The venom of the black widow spider is 15 times as toxic as the venom of the Prairie Rattlesnake. But only a minute amount of the toxin is injected with a single bite by the spider, so they are rarely fatal. However, the relatively large amount of injected rattlesnake venom results in about 15 to 25 percent mortality among those bitten.

The bite itself is often not painful and may go unnoticed. But the poison injected by the the Black Widow bite can cause abdominal pain similar to appendicitis as well as pain to muscles or the soles of the feet. Other symptoms include alternating salivation and dry-mouth, paralysis of the diaphragm, profuse sweating and swollen eyelids.

Persons younger than 16 and older than 60, especially those with a heart condition, may require a hospital stay. (Heart and lung failure may result in death.) A physician can give specific antivenin or calcium gluconate to relieve pain. Healthy people recover rapidly in two to five days.

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Oh, and nobody likes the boy who cried wolf.