Black Widow Spiders Invade Central Valley

Health officials warned Saturday that the recent weather could mean deadly black widow spiders will be around in sufficient numbers in the San Joaquin Valley to make life miserable.

They said last winter’s freezing temperatures should have killed off enough of the spiders to give valley residents a break this summer. However, the cold winter was followed by an early hot spell that helped a new generation of black widows mature earlier than normal.