Black widows are not common in the Bay Area, and deaths from bites are rare. For many people, bite symptoms are not significant enough to warrant medical treatment. Bites are of most concern for the very young, the very old, and those who are seriously ill. The brown recluse spider, another poisonous spider, is not common to the Bay Area. Black widows are not aggressive, and they are rarely encountered by people.
Black widows are timid.
They make no effort to attack, preferring to lie still or retreat. Ordinarily, black widows are reluctant to bite, even when provoked. These spiders spend their lives in their webs waiting for prey. They do not go out hunting. Lower portions of seldom-used cupboards, closets, or other dark, dry storage areas.