The brown recluse spider is part of the genus Loxosceles and is sometimes known as “fiddleback” spiders or “violin” spiders because of the violin-shaped marking on the top of the cephalothorax, which are the head and the thorax. The brown recluse spider has six eyes, which are all arranged in three pairs (sometimes a pair may be so close that they look like one eye rather than two). Their eyes are also their most noticeable feature which makes it easy to identify a brown recluse spider.
Identify the Brown Recluse Spider
The violin-shaped marking is typically found only on more mature brown recluse spider. The brown recluse is range from a light tan to a darker brown color with their entire body being covered with thin hairs. The brown recluse spider is about 3/8 inches long and about 3/16 inches wide. Although the male spider are somewhat smaller in body length than females, their leg span is usually the same length.
If there is more than one color on the legs, or if the legs are dark brown, or if there is more than one pigment on the abdomen, it is NOT a recluse. Note: spitting spiders (genus Scytodes) have a similar eye pattern but do not have the violin mark.
The brown recluse spider is found throughout the Midwest and the southern central part of the United States. It is very rare to find a brown recluse spider outside of those particular areas. Brown recluse spiders are typically found outside in many different areas such as under rocks or logs, woodpiles, dirt, or debris. However, during the cooler months it is not uncommon to find brown recluse spiders within the house, especially basements, attics, closets, or anywhere else that is dry and warm.
Many times during those months the brown recluse will go without any food or water. It is nearly impossible to fully get rid of brown recluse spiders once they have become established in these areas of the home. The brown recluse does not spin a web either to catch their food; instead they hunt their prey which usually consists of insects, either dead or alive.
The brown recluse is actually somewhat nocturnal, as they spend most of the daylight hours hidden within rocks or logs. They line these homes with webbing, which is later used for holding their egg sacs. If a brown recluse spider is seen during daylight hours it usually has to do with the fact that they are hungry, otherwise they stay hidden.
Our Brown Recluse Spider Bite section has some very graphic pictures of what happens when people are bitten by a BRS and pictures of the spider. Rick Vetter over at UC Riverside Dept of Entomology also has a page on Entomology – Brown Recluse Spiders. The agricultural extension service of the university of Tennessee has a brown recluse spider packet in pdf format the you may also find helpful.
Here is a quick test to determine if you may have a Recluse:
1) Has 3 pair of eyes, one in front, one on each side.
2) Has Violin shaped marking
3) Legs must be one uniformly light-colored
4) Only one pigment on the abdomen
5) Fine hairs on legs, no spines
6) Body length is less than half an inch (3/8 usually)
Brown Recluse Spiders
Brown recluse spiders are not aggressive unless they are aggravated, which is like many other species of spiders as well. Some cases where they may bite is if they are trapped between skin and other surface or when putting on clothes that they are hiding in.
Because of that it is extremely important to thoroughly shake out clothing before putting it away to ensure that there are no hidden spiders that could possibly bite. The brown recluse spider bite is often not even felt, which makes it very dangerous. In some cases the bite is noticed right away because of immense pain, for others it can take several hours before the bite is even noticed. The reaction to the bite depends on how much venom is injected.
The only deaths reported from a brown recluse spider bite have been with children under the age of seven. However, the brown recluse is one of four species of spiders that is dangerous to humans along with the black widow spider. If bitten by a brown recluse spider it is vital that the victim seeks medical attention right away, and if possible capturing the spider and bringing it in will help ensure accurate identification. More about the Brown Recluse Spider Bite
when i was a little girl, my dad came home from a church he worked at at the time, and brought home two “fiddleback” spiders. he flushed them down the toilets after he let us observe them. scary creatures, they are.
Oh by the way. If you see one and don’t want to get near it but want it dead. Spray it with aqua net hairspray and wait about a minute. You will have yourself a little statue for your collection and identification.
I owned a 27000sq ft restaurant in Peoria Illinois for 2 years. I opened in March of 2007 and by May I realized that the entire 110 year old train station was infested with brown recluse spiders. These spiders were very aggressive due to the activity. I had over 2000 glue traps in the building. They would be filled with spiders.
The ones I changed daily would have between 15 and 20 on each trap. Spraying was useless. I had one employee and myself bitten. I learned that the skinner you are the less the venom will effect you. I contacted a few universities and all agreed that due to the reclusive nature sprays and powders usually do not work. The spiders actually move around in a manner that powders and residual sprays do not get on their bodies just the hairs on them.
The restaurant is now closed and the building is vacant except for a bar. Perfect breeding ground for them. So if you live in Peoria Illinois ground zero for brown recluse is the old River Station restaurant. Lots of luck. I hate these things.
I live in west Missouri, and I think I have gotten bitten by a brown recluse. Lately I’ve found 3 rather large spiders in the corner of my room, I only got a picture of one that looks a lot like a wolf spider, but I can’t speak for the other two.
I must have gotten this bite in my sleep, I didn’t even notice it until today. At first I thought it was a pimple on my inner thigh, so I tried to pop it. I gave up on that, and eventually it turned into a large welt with a white head in the middle. It’s grown progressively in the past few hours.
I haven’t been feeling sick, or had any fevers but the bite is sore and hard where the white head is.
From Fox News Channel 9 Thursday August 11th
ST. CLOUD, Minn. – A four-year-old boy was bitten by a brown recluse spider in Garrison, Minnesota over the weekend, landing him in the hospital and raising concern over a poisonous spider not native to the state.
Maxwell Junior Blake was playing in a sandbox with other children at his grandmother’s house at the time of the bite. Family members think the spider may have hitched a ride in the sand.
PHOTOS: Brown Recluse Spider Bite http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/gallery/news/brown-recluse-spider-bite-aug-11-2011 ( WARNING : Includes graphic images of skin sores)
Maxwell is now hospitalized in St. Cloud, and the skin on his back is dying
Read more: Boy, 4, Bitten by Brown Recluse Spider in Garrison, Minn. http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/dpp/news/brown-recluse-spider-bite-garrison-mn-aug-11-2011#ixzz1Uplcz5fL
i feel really bad for all the people that got bit by the spiders
Disregard my last comment. My grandmother and I just went into the computer room armed with roach spray (wrong spray type, I know! :] ) and killed it. I would post a picture to help with identification, but for one, I am sure it was a brown recluse, and two………..Ima Scared
I am at my grandmother’s house, and earlier today i was coming out of my room and noticed something on the floor. As I got closer to it, it moved. It was brown with a seemingly lighter outline on its legs and body. I am thinking it is a brown recluse, but I am no expert on spiders. But once I realized what it was I jumped back and then it scurried into the computer room, which is no longer used. I pushed a towel under the door, attempting to hold it in there. Please identify this ASAP, as my grandmother is elderly and not in good health. Any help greatly appreciated.
If you are bitten by a Brown Recluse spider you will likely need a mild broad spectrum antibiotic and a steroid(usually oral Prednisone). This will prevent mass necrosis(flesh rotting) and nasty scarring. Recent medical studies attribute the ill effects of the bite to a species of flesh-eating bacteria that lives in the spider’s saliva/venom. You need the antibiotic to kill the bacteria that is eating your flesh and the steroid to control the inflammation of your body responding to the attack. This combination should stop the necrosis.
Last night I found a BR bevy toe on the door frame to my bathroom. This is literally the first BR I’ve ever seen. How do I know if this is an isolated incident, or I have BRs all over?
Okay, so I felt a spider or what I seen was a spider coming up my arm so I quickly brushed it off (big big big fear of spiders I cant even take a picture or even look at one but I will try to describe this one to you the best i can) so it kinda pinched me (or bit me) it itches and there is a bump OK the spiders body was small and brown and the legs were kinda mid long (at first i thought granddaddy long legs but I seen them and this is not what it was) so I sprayed it as fast as i could its legs were thin it was the ugliest thing i have ever saw do you think I need medical treatment please let me know thanks!
the cellar spiders are also mistaken for brown Recluse. they ARE GOOD! they eat Brown Recluses
If you see a spider that looks like a brown recluse but it legs are really thin and long like a daddy-long legs, that would be a cellar spider. There are different types of cellar spiders. I think around four. They are some times mistaken for daddy long legs.
Jorge – (cat died from necrotic wounds; dog with similar symptoms). The spider you have shown is a wolf spider. There are 2000 species of wolf spider and not one of them are poisonous. This spider is not your culprit. It sounds as though your pets are getting bit by a recluse. There are several different types of recluses as well as widows. You can go to www.spiderzrule.com and look through the list. They have every known and unknown species that a person could possibly find. I hope this helps and I do not know when you posted this hopefully not too long ago.
Hi Megan,
Send any pictures to badspiderbites+jen@gmail.com. There is also a link at the bottom of the screen with my email as well.
I may have been bitten by a spider tonight on my left upper arm. No severe symptoms, but happened about 2 hours ago. My arm does feel semi sore and a slight tightness. I do not see any marks really, but I am really worried it may have been a brown recluse. I have a pic but it is not to visibly clear and cannot figure out how to post a picture on here? …help!
Trudi P, bring them to a zoo
Hi Nichole, personally, I’d give it a day or two you will know for sure. all spiders bite if it gets worse see a dermatology not a regular doctor
I live in Johannesburg, South Africa and have had some really scary encounters with Violin spiders.
