Several live black widow spiders were sent to the Department of Entomology in October and November. What is the risk of black widows in Minnesota? Where do they come from? Are there special steps that should be taken to protect ourselves from these dangerous spiders? Fortunately, black widows ( Latrodectus spp.) are rarely found here. Of the five species known in the U.S. , only one, the northern black widow, is native to Minnesota. Even though it is native, people normally do not encounter this spider. Non-native black widows are sometimes accidentally transported into our state. Fortunately, they do not establish themselves here. While having three black widows reported this fall is considered an above average number of cases, overall, they are still rarely found in Minnesota. This black widow came from Texas. Note the red hourglass on the underside of its abdomen which identifies it as a black widow. Photo: Jeff Hahn, UMN Extension In one case, a black wid