How do Black Widow Spiders Mate?
The male Black Widow Spiders have two reproductive organs placed in front of their faces, which are called "palps". Before the male and female mate the male spider must "propose" to the female. The male spider must first begin by plucking at the web the female had made, then make abdominal vibrations, and end by drumming on the female spider with its palps. The famle spider then ALLOWS the male spider to mate with her. The male spider has two palps, he inserts both into the female spider one by one and deposits his sperm inside the internal organs of the female. She can lay about 4oo eggs but must wait about a month before her babies, inside of the sac, can hatch out.[1] The Black Widow Spider then becomes very protective and defensive of her unborn babies.
[1] http://www.hastingsreserve.org/invertebrates/Arachnids/BlackWidows/BlackWidowSpiders.html
[1] http://www.hastingsreserve.org/invertebrates/Arachnids/BlackWidows/BlackWidowSpiders.html
Male Black Widow Spider Reproductive Organ
Female Black Widow Spider Reproductive Organ
Black Widow Spiders Mating
Development
After the Black Widow has laid her eggs and covered them with her web, the babies' body is outlined in a wax figure. The only thing left is to wait about a month for the 400 - 1,000 babies to hatch out.
After the Black Widow Spiders hatch, they begin to change color. Temperature determines how long it takes before the babies decide to come out of the sac. The Black Widow Spider goes through phases called molting and on average only 30 0f the babies survive after the first molting phase.
It takes an average Black Widow Spider two to four months to mature and start to breed but it takes six to nine months for a Black Widow Spider to fully mature. There is no parental care given to the new born babies.
The female Black Widow has a life span of 5 years whereas the male Black Widow has a much shorter life span that depends on the environment and its female mate. Not only is the male Black Widow small (about the size of a grain of rice) but has a high risk to be eaten by its mate.