Some years ago I got bitten in the kneecap and my leg swelled up to probably double normal size. I used the old boil trick on this one and heated a glass bottle, placed it over the bite and on cooling it sucked the venom from the wound. Thank goodness for some bush therapy as this seemed to do the trick after a few days. The swelling and pain subsided and within about two weeks all was well.
My cousin got bitten in about the same spot and was fortunate not to lose his leg to amputation ! The leg has however lost a lot of muscle tissue and is roughly half the size it was before.
Then calamity. I got bitten just below my left eye some 15 years ago.
This wound has never healed and continues making the telltale blister and then erupts and creates a crater. Tried everything from doctors, to herbalists to you name it and no cure !
South Africa is riddled with these arachnids and bites are becoming more frequent.
Only good place for a violin is under the sole of my shoe, where they regularly end up !
a few hours ago, I was bitten by a brown recluse on my neck. Small in size-fitting descriptions. It’s simply a red dot, and doesn’t hurt much. There seems to be a faint-very faint outline of red around the bite.
I would like to know what to do…I’m very low on money. Does the necrosis happen to everyone who is bitten? I don’t want to have doctors giving me useless medications/antibiotics…
I live in Arizona. This morning I was going through a bag of clothes and when I pulled a pair of pants out there was a spider just chilling but it was enough to freak me out. The clothes weren’t in a bag until recently and have only been inside my friend’s closet. The spider was brown and small about the size of a quarter maybe bigger this includes the legs too. The legs were very thin. I carried my pants out of my room but the spider wasn’t there anymore. What sorts of spiders are like this? Do I need to be worried about it in the house? I’m gonna be cleaning my room out later after work but I’m worried its a brown recluse. Should I let my friend know since the clothes had come from her house?
Thank you all for your pics, I thought i was bitten by the a little beast but it doesn’t seem so. although i have bee bitten by a spider it doesn’t seem to be a brown recluse i’ve seen what they can do my friend nearly lost his leg he had let it go way to long Thanks Brian…
I cant believe it i have a ton of card board boxes in the basement the recluse love that time to get rid of the boxes!
I’ve been killing what I think are brown and black recluses all over my house. My mom thinks it is a woodlouse spider. Are there any brown recluses in San Diego?
This is a really great website. Spiders really never bother me. That is because if one were unfortunate to come across me, it will be dead. I have killed so many over the years. I know some are supposed to beneficial. I thought may be I should change my wicked way so I am trying to find out if I should spare them. After reading and seeing some of the stories on here, I will keep my evil way. Because of back problem, I sleep on the floor. Now I will have to be extra careful. I will bookmark this site as a reference.
Me and my fiance and our three kids just moved to lower mi and have problems with spider bites my son and my fiance had gotten bitten and spent weeks in the hospital and the local health department wont do a thing about it is there any one who can help we’ve sprayed and we still find them every day.
trudi P i live in Michigan and have the same problem.
I live in Michigan and have the same problem trudi p has and something needs to be done there have been 13 people with the same bites on them and a little boy even died from the infection. how do you contact people on here. i live near Detroit.
I was bitten by a brown recluse spider and my 3 year old son was two and i was wondering how to get rid of them. can you spray for them i was really sick we both spent a week in the hospital on iv antibiotics and are now seeing wound specialist and its hard because like any young child you cant keep bandages on them. thank you.
we have them up here in Michigan we see them all the time outside cause we live by the woods. they do come in the house we find them in house a lot we had huge one in our basement wish i could take photo of it. never been bitten by one after i read this hope i never do.
About a month ago, I found one on the floor or my bed room, causing me to about have a heart attack, since it was 2 inches away from my foot. Luckily, my cat was nearby to take it out, and she didn’t get bit, luckily.
I’m pretty sure I was bitten by a brown recluse spider almost 3 months ago (Eastern OHIO) on top of my arm below my elbow. One day I noticed I had a round red mark about the size of a nickel, which had 2 small puncture marks in the middle, surrounded by a red ring of blistery skin that was very itchy for about 5 days. I looked on the internet right away and found my spot looked very similar to the picture on webmd.com for a brown recluse spider bite. I put everything on it to try to get the itching to stop and make sure it didn’t spread. I was clearing out old cardboard boxes in the garage.
We live in a farm type environment with LOTS of spiders and bugs and I’m pretty confident I saw spiders that look like the brown recluse. I didn’t get treatment, because it seemed like it was getting better and wasn’t bothering me (but it never has completely gone away). Just this week, however, after being out in the sun a lot and getting sunburn around the area of the bite, the bite spread to approx. a 2 x 3 inch patch outlined by a red blister ring. It started itching badly again (remember my bite was over 2 months ago).
Looks like I’m finally going to have to get some type of treatment, but it appears unless it is VERY serious, like eating away your skin, there isn’t much they can do for it other than maybe give some antibiotics. Very irritating. Seems to be a broad range of reactions to these bites. And don’t forget, anyone that tells you brown recluse spiders are only in certain states, well, we’ve got piranhas in the u.s. waters when they said it can’t be so. Go by your instincts and get treatment or get rid of them in your home if you think there is a problem.
I lived in Ks.for 9 years and had never heard of a recluse up until a few months before moving to Missouri.Two of my friends were bitten.one required surgery.The house we bought in Missouri turned out to be severely infested.They are quite literally in the walls,baseboards,attic,ceiling and everywhere else in between.This was a preditorial sale to top it off.The whole house is just falling apart.It is bad enough that it needs demolished and the entire site needs burned.Every night I go room by room with a sticky trap collecting them.They have positively identified as a true recluse.We have had 6 bites in 3 years all requiring ER attention.
I have been advised by several honest people in the real estate profession and various other professions to not only move but to seek legal counsel.It just frustrates me to no end that the people involved in the sale of this house were supposed tho be professional and honest.Had that been the case we would not be living in this nightmare of a house.
Hi there,
I sent you an email from my usual email account a few moments ago.
I am working on a new Animal Planet series about Extreme Pests and we are looking for a brown recluse / black widow or hobo spider home infestation story we can tell on the programme, where someone was actually bitten.
I wondered if you could help find this person?
Perhaps I could post my request on your site with my email address?
I will be guided by what you think.
Very best,
Helen
(based in London, UK)
I think i have one in my house about 4 min ago i tried to kill a spider on wall it had a light brown abdomen couldn’t identify more because it moved i tried to kill it but now i cant find it it also had long legs and i believe i found net if it makes one its not a web but at the side of my tv in a v shape area there’s a nest, can anyone help me i cant sleep till i identify this.
I live in Minnesota and have spent the last 2 months dealing with a necrotic skin lesion that came on literally overnight. I woke up in the morning with an severe stinging sensation on my left thigh. It looked like a red burn,then turned into a huge blister, then the next day turned black, and deep….about the size of a quarter.
After seeing 6 doctors, I finally found one that identified it as a brown recluse spider bite.
He says that most doctors in this state are not familiar with this spider.I have been tested for every other thing imaginable, and the BR spider bite is the only thing this can be.
It is very painful. Takes FOREVER to heal. Your entire body feels sick and achy. You develop chills,nausea, and vomiting intermittently.
Just when I think I’m getting better, I get struck again with horrible leg pain, and difficulty walking.I had to be out of work for 6 weeks.
I am a nurse,thought I knew about insect bites, but this experience has been unbelievable.!
I was in the weeds at my friends house. I noticed an itchy spot on my knee. It wasn’t itching that bad but it looked like a brown recluse spider bite. I mean it wasn’t burning but it was itching but not that bad. I thought it could been from the weeds but i dont know. Its a little spot that barely itched for a little amount of time. I have not felt any symptoms so far today but that could change. Please find out if it is a brown recluse spider bite.
Ty
I live in a little town in Michigan and 22 years ago I was bitten by a recluse while I was asleep. I didn’t feel a thing. When I woke up I had about 8 little white dots that I thought were white heads. Tried to pinch them and nothing came out. So later that night I started feeling nausea and fever and my forehead was starting to form a boil.
The next day I knew something was terribly wrong and went to the ER.
Luckily the on call Dr. knew it was a spider bit and treated me properly Within a few days I felt back to myself again but I had huge indents in my forehead and now 22 years later they are still there. I’ve put sticky traps under my bed and I’ve caught several brown recluse spiders. My county wants to Hush-Hush this. They don’t want to scare the public and say that we don’t have them in Michigan. Well I have proof. I want to know where to send these spiders to confirm that we do have them. Also Id like to know , How can I get rid of them permanently.
My home is only 17 years old but my hubby says that under the crawl space it’s spider city.
Thanks,
Trudi
I was bitten by a recluse about 22 years ago on the forehead. Eight bites. I has the tell tale white bumps, then it started to swell like a big red boil. Fever and nausea set in and by the next night I knew I needed to go to the ER. By the way I live in Michigan, a state they still say to this day that the recluse does not exist in. So when I got to the ER I was very fortunate. The on call Dr. made the right call on spot.
Spider bite. He treated it as if it were possibly recluse and I was fine, but I’m still left with indents in my forehead 22 years later.
