How Potent Is Black Widow Venom, Really?

Black widow spiders can cause some pretty painful bites, but how potent is BW venom relative to the venom of other spiders. One recent study demonstrated that the venom from a simple house spider is actually quite similar to the composition of a BW venom. However, BW’s are different in that research has shown that their venom is changing its constitution since it evolves faster than most spiders. In fact, female BW’s are beginning to build bigger and stronger webs in order to support the larger sized prey that their increasingly potent venom is capable of killing.

The most powerful neurotoxins that come from a BW belong to a particular group of BW’s called Latrodectus. What makes this group of BW’s venom so strong is the addition of a particular ingredient that also inspired this groups taxonomical name, latrotoxins. These latrotoxins work by immediately assuming control over the victim’s nervous system.

Once a victim is bit, the victim’s nervous system will force vesicles within the brain to dump all of its neurotransmitters, and this is, apparently, quite painful. So although many BW’s may not be able to kill you now, someday, perhaps, all black widow’s belonging to each group will evolve the ability to kill prey that is as large as a human.

If a spider was starving, do you think that it would feed on a human out of desperation?