, which are usually followed by a rash. This symptom may be excluded as well.
Because of its tiny size the bite spot may be invisible for the eyes to see. This symptom is a minor one and it should not be a serious danger to the skin, unless an allergic reaction is involved.
The most important thing to be concerned about is the venom itself, and how it may, or may not, affect your entire body. The pains usually move towards your back and the abdominal area, since the venom causes muscle spasms. Nonetheless, these are not the only symptoms since the venom may cause restlessness, nausea, increased blood pressure and fever.
Black widow bite symptoms are not usually long lasting and they should be gone in a matter of a few days. Healthy adults have nothing to worry about since these symptoms last for a day or a few days max. Still, it is highly recommended for anybody who was bitten by a black widow to seek for medical help, because there may be some unexpected reactions that may affect the bitten person more severely.
FACTS:
- A black widow’s venom is a strong neurotoxin which affects the victim’s nervous system
- Black widows prefer dark places and they will not bite unless they are disturbed in some way
- Only the female spider will bite if disturbed
- The first symptom of the bite is a sharp shooting pain
- Children and elderly people are more affected by the symptoms of a black widow bite since their immune system may fail to protect them
- After a few hours the bite spot will swell up
- The bitten person should seek medical help as soon as possible
- Some people recommend a hot bath and some recommend cold and warm compresses in order to mild down the pains of muscle spasms
- Black widow bite symptoms include nausea, difficulties while breathing and speaking, fever, dizziness, cramps and elevated blood pressure.