Joyce Sundun, age 16  , of Rockford, Ill, for her question:

How can we recognize the black widow spider?

Many people assume that spiders are insects but to a scientist, this is somewhat like confusing tigers with zebras  It is true that spiders and insects are classified in the huge phylum Arthropods, meaning animals with jointed feet, Lobsters and shrimp also belong in this phylum  Arthropods is the largest of the phyla, outnumbering all others about six to one  It is subdivided into classes, which are subdivided into orders, which are subdivided into families  Insects belong in the class Insects, Spiders# some 30000 of them, belong in the class Arachnids,

All spiders have eight legs, whereas insects have only six  Every insect has a nook and a narrow waist  A spider has no neck, for her head and thorax are fused together  Her abdomen is usually round and fat and furry  With these characteristics in mind, we can go about selecting the famous black widow from the 2,000 other spiders which make their homes in North America,

Most spiders are darkish grey and in the shadows where they lurk, they often seem to be black, However, the black widow is truly black  Her widow's weeds have a velvety, midnight sheen  She is about half an inch long and her abdomen is almost as round as a balloon, There may be a row of small red dots down her back but more often there is no color showing when you look at her from above, Always, however, she has a red mark shaped somewhat like an hour glass or egg timer on the underside of her abdomen 

If you are suspicious that a spider is a black widow, be careful how you turn her over to look for the identifying mark on her underside  She is a shy creature and tends to run for cover when threatened  But when cornered, she bites and her bite is poisonous*

Most spiders have poisonous glands and tend to bite when threatened  Abite from the black widows however, is more venomous than a bite from the average spider

If a person is weak or sick, a bad bite from the black widow may be fatal and, in fast, about one person out of every ten bitten dose lose his life  If you are bitten by the poisonous lady, get to a doctor with all speed  In the meantime you may apply first aid  Open the wound to let out as much of the poisoned blood as possible  Tie on a tourniquet to prevent the poisoned blood from circulating through the body 

The black widow is found almost anywhere In‑the United States, Canada  and Central America though she prefers to live in the warm, arid regions of‑the southwestern  deserts  , She: hides under rooks and doorsteps, in cellars and old buildings,  She prefers not to be seen and skuttled away when routed from her hiding pleas  She builds a raggle taggle web of cries cross threads and feeds on flies and other insect pests