I have a question, I’ve caught many recluses in my sticky traps under my bed, which doesn’t make for good night’s sleep. Can anyone tell me who I can send these spiders too, I want proof that my county does in fact have them. I know people who have been bitten by them. I feel like the local hospital wants to keep it hush-hush so the people won’t freak out. But I think they should know. Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks.
“Bayer” bug spray in the blue gallon jug, be sure it says ‘germ killer’ on the front.
Kills even cock roaches.
Has a decent smell too.
I found it Home Depot for about $10
And more to my post, I checked my leg. There was a small spot, and I washed it, forgot about it. The tingling went away after half an hour or so, with a small bruise around the “bite” area. That’s it.
By the way, I thought only child rattle snakes were poisonous, as they don’t have a rattle.
Is it possible to have a non-graphic fiddle bite? I have a problem with them(in the winter), because they like to hide under the post-it notes on my wall. One time I accidentally kicked one and upset a few. A little later my leg was very tingly, but not asleep tingly. Hurty tingly.
I do have other spider problems in the winter, which I really don’t mind(I think they’re cute, and they keep the kittens distracted), but I just wonder what kind of creepy crawly would’ve caused something like this)
Are Brown recluse spider found in south Texas?
I was bitten on 4/22/10 at 5am while on the couch feeding my 8mo old baby. I felt the slightest pinprick/itch. Not having a free hand to scratch,i just rubbed my shoulder against the couch,not knowing i had killed the spider.
2 hours later,i got chills that would not go away. It started feeling like the worst case of the flu i’ve ever had. I decided I should go to the ER. By the time i got there,I was in anaphalyctic shock. I almost died. I was given an I.V of antibiotics(levaquin),benedryl,and steroids(prednisone) and dilaudid for pain.
I was sent home 12hrs later.
This is day 4 now,and My entire arm is turning solid black and red. There is a blister the size of my thumb that 4 days later has not burst yet. Everywhere that’s black is turning numb,and the redness hurts worse than my C-section.
I’ve been to 5 different doctors and 1 surgeon this week,and all are at a loss of what to do for me,so they do nothing.
I’m petrified that I’m going to lose my arm now,or die.
If anyone knows how to help me,PLEASE contact me.
skitzoette [at] gmail.com
I have brown recluse spiders in my apartment they normally become very active around this time of year.. Bombs will kill them. I go to Walmart and buy the Orange raid box that kills for 90 days. I bomb my house or apt and don’t leave it to the apts to get rid of them.
The bomb gets inside of everything and under everything even holes in the house. I bomb with it every 4-5 months and it does the trick just fine.. Also if I wear clothes that have been in the closet or shoes I haven’t worn in a while I shake them violently.. Its really more of habit these days and sometimes I do it when I know its not necessary. I live in Kansas and recluses are very common here.. Its not any harder to get rid of them than it is ants or roaches..
i love this eventhough i hate spiders but there is some amazing pictures on this page it is fantastic!!!!!!!and i have been on this page about 30 times i love it that much becouse it has so much infomation
sophie xx
My husband and I were both bitten by brown recluse. I new when I saw it what was wrong so I took Tetra cycline and packed with sea salt.My husband went to doctor and got a very strong antibiotic,I also packed his with sea salt.We are healing well. His doctor was suprised how fast he healed.Mine is good to ,buy itches very bad.Any suggestons on itching ? It has been 2 1/2 weeks and have ran out of antibiotics but still have small hole and terrible itch. We also took 1 asprin a day and kept moving and working even though it was painful.We farm so have to take care of animals,plus husband Doc said keep blood circulating even if it hurts
I live in the desert.and i have been bitten 4 different times. If you don’t get the bite lanced right away. The venom will eat the area of where you been bitten. they same once you been bitten by a brown recluse . it leaves a sent in your blood that other brown recluse can smell a few feet away.
So please take a spider bite very seriously and go to the doctor right away…
I found several Spiders in my home just at several times. I don’t believe they are brown recluse. They may be just giant house spiders. I haven’t got bit by none yet. I mostly stay up all night but I’m up all night anyways. A recluse is going to look different than others usually with a violin shape on its back. A giant house spider or a hobo spider looks almost identical only a 50% chance of injecting venom. they are considered non aggressive.
I live in S. Carolina.
Bentonite Clay is the only known cure for a brown recluse bite. I’ve been bitten twice. The first time I thought I had a boil until the flesh started rotting. When I got bit the second time, I started Googling about alternative remedies and read about Bentonite clay. I already had Bentonite because I use it for detoxing so I kept it on my leg and changed the bandage twice daily, reapplying each change. The bite healed up within a week. The first one took over a month and left a big purple dent in my arm. Do some Googling about bentonite and brown recluse bites. It’s cheap. You can order it online or get it at almost any health food store.
i had a friend that was bitten by one he lost his leg because it was to late bad spider
I was bite by a brown recluse last saturday at a friends house! I went to the dr after I realized it was not a thorn in my thigh after all! I am in so much pain and the medications the docter gave me I do not feel like they are working! I sometimes feel like I am going to pass out, I am also feel like I am going to vomit! What should I do and how long will this last!
My son came over today and showed me 4 bites he has on him. Two on the right leg at the upper thigh and on the shin. One on his left shin, and one just below his right breast.
They look like the one on the page for infections and how the woman is sure its brown recluse. I have pictures but, don’t understand how to place them into this question box. I can send them email.
He had begun taking antibiotics earlier today. Do they help?
After he went home he broke open one and all this greenish/yellowish stuff came out. He says they hurt badly especially the one on his shins.
Its only been 3 days since he was bitten.
I want him to go to the hospital and he wont because he does not have insurance.
We live on the west coast of Florida.
Over the weekend he was party-ing a bit too much and he believes he may have passed out in a bush at a bar that is located on marshy lands at the edge of the gulf of Mexico.
Any and all help you could provide would be a great benefit.
As I look through your site the more upset I get. Sorry. But, normally things like this don’t bother me. When it comes to your kids… no matter how old they are…. its upsetting.
Thanks soooo much for you help.
Sharon
yeah that looks like a brown recluse spider bite you probably need to get medical attention soon. but im not a doctor but im just saying thats what it looks like
i think i found a brown recluse spider in my bathroom im really scared there are more what should i do.
Wed. Sept 16, 2009
Can anyone tell me if this is a spider bite? If so what kind? My daughter was hiking in the woods last Sat. and on Sun. or Mon. she developed a red and swollen circle. (see picture) She went to the primary Dr. and they didn’t know what it was. Gave her Bactrim antibiotic and said to put hot packs on it. If it is not better come back on Friday Sep18, 2009. What kind of a Dr. does one see for a spider bite? What kind of specialist do you go to.
If anyone can help PLEASE do so at ckc51 [at] comcast.net
Thank You
the brown recluse spider exists in Pennsylvania -our garage is totally infested with them and the basement is starting to become infested. bombs do not work. be prepared to pay for extermination services that may or may not eradicate them.
I was bitten in 2005 by a brown recluse spider in Central Florida. They came down riding in my clothing & in my furniture which was stored in Virginia & Central Florida for a total of about 12 years. I learned the hard way that Storage areas don’t spray & that is how the brown recluse came into Florida. They came in through the thousands of military people who brought their stored stuff with them until they could either buy or find a place to live. If you are like me, you are also unfortunate as my brown recluse spiders seemed to evolve into very large spiders that can take on the largest of the palmetto bugs, those 4 inch types? Well, the venom also evolved right along with the size.
We saw, sprayed & photographed a huntsman crab spider the other day & realized that not only did we bring the brown recluse down, but people who collect & have spiders as pets, have RELEASED them into the wild & now poisonous & sometimes very dangerous spiders have evolved to make their homes in the Central & complete Florida area. Now think you this. As long as you don’t have winter weather that goes below 30, you can have a thriving population of very large brown recluse spiders that don’t die in the winter AND you can have other spiders that are supposed to only live in Australia & Africa which now make their homes comfortably in the high trees of Florida. For those of you living where there is still winter, the bad news is that your spiders may die in the winter, but their eggs will live & they will hatch around March or so of each year. Brown recluse spiders go on the hunt for mates between April & July & become extremely agressive. Add that to the fact that they are also extremely fast, like to jump, live in places that are not well visited which has to include under your bed or anywhere there is furniture with a corner that you might not visit very often & under furniture & behind refrigerators & you realize that you have a HUGE amount of space for brown recluses to live IN. That being said, I have had 4 years of struggles between doctors in Florida who tell me that I couldn’t have been bitten by a brown recluse even though we bagged the body & had it identified by not only a “but” guy for the State but also by the VA’s medical staff for infection diseases. ; & doctors who’ve never worked with bug bites but think that they can “heal” the necrotizing fasciatis that is brought on by the venom from the spider & the possible cases of MRSA either caused by wound care facilities themselves or the people treating me IN them, and ADD that to the hospital bourne infections that I received from hospitals which treated me for the infections caught simply because the wound got so big. It was made even bigger for a graft which failed due to many causes…
NOw we’re trying to get another graft & find someone who will see if there is anything that we can do to make me less appetizing to other spiders. When I was bitten, the worst thing is that the venom creates pheromes which lead other spiders to me thinking that I might be a ready meal for them!!!! I didn’t like spiders to begin with & now they think I’m lunch! My wound is now 17″ wide & takes up almost all the way around my calf & is about 7 inches high. Some treatments for liver function by an acupuncturist actually closed one of the wounds up completely although it opens every now & again & spits out some pus & then closes up again nicely. The last graft grew back in nerves & a great deal of flesh that had been lost through a prior car accident before the spider bite. So my leg “looks normal” but isn’t quite back because it has no skin. The wound feels as if I had a giant blister & the blister popped. That’s what it feels like 24/7. If I don’t take pain killers every 8 hours, I would be a screaming mess & there are times when I cannot lay the leg down at all.
