Venomous Spiders: Species, Fatalities, Bites, Webs, and Natural History
Venomous spiders may not be as big of a threat as many people believe. Antivenin against spider bites has become very effective, and it is rare that people actually die from a spider bite. In the United States, an average of 6.6 people die from venomous spider bites each year1. Eight times as many dies from bee and wasp stings.
Spiders use venom to kill their prey after they have captured it in their web or by other means. A spider is only poisonous if one gets ill after eating it, so the term "poisonous spiders" is misleading.