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What Do Black Widows Eat?

Diet

Like most spiders, the food source of the black widow spider includes a variety of arthropods, including ants, caterpillars, grasshoppers, beetles, cockroaches and scorpions, among others.

Digestion

Black widows process their food outside of their bodies. After prey is caught in the web, it is injected with digestive enzymes. They consume the prey after it has softened and liquefied. Following feeding, the abdomen of the spider's body expands as its stomach fills.

Black Widow Illustration

Black Widow Illustration

How Long Can a Black Widow Survive Without Food?

Like most spiders, the black widow is capable of living for several months without food. Some specimens have been known to survive almost one year in the absence of prey.

Resources

Dig Deeper on Black Widow Spiders

How to Identify False Black Widow Spiders

Black Widow Spider Web

I found a black widow spider in my house

Q

What should I do if I have found a black widow spider in my house?

What Do Black Widow Spiders Eat? | Spider Facts

What do Female Black Widow Spiders Look Like

Black Widow Spider Bite Symptoms | Identify Spider Bites

Black Widow Spider Life Cycle | Black Widow Facts

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