All I can tell you is anything that you haven’t touched in awhile & anywhere that you haven’t been in awhile, get yourself some Spectracide Bug Stop. It can be found in garden centers, it is clear, the quart sized pump bottle [ good for the environment, no butane or aerosols} is about $3.88 & the gallon size for refill only, as the sprayer leaks, is about $6.88. No smell!!!! not horrible for animals once it has dried. Will create a barrier for doors, windows & all those places including boxes that you haven’t been in awhile, SPRAY everything, almost everything can be washed. Its better than the almost $500,000 so far in insurance & my bills that I’ve gone through in 4 years to try to get this healed. And there are STILL doctors who will say to me, scornfully, after I’ve met & written with over 400 people who’ve been bitten, know someone who’s been bitten or worse, lost a digit, an arm or worse to a bite… I had a doctor at Florida Hospital actually say to me less than two months ago….”there’s no such thing as a brown recluse in Florida!!!!” Don’t you believe it. They’re every where that storage is & hasn’t been sprayed. I will be sending 5 or so pictures before & after graft to give you some idea of the horribleness…. Keep you safe SPRAY….
Me little sister found a brown recluse and is keeping it as a pet. I tried to get me mom to make my little sister let it go but, she wont. I’ve tried to take it away from her but she wont let me.
I have used a kennel universal spray from a farm supply store that can be safely used around animals. (You need to let the kennels, barn, ect.. empty for 2 days atrer spray. I’ve found it safe and keeps spiders, fleas, flys, mites and more at bay for up to 6 months.
Do you think my bite is from this spider? My house is covered with spiders. We have 3 inchers all over and we keep spraying inside and outside and we can’t get rid of them. A week ago I thought I had a small bump (maybe a mosquito bite I thought). By the next evening I was about to pass out from the fever it grew two about 3 inches, it was hot and hard. By the next morning it was nearly 6 inches and there was so much bloody pus coming out. I was still sick with a fever. I finally went to the ER 2 days later. Doctor told me it was most likely not a spider bite (even though there are two puncture marks) and that it is just a staph infection. He had to cut it open and clean it out and place this tubing in it to help allow it to drain. I am on anti-biotics. He gave me pain meds but I hate pain meds. I am just pushing through the pain. But I have some pics to show. How do I get pics uploaded to you?
My dad was bit by one in west virginia. It started off looking just like a misquito bite, then it got larger and darker. Eventually the venom started eating away at the back of his shoulder where he wwas bitten. There was an open sore 3in in diameter on his back shoulder filled with purple and white stuff. it was nasty.
I live in Arkansas and we have an infestation of these spiders everywhere. They are non agressive unless they are disturbed near their nesting place. They are nocturnal creatures, and will hunt other insects at night. If you see one in your home during the daytime, more than likely your home is infested. There are several ways to kill these spiders without spending tons of money. First, buy traps, these are boxes with dual openings that have a sticky substance inside. Place them in dark undisturbed places along the walls. Second, find your local farmers co-op, purchase a chemical called Demon WP and treat your home.
These spiders love cardboard boxes, and furniture with hollow undersides next to walls. They also hunt, so if you eliminate their food source (other bugs) they move on.The babies can be just as venomous. Many people that have been bitten in the past develop an anti-venom resistance to the poison and therefore do not react. The bite symptoms are pain, fever, heart arithmias, vomiting followed by necrosis if left untreated.Necrosis is the death of tissue, and it will spread if not stopped. Amputation is rare, but skin graphs are common.
I have witnessed these spiders from various sizes. The smallest being the size of a pea, and the largest being the size of a silver dollar. Some are dark, almost grayish black but typically brown. Males and females share the same venom danger.They are common everywhere, and the only state in the US that has not reported a bite is Hawaii. The most common period for bites is from March to September. They are very dormant in the winter. Studies have indicated that they carry the same dangerous poison as rattle snakes. So if your home is infested, try to imagine hundreds of rattle snakes in your house. Sorry but just being real! Feel better now?
I was bit by a brown recluse in eastern washington in 1986 and let me tell you, you will know if your ever bitten by one you get really ill you can not even walk after 3 days and the bite creates small blister around the wound which eats away your flesh and they keep poping and creating more blisters which causes the wound to get bigger and bigger which if not treated can cause gang green, I HAD TO BE RUSHED TO HOSPITAL AFTER 4 DAYS OF AGONY AND GOT ANTIBIOTIC SHOTS FOR 6 MONTHS, I AM DEATHLY AFRAID OF SPIDERS SINCE THAT EPISODE, BUT I WAS ONLY 4’11 AND 98LBS AT THE TIME.
Does anyone know what a brown recluses bite looks like. I believe my boyfriend got bit last nightafter taking out a stack of old phone books. It started as a diamond shaped red area about 1inx1.5in, then the next morning turned into a small pimple like area with a white head. Can anyone give me an idea if this is a brown recluse!?!
I just caught a Brown Recluse, but i didnt know what it was at the time. So, when i found out i got extremely scared and burned it.
Fortunately I have never had to deal with a brown recluse bite, but my sympathy goes out to all of you who have. Horrible experience. I live in the central Texas area and I remember several years ago there was a doctor on our local TV station talking about applying a nitro glycerin patch to the bite to ward off the effects. From what I understood it had to be done quite soon after the person received the bite, but once it was on, the person experienced very little swelling and there was no tissue death. Has anyone else heard of this? I have looked on the internet, but have not been able to find any information about it.
Hi my name is Donna I”m not sure what kind of spider bite i have but I awoke one morning about 5 weeks ago to find my leg stinging and a big red mark that looked like i had a ring worm or a cigarette burn on it .i went to the doctor and got a steroid shot but i have been back about 3 times and am currently on antibotics . so far its not looking any better but i dont have anything running out of it
The issue with the brown recluse bite is not its lethality. Its most likely one of the nastiest spider bites imaginable. Will it kill you? Most likely not, however people have lost fingers, and limbs due to its bite. It is a very serious bite and without treatment is very dangerous.
I am here to tell you that a bite from a brown recluse is very dangerous.
My sister was bitten about 4 years ago and has had to have 6 or 7 surguries. The latest was just 2 weeks ago. It left a huge hole in her stomach. Which still has to be packed with gause every day. She came very close to death a couple of times. BROWN RECLUSE SPIDERS ARE EXTREMELY DANGEROS.
Now I think my husband has a bite from one on his left elbow. We are watching it very closely. He doesn’t like going to dr’s. He has a fever over 102. That is why I am looking at this sight tonight. I will get no sleep tonight.
here is a scary thought, i was plugging my camera cord into my pc, and i was turning my camera so i could plug it and and bam..right there on my shorts, there was one crawling up my shorts…i hit it with my camera (solid side) and it didnt die easily..then it took off running towards my shirt…i pinched it n the bottom outside part of my shirt..i took my camera and a note book and squashed it…i think ive been living with these for 3 years now..ive seen many in my room, i kill then when i see them..but you would never think that theyd be so fast!!..also, earlier in the day, my older sister was getting ready to put her baby in the tub to give him a bath, and one was crawling around in the tub..she was freaking out..glad she killed it..
thanks for all the info! its great to know more about them!!
-Britt
This brown recluse spider seems to be the one regularly found in my house in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, and my daughter is 7 years old complained all day of pain on her elbow and could not remember falling over. Next afternoon, it was hot, red and raised level , like one of these pictures. The spider comes from a gum tree nearby which is full of a cocoon type web. I thought it was a fishing spider.
hi i was wondering were in IL are the brown recluse spiders located? my hubby wants me and my kids to go there to visit while he is working there and am scared of my kids safety.
I just reached into a salad bowl in one of my kitchen cabinets and as I brought it down to head level I saw a brown recluse in it. IN the bowl. Dropped the bowl onto the counter and after I stopped screaming I realized the spider was stuck in there – he couldn’t climb out from the slipperiness. So now I’m wondering how he got in there – couldn’t have climbed up around the edges apparently. Anyway, scared me to death! I didn’t feel anything bite my fingers that reached in there, but now I’m reading from the posts that the bite isn’t necessarily painful until hours later.
We dropped him onto a sticky trap so we could analyze him and be sure he was truly a recluse, and after examining him and comparing him to the photos here, he is indeed a BR. A little larger than the other ones we usually find here in southern Indiana – more like 1 1/2 inches across, but he’s not the first we’ve seen that size.
A friend was bit in her sleep last year on her forearm. The skin started blackening, decaying and eroding, and she treated it with colloidal silver and Oil of Oregano (that will kill just about anything bacterial or viral!) – the wound slowly began to heal and now there’s just a scar resembling a quarter-sized burn.
