Could you help me sex this immature black widow (Latrodectus hesperus)?

[Reluctant Widow Mother]

I use play sand. I got a 50 lb bag at home depot for like $3.99 and it works wonders.
Right now I have Latrodectus hesperus and Latrodectus mactans. Not sure exactly how many. The first two pictures are one of my mature males.

Immature L. hesperus are so different in appearance than L. mactans.

Thanks, I'll look into the play sand. That seems like the least toxic idea. Sometimes sand for fish tanks can affect PH and other things depending upon what species you're planning to put in the tank. At least, I think I remember something like that from way back when. Whatever.

I think there are regional and individual differences in L. hesperus. I've noticed that pics of newly-hatched L. hesperus from other regions look different from the ones that hatch here. Twenty years ago, I lived in a room where a female black widow produced multiple eggs behind the dryer. Sadly, she paid with her life, as did many of the spiderlings. Living with hundreds of little black widows? Nope! Even now, I wouldn't be terribly keen on the idea. I like to know where my black widows are. Surprise widows turning up for months? No thank you.

In my area, L. hesperus start out a whitish tan color. After their first molt, they turn brown and stay brown for a very long time. In the room I shared with hundreds of the creatures, I found one teensy female that had already turned completely black. It was an unusual find. I'm trying to dig up a photo from a few years ago: newly-hatched baby black widows in my mother's window. I found the widow's nest and egg sac in a cinder block under the window, but the adult female was nowhere to be seen. There's no mistaking that super-tough web and round egg sac. Lots of brand-new L. hesperus everywhere. Again, this was at my mother's house. We find black widows there all the time: everything from tiny spiderlings to huge, black females. Zero brown widows that I know of.

Brand-New Latrodectus hesperus babies:

 

[darkness975]

Thanks, I'll look into the play sand. That seems like the least toxic idea. Sometimes sand for fish tanks can affect PH and other things depending upon what species you're planning to put in the tank. At least, I think I remember something like that from way back when. Whatever.

I think there are regional and individual differences in L. hesperus. I've noticed that pics of newly-hatched L. hesperus from other regions look different from the ones that hatch here. Twenty years ago, I lived in a room where a female black widow produced multiple eggs behind the dryer. Sadly, she paid with her life, as did many of the spiderlings. Living with hundreds of little black widows? Nope! Even now, I wouldn't be terribly keen on the idea. I like to know where my black widows are. Surprise widows turning up for months? No thank you.

In my area, L. hesperus start out a whitish tan color. After their first molt, they turn brown and stay brown for a very long time. In the room I shared with hundreds of the creatures, I found one teensy female that had already turned completely black. It was an unusual find. I'm trying to dig up a photo from a few years ago: newly-hatched baby black widows in my mother's window. I found the widow's nest and egg sac in a cinder block under the window, but the adult female was nowhere to be seen. There's no mistaking that super-tough web and round egg sac. Lots of brand-new L. hesperus everywhere. Again, this was at my mother's house. We find black widows there all the time: everything from tiny spiderlings to huge, black females. Zero brown widows that I know of.

Brand-New Latrodectus hesperus babies:

View attachment 408956

curious to see your final product setups.

 

[Reluctant Widow Mother]

Well, Patty Black is, indeed, a black widow, as I expected. Even though she molted twice more, she never grew back the leg the snakefly took. She's still alive. Here are a couple of pics. One shows the "stump" of her left front leg.

I now have several Latrodectus hesperus specimens, removed from my mother's property, and named for where I caught them:

1) Patty Black (caught as hatchling on patio)
2) Portia (caught on porch)
3) Eve (caught under eaves of the house)
4) Barbie (caught on the barbecue)
5) Cher (caught under a chair) and Sonny (her mate)
6) One of Barbie's hatchlings

I'm going to hatch Cher's egg sac outside and choose more hatchlings to raise.

Patty Black has never mated, so no egg sacs from her. I have removed egg sacs from the other spiders.