According to
one of the fact sheets "Most homeowners have misconceptions about
spiders-they are pictured to be poisonous (even deadly), and likely to attack at
any time. Wrong. The only dangerous spiders we have in Virginia are the brown
recluse spider and the black widow spider. The brown recluse is not common in
Virginia. The
black widow is common, but reports of it biting people are infrequent. For the
most part, spiders are beneficial, eating insects and other spiders."
The brown recluse spider has what appears to be a fiddle or violin on its back. The black widow has what appears to be an hour glass on its stomach.
