Growing up in Texas, I always heard about how deadly and dangerous the Black Widow spider can be, and how they lurked in dark places, just waiting to sink their fangs into your flesh.

I think the elegant look of the female spider helps their villainous legend—patent leather black with a hot red hourglass—an outfit a modern Dracula would wear.

It makes my skin itch to even think about them too long. But is this spider as deadly as Texas childhood lore would lead you to believe?

Black Widows have a bad reputation- but the numbers say otherwise.

According to Penn State, there have been no deaths in Texas- or anywhere in the U.S.A. from a black widow bite since 1983. That's over 40 years of no deaths.

Meanwhile, it's estimated that 700 people die yearly from toasters malfunctioning. You are much safer with a black widow than a toaster.

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Female black widows are dangerous, but mostly to male black widows. He is most often killed and eaten by the female after mating. That's the origin of the Widow name.

But I'd still rather not be bitten!

Me neither. It seems very unpleasant. The venom is a neurotoxin, so the initial bite might not even hurt, but 1-2 hours later you might feel a tingling in your nerves or up and down your spine. Only females have fangs long enough to bite you.

Symptoms include: "nausea, chills, slight fever, rise in blood pressure, retention of urine, burning sensation of the skin, fatigue, motor disturbances, breathing difficulty, constipation, and muscle aches, particularly in the abdomen."

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Symptoms usually ease up in 4 days to a week. Yes, you should seek medical attention if you are bitten, and you'll likely be treated with muscle relaxers and antihistamines.

There is an antivenom, but it is usually reserved for people with a risk of severe allergic reactions.

How to avoid Black Widow Spiders

According to OSHA, the best way to avoid a bite is to wear long sleeves and gloves when messing with what could be a spider's favorite habitat, bundles of firewood.

Black widow spiders also like to live in places like rodent holes, eaves, unused clothing (like boxes stored in an attic), and patio/ deck crevices. Again, if you are dealing with these situations, wear long sleeves and gloves.

Otherwise, you might not ever even see a spider that's living close to you.

I hope that if you had any fear of these spiders this puts your mind at ease a bit, and maybe we can both put those childhood fears to rest- unless you are a male black widow spider, then you are out of luck.