I wish there were a way to truly eliminate them!
5 minutes ago i was in the living room w. my 18 mo old baby sister–a brown recluse charged at her from the darkened end of the room–around our stone fireplace–it only stopped running at her when i screamed and she ran away from it. It climbed up her pac-n-play to camouflage itself–a kind of yellow/khaki color.
one day I woke up and got some clothes out of my drawer. I sat down and noticed some thing crawling on my clothes, I looked closer and it was a big brown soider with a violin on its back I suspected it was a brown recluse but it had a big white butt. I didn’t get bit (thank God) but it really scared the crap out of me, if someone can tell me if it was a brown recluse!
I got bit by a brown recluse May 24,2008. I was 30 weeks pregnant at the time. I could not take the main medicine used in treating this because it might have hurt the baby. I ended up in the hospital and then sent to a larger University of Alabama Birmingham Hospital to get more updated help. I was really upset that they may have to deliver my baby early to keep her from getting the venom in her system. I was treated by about 20 different doctors with 7 different antibiotics and steroids to help. I ended up having a hole in my leg the size of a half dollar and 2 inches deep before the bite area quit spreading. I had surgery 2 days after I gave birth to my perfect daughter in July. I was really lucky!! Now in my house if it is a insect and it moves it is dead. I freak out about any little thing getting on me now. My home has been sprayed several times and you don’t really think that this one little thing can do this much damage until it happens to you.
I can’t believe the pictures here! We have brown recluse in our house, too.
I got bit by either a brown recluse or a black widow while living in Chicago on the 15th floor. My muscle cramped for days (black widow characteristic), I broke out in a severe rash, and it formed a hole in my neck. Now I sleep with my eyes open for those varmints!
I live in Ohio and have never heard of this type of spider. But I recently mover in with my 74 year old grandmother to help take care of her. She came out of her bed room about a month ago and was complaining that something had bit her and it was itchy. Well I didnt really pay it to much mind. Well she waited until a few weeks ago to tll me that it had opened up into painful sores. She tryed to take care of it with antibiotic ointment and black draws out salve. when I took her to the doctors h imediatly addmited her to the hospital. At first they had to treat her for a staff infection and they recently told me that the sores came from the bite of this spider. I have searched my house for any signs. Yet I have found none. MY biggest fear is that also residing in my house is my 3 month old daughter. I have been told that these spiders are not common in this area. so is it safe to say that since i cant find it that it is no longer a threat?
i think i got bit by one of these!
Hey i thought these spiders were no bigger then a pin head? but the ones you showed were a lot bigger then that
i bet it kills to be bitten by this spider
I want to thank the organizers of this website, and all the people who have contributed information on the subject of brown recluses.
Yesterday afternoon (12/12/08), I moved into a new dorm room for winter break housing at my West Tennessee university. Abut four hours ago, while reading a magazine on my bed, I was bitten by what I now understand is a brown recluse. Due to the information on this website, I was able to identify the species of the spider, and quickly receive medical attention. I have since lain store-bought glue traps for any other spiders that might be sharing my dorm room. My emergency room doctor also advised me to turn on music before I go to sleep, in addition to lights.
Again, if it had not been for the information on this website, I’m sure I would not have gotten medical attention as quickly as I did–thankfully, my only symptoms right now are an ache in the wound (left pinky), and numbness throughout my left hand, which the antibiotics and antihistamines I received at the emergency room tonight will hopefully eradicate by morning.
Thank you so much for your help,
Holly, West Tennessee undergrad
I found a Spider in the same location (garage) as many brown relcuse spiders, which I enjoy studying(along with Black & Brown Widows.) The spider I found is as close to a twin as it gets!
This spider Was the exact same color and size, the legs weren’t pointing more forward like the recluse, but much like the funnel web’s and wolf spider’s also found here in Missouri. But just a little darker brown than it’s body. If it would have had a fiddle ond the right posture, I would say it was for sure the “brown recluse”, just .. a relative or closer than close look alike??????? I keep searching and searching and I was led here.. thanks!
In the past year my husband and both of my sons have been bitten by brown recluse spiders. I have taken all three of them to the hospital once we determined that it was a spider bite and not a pimple or some other kind of bite. I have found that once the poison gets into the skin that the antibiotics that are given at the hospital do not work. My grandmother is a believer in natural herbs. She gave me some MSM and had me make a paste out of the MSM and a few drops of water, once I made the paste I put it on the bite and I bandaged the bite up. The next day the bite had come to a complete head and I used sterilized twizzers and removed the core from the bite. I doctored the site for 2 more days and all the poison was gone. I am a expert when it comes to brown recluse bites. My husband was bitten 8 times while working in a basement.
Both of my sons were bitten while playing near a wood pile outside. I have used the MSM for 7 years now on any bite that they have received and it works better than any antibiotic that you can get from the hospital. Now this worked for our family. I am not suggesting not to seek medical advice, I am just telling you that there truely is nothing including antibiotics that cure the bite. I work for a doctor and they don’t want to tell you that they don’t have a cure for the bite. But if you ever get bit by something try the MSM in a paste form for 2-3 days and it will bring the core to the top of your skin and once you get the core out you are removing the poison.
It will scab over. Now the only problem that we do have is that on my husbands neck were he was bitten 4 times. Every year around the same time they will scab up and itch for a few days. I don’t know the reason for this. But I have researched and found articles where people have had to have a body part removed years later because they get infected again because of the bite.
My friend got bite and his hand is swollon and red with purple around it, it has only been a couple of days. Is it a brown recluse?.
Hi I was recently bitten by a brown recluse spider. It bit me right on my hip and I never even felt it!! I noticed it one day while I was getting dressed. At first it didn’t bother me but a day later i started feeling pain around that area. I noticed that the bite was getting bigger. I waited a few more days and the bite started gettin bigger and bigger and hurting real bad. I mean the pain was so bad that I could not lay on my left side or walked (because it hurt so bad) I went to the doctor and they perscribed antibiotics and also gave me a shot of antibiotics. It got better an we popped it and squeezed everything out. But a spider bite is not nothing to ignore! I learned that first hand
Recluse spiders are very aggressive, and will bite you while you sleep.
The best first aid I have found is extra strh clearasil Vanaishing cream.
It pulls the venom out. You must continue the application at least 3 times a day. The sooner the better!
I live in an apartment, which has been infested with brown recluses, about 2 months ago I put out traps and they filled within 2weeks with about 10 brown recluses in each. So I had a professional bug guy come out and sprayed. Anyway, last week I touched one that was one my toothpaste.
But it didn’t bite me. The night before last I woke up in the morning with a red bump on my hand that was very small, but hurt and itched. Today, its swollon to about about quarter size…. and it painful to the touch. IS this a spider bite….
My house in Nashville was infested with Brown Recluses. They were running in every direction. I got bitten on the back of the leg and coupled with a bad reaction to the antibiotic was down for 3 weeks! The answer was to fog bomb the house from basement to attic at 3am when the spiders are active. That all but eliminated the problem.
I understand this is not a medical forum but I’ve read that a nitroglycerin patch on the bite will prevent it from becoming necrotic and allow the bite to heal normally. (The venom is a vasoconstrictor, causing tissue starvation, the nitro is a vasodilator)
i have heard of a brown recluse and its bite and venom. it actually intregse me alot!
My parents have lived with these bad boys for 12yrs. I’ve lived with them for 6 of the 12 years. At one point my brother was living with us also, he slept on a blow up mattress in the floor. We have never seen them on beds, or off the floor. Not one of us have been bitten by the infamous Brown Recluse.
We have seen them a few times on the tile in the kitchen early in the morning when a light is switched on. My mother refuses to bomb or use sprays. Instead she gets sticky trays and slide them under the furniture ( couch, bed, cabinets, fridge, dryer) along the baseboards. This seem to be the preferred route of travel, close to the wall and in the dark. Sticky traps are great way to capture and correctly identify spiders. Check them monthly, if dusty change them or the spiders will just walk over the dust like they do a web. Please be careful when handling traps they may still be alive and able to bite. Use work gloves if needed. My sons get out the magnifying glass to see all the details…They are really into spiders at the moment.
I have came to the conclusion that my mother likes spiders. As a child I remember she would not let anyone kill “her” green-eyed jumpers in the window sills because they took care of moths and flies.
August 25, 2008
I was helping my dad move some stuff in the barn when I felt like a bee had stung me under my arm on the side. I immediately grabbed the area but didn’t feel anything or see anything. The bite area looked like a tiny blood blister about the size of the end of a pencil lead when it first happened…That night the area was sore. Friday morning I was at the hospital with my daughter while she was having surgery and the bite area was getting really sore. there is no red around the bite area, but the blood blister itself was now about the size of a pencil eraser..that afternoon my face, neck, chest and back all the way down to my waist was bright red like I had a bad sunburn and my face and neck were swollen, my face was so swollen my eyes were almost swollen shut. I left my daughter sleeping in her hospital bed and went down to the emergency room. The doctor just glanced at the bite spot and didn’t say anything and just gave me a shot of steriod and a shot of a benydryl type stuff..plus a perscription for both…The nurse said it looked like a blister and when I was putting my shirt back on the blister busted, but it was just a clear yellowish color. The nurse looked and said she didn’t see any fang marks or a stinger.. It does seep a little if I move around very much.
