Missouri Has 4 Venomous Spiders, Including 2 You May Not Know

I am a proud arachnophobe. Spiders and me are not compatible. That's why I was a little disturbed when I learned that Missouri has 4 venomous spiders that included 2 that I had no idea were common in our state.

This is a sight that should give you chills

I have always been aware of black widow and brown recluse spiders in Missouri, but did you know there are two other variations that are also common and deadly? I blame this new unwanted knowledge on the website World Atlas that just shared their list of 4 venomous spiders in Missouri. The two I did not know about are the northern black widow and the brown widow. The northern black widow is different from the typical black widow you think of as it has an incomplete hourglass marking. The latter are capable of complete home infestations like this family had in Florida that was documented by Animal Planet. Even after an exterminator treated their entire home, they managed to find a way inside and laid eggs in all the window frames.

Imagine having to replace all of your door and window frames with specialized types that are virtually air-tight just because a relentless spider species will not leave you alone. I shudder at the thought. The southern black widow is apparently a frequent sight especially in St. Louis.

I had a friend who was bitten by a brown recluse and necrosis in his arm required months of medical attention. I had a showdown with a brown recluse that was hiding underneath boards in my basement. Sorry, not sorry PETA, but it didn't end well for the spider. The one thing I did not want to learn in 2026 was two new venomous spider variations in Missouri, but that's what happened. Sigh.