One factor contributing to this is that almost all spiders produce venom they use to subdue their prey. However, there are only a very few species of spiders in South Carolina that can produce harmful bites. Both of these bite only if handled. Female widow spiders are about 1 to 12 inch long. They are shiny black spiders with a red to yellow hourglass-shaped marking on the underside of their round abdomens.
Some individuals also have a row of red dots along the upper surface of the abdomen.
Widow spiders are most likely to bite if there are eggs present in the web. The bite produces a sharp pain, followed by cramps in the large muscles of the legs, chest, and abdomen. Although painful, widow bites are rarely fatal. The brown recluse is a small, light brown to yellow, harmless looking spider. Brown recluses have a dark brown fiddle-shaped mark on the upper surface of their heads.