I still have the sunburn look, just not as bad, the swelling in my face and neck have went down, but I have to be sure and not miss a dose of the benydryl or it will return. The bite area hurts so bad I can’t get comfortable and the pain is now radiating from my side around to my shoulder blade area…I have put a Itchommol dressing, which is a drawing agent, on the bite area and it hasn’t seemed to help any…
Any ideas….I am usually pretty good at handling pain, but I have never had pain like this from any type of bite or sting…
Whoever said that Violins(BR) don’t get big is very wrong! My husband & I have killed some that had bodies as thick as my little finger & their legs were about 2 1/2 to 3 inches long! They have the violin marking on them. They range in color from light tan to all shades of brown, even dark brown. I have arachniphobia & I am terrified of spiders, especialy Violins! One night I was eatin supper in the living room sitting in my recliner & I had a white T shirt on. I turned my head to the left & there was a HUGE Violin on my left shoulder just inches from my face! I jumped up & was screaming & trying to shake it off of my shirt. It was just about to get on my bare arm when I finally shook it off! I literally almost had a heart attack! My husband jumped up & was asking what was wrong & all I could do was sob uncontrollaby.
He killed it on the floor where it was flung off of my sleeve. They are EVERYWHERE down here in south Mississippi! We killed a huge one in our wash room a few days ago that was lugging an egg sack. We use Raid Wasp & Hornet spray to kill them. That stuff will kill anything! We squashed the egg sack & sprayed it, too. I just wish that there was some way to keep them from coming into the house!!!
Another thing, I’ve done remodeling that required stripping walls to the studs, and in one place I literally saw hundreds of husks in the insulation I removed. Talk about freaking a person out–I just knew I was going to get bit. My guess is that if you see one in your house, there are probably a thousand that you’ll never see hunting around inside the walls. I’ve heard that exterminators have to use special stuff to kill them–is this true?
I had a warehouse in Oklahoma for a while that had previously served as a body shop, and after all the car parts were removed, it was infested with roaming fiddlebacks. I keep hearing people say they are small, and most of the ones I saw were, but I’ve also seen some monsters the size of a Susan B. Another thing that doesn’t get mentioned is their speed–the things can cook and will zoom around in circles if their cover is lifted. I’ve been bitten once by one (that I know of–after being bit on the bum, I found the smushed remains in my shorts, but the bite was only mildly irritating (like a super itchy mosquito bite) and lasted several weeks. I have to wonder if some people are more reactive to the venom–possibly allergic.
What will get rid of these?? (Oregon)
I last week found a recluse in bath sink, months ago a Hobo in sink, how do I rid my house, under house ect. of these. Reg. spray does not touch them.
Before I get started, let me just say that I live in central Missouri. Ok, I am deathly afraid of spiders more so than anything else in this world, and I have recently noticed an increase in the amount of these little buggers in my house. Well, I just found (time: 1:30 am CST; 09/08/08) a dead spider in one of my closets and a live one in another, which prompted me to do some research on the net to find out their origin(s).
With regard to the live spider, I quickly sprayed some spider-related insecticide and it killed it within minutes. Anyway, to my dismay, I have determined that I do, in fact, have Brown Recluses in my home! My fear of spiders has just intensified! I examined the back-side of the spider and did find a violin shape; thus, reaffirming my suspicions. I don’t want to live in fear, but what else can I do? Also, I have three nieces and two nephews who often visit, and I fear for them as well! I understand that these spiders may not be aggressive in nature, but how exactly is that supposed to reassure a person?
About 2 hours ago my sister was swimming in our pool, when a spider ( i’m not sure how it got in the pool, i guess it just fell in or jumped off a tree ) bit her on the finger, I live by the shore in New Jersey, my sister killed it instantly, swatting it up onto the cement. it was brown, very small, too small to see if it had 6 eyes, or this violin pattern. my dad said it was a brown recluse. it was just a little bump and now it’s getting red and itchy she says, any advice would be appreciated. my dads friend got bit by a rather big brown recluse, his entire foot swelled up, and he needed medical help.
i seen a spider that looked like a trangula on the outside of my house in bridgewater, and i didnt know if it was one or not, because i figured that there were no tranguals in nova scotia. so i didnt really worry about it.
what type of spider would this have been,?
it looked exactly like one.
We just bought a lake home in the Ozarks in Arkansas and I have been using glue traps and caught quite a few of what may be brown recluse. I have sprayed with Home Defense Max and am using the glue traps. We are going to bomb the crawl space under the house BUT does anyone know what I can do to get rid of them. I am deathly arachnaphobic anyway but this is freaking me out. My neighbor told me about Viper but I haven’t been able to find it. Please help!
Jim,
I found this one on my porch.
I have a sky light porch that only has a top, and she was on the bottom of the outside rafter with a egg sac with hundres of little ones.
I thought it was a Brown Recluse so I got rid of the little ones best I could and kept this one until today and let her go where I could find her again if I wanted too.
I have never seen one this big!!
The sheet of paper will give you her size!!
Thanks,
Joe
By the way I live in North Central Tennessee on the Kentucky border. Celina, TN
I have seen some more big bugs up here alot bigger than where I come from in South Georgia.
Enjoy
i may have been bitten on my right arm by a spider the ones in my home looked just like one in the first picture accept i recently saw a baby white one on my bed which i killed-though im not sure if all the way could this be my spider?
I was bit by a brown recluse July 18th 2008, went to the hospital they gave me 3 pills told me it would heal itself, now i get to go to a surgeon every monday for the next few mths, i have a bacteria infection set up in my body and i’m very ill, and i have a very ugly area on the back of my thigh, still don’t know whats going on, I felt the spider bite me and even took it to the er with me.
there was a spider on the kitchen floor of my house [california] and my friends traped it in a jar it was a recluse [brown]
At 5:00 am on May 6th, 2002 I was bitten by a brown brown recluse spider while lying in bed. The first day I went to the hospital they gave me aspirin and told me to go home to sleep the bite away. The next day I was rushed to the emergency room and told I was a fraction of time away from losing my leg or life. After nine days in the hospital they decided to remove the dead tissue. What I had left was a 12-inch diameter hole in my leg. After a scar rescission surgery last year I was able to reduce some of the plate size hole in my leg. The apartment I was in collected around 24 spiders which all proved to be brown recluse spiders. When I told the manager he laughed until he saw my leg and fainted. Even after all that it took the local Health Department to make him spray for bugs. Next time I see brown spiders strolling around my apartment I am packing my bags.
I was bitten by something on 07/13/08 in Abbotsford, British Columbia. I’m trying to figure out what could cause the symtoms that I am experiencing. The bite is swollen and a great portion of my foot has also swelled. The bite itself is red, swollen and has a white centre. If anyone has any helpfull information could you please email me at magill2 @ live.ca
any help is greatly appreciated!
I want to make a quick comment about the “huge recluse spiders” people have found, especially in the northwest. I am not here to tell you that you have not seen a recluse, like many others have. I am here to warn you that you might have seen something more threatening than a recluse, a hobo spider. They grow to ginormous proportions, have some of the same after effects of the recluse and are very aggressive! Scientifically, recluse spiders are not large and are not aggressive. They also won’t be found in the Northwest, but how can someone definitively tell you that if every doctor shuts you down when you suggest it?
A huge recluse, is still possibly something more sinister. The hobo spider is a “trigger web” spider, which means its very nature is to attack purely out of reaction to something in its vicinity, which helps to explain its aggressiveness. Something triggers its web, and it attacks it before it can get away. This is a spider that will theoretically come after you, in contrast to the more venomous spider that will try to avoid you.
Hi…
I don’t think brown recluse spiders are as rare as some people believe they are… I think that most people just don’t know what they look like!
I was shocked when I saw (or at least realized what I was looking at!) my first brown recluse! The are small and DELICATE looking… It was slowly walking across my playroom floor… it surprised me, because I had always heard that they hide all the time, so I was not expecting to see one so “out in the open”… as a matter of fact, at first I walked right by it because it was so small and non-threatening looking! but, something made me stop in my tracks and go back… I caught it under a glass and then got out my magnifying glass to look at it and sure enough, there was that dreaded violin shape on it’s back! After knowing what I was looking for, I noticed quite a few in my home…. I was really worried about someone in my family getting bitten by one, so I researched online and apparently the only really good way to get rid of them is to buy these little sticky traps that the spider gets stuck to when they try to walk through them… I purchased a box of the traps and put them all around the inside of the house and quite a few were caught that way…
I read one of the posts who said they are not aggreassive and I will disagree with this… When I see a spider in the house (we live in central Texas, so I get a lot of wolf and smaller varieties of spiders in the house a lot) I trap them under a glass, slip a piece of heavy paper or cardboard under it and toss them outside. Most spiders that I have come across will always try to run when they realize they are cornered, but not the brown recluse… this tiny, FRAGILE LOOKING little spider totally stands its ground and will get into an aggressive stance like he’s thinking “want some of this?” This is one little spider that does not get tossed outside at my house… he goes right down the toilet!
