Brown Widow Spider Population Rising in SoCal

While a non-native species of spider is seeing a rise in Southern California, experts say the influx of the venomous arachnids may not be as bad as it sounds.

According to an article by the investigative journalism organization California Watch, experts have found 20 times more brown widow spiders in the Los Angeles basin based on a recent survey. 

"The brown widows burst onto the scene in a very short time, and we found brown widows in many habitats where we expected to find black widows," said Richard Vetter, an entomologist at UC Riverside and author of the study. "There may be some competition where brown widows are displacing black widows because there is some habitat overlap."

Brown widows typically like to reside in areas that humans frequently come into contact with, such as trash can lids, the lips of potted plants, wood piles and underneath flat areas of outdoor furniture.