Inside they have been found in basements, attics, inside cabinets, under beds and in closets. Outside they like to nest under objects such as boards, tin, stones and bricks, in clumps of weeds and grasses, in water meter boxes and around rubbish. In the forest they prefer to nest in rotten stumps, underneath logs and around rocks. Although the black widow s bite is rarely fatal, it can produce very severe reactions in humans some of which include sweating, nausea, severe abdominal cramping, difficulty in breathing and lowered blood pressure. Small children and older adults are usually affected more severely than other groups of people.
Death is always a possibility without proper medical treatments.
Envenomization is possible without being bitten. In one rare case a spider was mashed with a hammer and body fragments landed in the person s eye causing similar reactions that occur from being bitten. As its name implies, it is a shy spider and likes its privacy in cluttered closets, basements and outbuildings. It occurs outdoors under rocks and rubble but prefers to nest in or around human dwellings. Most bites from the brown recluse occur when people are cleaning out summer homes, basements, closets, equipment sheds or while trying on last years clothes or shoes that have been stored undisturbed.