We have been really lucky so far, with no BR bites, but I have read that they have had some REALLY good success and outcomes with doing ACCUPUNCTURE treatments on the bite area.
I think it is important not to get paranoid and overly concerned about this spider, but rather DO YOUR HOMEWORK on them, so that you know what you are dealing with and then in the rare case, you are bitten, you already have a “plan of action” and can ACT QUICKLY! That’s the key!
best wishes!
My mom (67) lives with us here in Texas and she does not trust doctors, so I often treat her homeopathically. She was bitten 2 days ago (Sunday) by what I am sure was a Brown Recluse – her bite looks distinctly like a target, it was very bright red and swollen at first. As soon as she noticed the bite (they take a few hours to start hurting) – I had her to clean it with lemon and rub Nutribiotic on it ( this is an extract of grapefruit seeds) then we applied a poultice of food grade diatomaceous earth and aloe juice.
This helped to cool it down and draw out the poison. On Monday morning I had an appointment with my doctor for bloodwork (I am diabetic), so I had mom to tag along and the nurse confirmed for me that mom was bitten by a Brown Recluse. After we left the doctor, we made a run to the health food store and bought Echinacea Extract and Lobelia Extract and picked up a bunch of plantains from the grocery.
While I prepared the new poultice – I had her to hold the plantain skin to her wound. I placed 1/2 a plantain, 1/2 cup of aloe juice, 10 drops of Echinacea extract, 5 or 6 drops of Lobelia, and 10 drops of Nutribiotic into a cup and pureed it in my bullet blender – we mixed this with food grade diatomaceous earth and have been using it to both soothe and draw on the wound – she also applied it to the itchy rashes she developed on her extremities and they went away. So far we have relieved her pain and kept it from going necrotic we have another day or so before we will know we are out of the woods so to speak – but I feel confident that her bite will heal with little complications.
I think it is also important that you know that I have been feeding her sliced tomatos with lots of raw garlic and Gorgonzola cheese throughout the day – the bacteria in the cheese and the garlic have strong antibiotic properties, and it tastes pretty good too!. She also had a meal of liver and onions on Monday to help offset the blood cell weakness many Brown Recluse bites can cause – so far she is doing great.
I am including a photo I took today (Tuesday) that shows the current state of her bite. I hope this information will help your readers. I appreciate the photos and info provided there very much – it helped me determine what the best tactics for treatment might be.
Thanks!
Toni M. in Texas
TBit on Sunday night, Left Foot, between 2nd and 3rd toe, back of foot,
note the pictures of back of foot, for target site of actual bite.
Monday 8/14/06 Swelling redness
Tuesday 8/15/06 Swelling, redness tenderness when walking
Wed 8/16/06 Swelling, redness tenderness when walking
Thur 8/17/06 Swelling and tenderness not getting better, went to Dr. He
said I had gout…fever of 100.6, x-rays and blood test showed negative
for gout. I told him it was a spider bite, but he insisted it was gout,
put me on arthritis meds and arthritis pain meds. (Does not listen to
patients well!) Was crying most of the night it was so painful.
Friday 8/18/06 The pictures start on Friday, it is starting to blister,
withinn 3 hours it was seeping, popped lots of advil. Had the diarrhea
and was vomiting all afternoon, still had a fever, chills, woke up in
the middle of the night with the worst headache in the world.
Saturday 8/19/06 blisters are festering/draining, Bad night sweats.
Sunday 8/20/06 Skin and tissue are dying, turning black, went to
emergency at our local hospital, they couldn’t believe that the Dr on
Thursday said it was gout, and or course I was taking the wrong meds,
and I should have been putting cold compresses on it (the Dr on Thursday
told me NOT to put cold nor heat on it) they did surgery to remove dead
tissue, and could not freeze it because of severe swelling (ouch, like
its time to faint,) put me on antibiotics, painkiller, steroids.
Mentioned possible skin grafts in future dependent on how it heals. Will
be able to tell further as time goes on.
Monday 8/21/06 picture shows a very red clean wound.
Week of 8/27/06. Dr. feels it is healing well, and will not need skin
grafts, yaaaa…. VERY painful, put me on a nerve medication, lyrica to
help with pain.
I was off work for over 2 weeks (and I have a desk job), this is the
most painful thing that has ever happend to me. Had to stay on
painkiller, advil and keep foot elevated, could hardly walk on it, but
mostly painful when not elevated above my heart.
Dr. who originally diagnosed me with gout, called me at home to
apologize. The emergency room Dr and the surgeon must have called him
and told him I had been in.
I had to go back to the Surgeon, who is a Orthopedic specialist every
other day for 2 weeks.
Monday 9/4/06- Back to work, wound is healing, not painful
anymore….but still tender, wearing gator garden clogs for shoeware…
back to Dr. on Sept 11. Hope its the last time.
9/12/06- Dr. said it looked good, I don’t need to go back. See picture
from Sept 12 for how it looks one month after bite.
Don’t let anyone tell you the the Brown recluse is not in WI or other
states, with all the travel, wood hauled, mulch shipping from the south,
they are around. I am certain that it what bit me, and I ordered the
Brown recluse first aid kit and lots of spider traps! I don’t ever want
to go through this again!
Several hours after the bite:
5th day after the bite:
7 days after surgery:
10 days after:
Hi.. I recently found a what appears to be a brown recluse in my apt .I ‘ve asked around and was told to buy old fashioned moth balls put them in old socks then put the socks full of moth balls in places these spiders might live . just wanted to see if any one else had heard of this home remedy and if so does it work ? I’m from cali now living in the south and am pretty naive to this spider problem…thanks
Oh my gosh!!! i was working in my shed that is behind my house. I say a bunch of these spiders. They came toward me and i got bitten a lot of times around the head and my feet. I counted and i have 12 spots. Now i am on antibiotics. But whenever i go anywhere, people just stare……please stay away from these.. they are dangerous
Erin yes you should still worry actually i had a horse that got bit by a (Brown Recluse, for sure) and it died the next week
We are buying a home and found a sticky board with many brown recluse spiders attached to it in the basement storage place. How do we get rid of these spiders? How do I test to see what other areas they might be….attic, etc. Do they live behind the walls too? I am worried. Thanks for any help.
Monday 05/26/2008
My name is Kathy and I live in Florida. I had a really bad spider problem in my shed in my back yard. It was crawling with very large spiders. I started seeing them inside my home and so decided to find out more about them. Also, my fiance has been bitten twice by Brown recluse and has the scars to prove it.
Every picture I brought up looked exactly like the large spiders in my house but I was told Brown Recluse are not in Fl. and do not get to be large. I kept calling my pesticide company and they told me the usual, they are not USUALLY found in Fl. I kept seeing them so decided to hunt one of them down. I did not want my children bit so I caught one of them alive and kept in a tupperware container and called my pesticide company again. They came out the next day and when I showed it to him he immediately said yes it was a Brown Recluse and the biggest he had ever seen. Come to find out the spider I had caught was one of many of a very large nest of Brown Recluse in my shed.
So, even if people tell you otherwise, always trust your instincts and find out as much info. as possible. I would be very careful trying to catch one of these as when they are cornered they are quite aggressive as I found out. Luckily, the spiders are gone and there were no new spider bites!!!!
I have been bitten three times now by brown recluses in our newly purchased 15 year old home in Duluth Georgia. The first two were at the same time on both shins; I thought I had gout or something. After the third time also on the shin, I identified that we have these spiders in our house. All three bites occurred in the same way; I laid down on a couch at night in our basement and pulled a blanket from the floor over my legs. The recluses must have been in the blanket. Each bite caused my whole shin to swell for about three weeks, loss of skin, and fever.
Now my wife and son are scared to go down in the basement. I am experimenting with different ways of controlling this insect. I use a cordless vacuum to suck them up when I see them, traps made with shipping tape on metal hangers, traps made with sticky insect control goo, and pressure washing the outside of the house.
One very helpful behavior of these spiders is that most of them will locate their web in a ceiling edge or corner making them easy to spot in the daytime. The other day I, found one fighting another type of spider in the upper level of my house. I believe that they are aggressive and can take over a house. I also believe that with a level of vigilance and neatness, it is not difficult to bring their population down it near zero.
Hey Folks:
Has anyone had any experience with the Brown Recluse Spider First Aid Kit sold by Progeny Products, LLC?
The kit consists of activated charcoal and a liquid solution (Comfrey, Echinacera, Lobelia, Plantain, alcohol)
Mix 1/4 tsp charcoal with an equal amt of the liquid into a poultice. Apply poultice to wound sit. Cover with clear plastic wrap to keep poultice moist. Change dressing every 1-2 hours when wound is in “critical stage” right after a bite. When wound is in “recovery stage,” poultice packs may be applied every 2-4 hours. Kit costs about $40 US for double kit. Also, spider glue traps are available to use.
Appreciate any feedback,
Clarence
In April 08, my son (30 yo) found some red marks on the back side of his upper rt thigh. Over the next few days, the inflammation/necrosis began. The progression of his wound was similar to many of the online photos – I have included the photos below:
Son thought it was a minor thing. Eventually, swelling and pain became intolerable. He finally went to the ER. Doctor gave him some vicoden and lanced the wound. Pus drained. Antibiotics helped and the deep wound healed over next week or so. Then a “recurrence” happened. More of the same as original situation. Currently healing ok.
