What can a black widow bite do to a human?

How dangerous are black widow spider bites?

If a black widow spider bites a person, do not panic! No one in the United States has died from a black widow spider bite in over 10 years. Very often the black widow will not inject any venom into the bite and no serious symptoms develop. Wash the wound well with soap and water to help prevent infection.

If muscle cramps develop, take the patient to the nearest hospital. Some victims, especially young children, may be admitted overnight for observation and treatment. There is treatment for a black widow spider bite that can take care of the symptoms. Various medications are used to treat the muscle cramps, spasms and pain of a bite. Black widow spider antivenin is seldom necessary.

(From the site below)

Gotta check out this report. Apparantly a bite from the chilean black widow can give men a reaction much like viagra, and a molecule in the venom is the first none organic spermicide!

They're painful, and you can get sick from the bite due to an allergic reaction, but they are rarely lethal unless you have anaphylactic shock.

i've always been told that if you're very young or very old, or very sick, you'll die from it's bite. but if you're healthy it will just hurt a whole lot.

i've heard a brown recluse's bite will kill though