I suspect a “cousin” of the Brown Recluse spider, the Violin/Fiddler spider, did the damage. Or, a staph infection. Son states wound appears to be healing but he (I) am concerned about long-term consequences and possible recurrences.
I found a “Brown Recluse Spider First Aid Kit” advertised on the web – Description of ingredients/procedures sounds like a compound of activated charcoal and other ingredients are mixed together then applied to the wound site.
Would appreciate any feedback regarding anyone’s experience with this “First Aid Kit.” I did order the “kit” on 5/19/08. Don’t know if it some “snake oil” deal or not. I just want to try something to help my son. If it doesn’t work out, I will post results.
Last, I have found Black and Brown Widow spiders around my home and in the community here in Waianae, Hawaii. Now that I have a picture of the Brown Recluse, I will start my own “spider hunt” and exterminate/relocate the little buggas. Will fumigate my home/garage (lots of clutter) and yard.
After reviewing the pictures of the BRS, I believe its cousin, the Fiddleback is around the house/yard. Same envenomation characteristics, inflammation, necrosis, and so forth.
Anyway, thanks for having a site where people can learn about these spiders. Pictures are graphic but valuable. Want to put off that doctor’s visit? Want pain, crater/surgery/plastic surgery to reconstruct destroyed tissue? Get smart. See the doctor. Also, educate yourself. Visit online sites and become informed about these spiders. Learn how to live in an imperfect world…but first, kill the little buggas. How can such a small creature have such powerful venom?
Good luck everyone. CKS
I have a brown recluse spider and they are really popular under houses and damp dark places. i saw one, one night and i thought some one was playing a trick on me so i went to pick it up and when i touched it,it ran a way from me. Then on when ever i see a spider i always step on it just to be safe.
The Recluse Spider is not known for making webs and sitting in them. However the ones in our house enjoy the warm air at the bottom of the freezer and waits until lights out before before venturing out into the kitchen to snack (tile floor). I have noticed one method they use is to lay a flat web out in front of their path maybe no further than 2 inches in front of them. That way if an ant/bug is walking across the floor and disturbs the webbing it he will trigger and attack the target.
I killed a quarter size recluse last night. We have a sliding door for one of the rooms and I know he must of been waiting and hiding in the wall before coming out. I have lived in this house over 20+ years and have been lucky. I throw my bed covers back most every night for inspection and put the bed up on pedestals to keep the covers from hanging on the floor.
I have been awakened by spiders on my face and arms before. agh! I squashed them with my fingers on my cheek. One had made a resting spot next to my nose and eye in the socket area. Nightmare….
Brown recluses aren’t aggressive spiders at all. The only times they bite are if in cloths which scares them or when you disturb their environment. As for getting bit by one some people experience little or no symptoms and with RICE therapy everything should be fine. Although if your bite is serious and necrosis occurs you should definitely be at the doctors.
There are many infections that have the same symptoms as a recluse bite so typically if there are no fang or bite marks chances are it wasn’t a recluse, probably something else. Recluses are easily mistaken for small wolf spiders. Recluses are about 3/4 in body length which is very small. Thankfully my brother had mild necrosis and healed just fine on an iv of solu-medrol and a couple of other medications.
If you think you have been bit then its always good to get medical attention, but its not as serious as people make it out to be. The only deaths reported are on children under the age of 7 and on elderly people. this is just some of the information I have gathered over the years.
citlolli
Yes they are the size of Quarters no bigger I have ton of them on my Probably for years and have never gotten bitten in places like Utah there pretty rare aren’t they so you have pretty much nothing to worry about.
I live in Wa and have seen only two in my life time a whole 15 years of life but my Dad said theres ton in are little Plays house we have in are back yard I’m pretty good at verifying Brown recluses by now and I’m sure thats what they are.
You have pretty much nothing to be scared of I had to write a paper on Brown recluses and grew to respect them and there space I think every one needs to do the same!!!!
If any one finds a brown recluse in there home put it in a glass cup and take it down to a local college or vet or who ever knows about animals and get it verified that it is a brown recluse some other Brown spiders seem to look like brown recluses so before you panic take out a cup.
Brian, there are no brown recluses were you live they only live in the mid west and north west but you are right for slapping spiders I do the same thing and I love spiders it’s sad to kill them but sometimes it what you have to do it you find a brown recluse put it in a glass cut
I’ve been looking up about brown recluse spiders, they live here in Utah so I’m very scared to get bit by one. I saw a picture of a guy who got bit on his thumb, he probably wasn’t very happy. Another guy got bit on his leg, he was just sitting there with this gaping hole in his leg. They’re about the size of a quarter, aren’t they?
Hi everyone,
I’ve been visiting a lot of sites about the brown recluse lately and it creeps me out that one small thing can do so much damage to someone. I love spiders but every time i see one i kill it for my safety. Please, I need someone to reply if these spiders are in Chicago.
Thank you
The sharing of this vital information is very important to each person that have taken a bite form this species of spiders.We can medically treat other soft tissue diseases/bacteria such as staph,boils and mrsa as well as (proper id of these soft tissue problems. Spider bites are different.Site like this one is so helpful to combat some of the problems.Again this due to the sharing of information.Being on the front line,I spend hours in the dwelling of this species of spiders. I have visit homes and business where they have been found, not one bite have taken place and i have been where a multitude of bites occurred. We must not discount that these spiders will and do bite as well as kill.
thank-you
chris gleeton, arachnologist-cmapsb
I?m from northern California, today me and my brother were about to enter inside my house when he noticed strange tiny yellow colored bugs crawling everywhere on the 2 brick pillars outside my front porch. It looked to me as if a nest of whatever these bugs were had just hatched. I felt something crawling on my leg and when i looked down I seen a spider that resembles the brown recluse. I immediately shook it off and squished it (I wish I had not so I could have taken a picture). It was light brown in color and had the same type of body of a brown recluse. I checked (whatever what was left) for a violin mark on its body but wasn?t sure if it had one or not.
A woman in Missouri, Rita Brumm, died after spending a month in the hospital, following complications from a brown recluse bite:
Rita Brumm, 63, of St. Louis was bitten by a brown recluse spider and died that last day of March! The spider was caught in her sweater which probably caused it to inject venom. Most bites are not fatal and won’t react this way unless cornered or trapped.
Rita joined the real estate profession with more than 20 years of business experience and an extensive background in marketing, communications and promotions. Her previous work involved fund raising and involvement in the community.
Rita’s professional experience includes: President of Outreach St. Louis, the charitable foundation for KMOX, KEZK and Y98; Director of Community Relations for the Humane Society of Missouri; Director of Special Projects at UMSL; and Editor and Art Director at Ladue News. Her current civic and charitable involvements include the United Way and Humane Society. She previously served on the boards of Arts and Education Council of St. Louis, Central Institute for the Deaf and Junior League of St. Louis. Formerly a resident of Ladue, Rita and her family currently live in Town & Country, Missouri. Rita received a Bachelor’s of Journalism Degree from the University of Missouri, Columbia.
Rita was well respected and will be missed by the community.
thet is so gross. thank you so much for the stories and info.
love 11 ,cheyenne
A lot of people say a brown Recluse is not that big but it is bigger then a quarter. i see them around every day out at my barn where i keep my horses. thankfully neither of my horses have never been bitten by a brown recluse. but i have seen horses that been bitten and a bit on a horse is a lot bigger that it would be on a person!! the bite can be as big as a football and thats with the treatment. so if you are out in the yard please be careful especially out at any barn!!
love spiders :p ive been drawing them for ages and id love to see them infront of me
Hi,
Less than 24 hrs ago, I felt a prick on my inner thigh when i was doing household chores. We have stickers all around our house and I get pricked all the time so I ignored it and planned to fish it out after I was done doing a certain task. It started stinging and bothering me so I fished out the “sticker” from my pant leg and found instead a half dead brown recluse (I think its a brown recluse because its got six eyes and a fiddle on its back AND I matched it to the pictures).
My thighs rubbing together crushed it and it bit me in retaliation. So its been about 24 hours (see pictures below), can anyone tell me if the bite looks like a recluse bite? Sorry I couldn’t get a closer pic of the spider. Maybe I’m just overreacting?
Oh my gosh now I know to stay away from spiders. I used to hold brown recluses! I got goosebumps now, I let them in my house.
I was bitten by a brown recluse spider and i didn’t think about it after a couple of hours it started to kill i went to my doctor and he said if i had left it any longer there would have been a high chance of me dying
I was bit 2 times on my right leg by I don’t know what. After 3 months they are still inflammed and red about 3″ in dia . I think it may have been a brown recluse nest I walked into in some thick brush while in shorts. I am going to go see the doc but I was wondering if anyone has any info on k9′s being bit? I do love my dogs and they are outsiders. They are about 70 lbs or so, can a bite kill them??????
This was a very quality website.
My family owns an apartment, that is basically infested with Brown Recluses. And now, home from college, I have the task of remodeling the pinthouse that sits atop the building. Needless to say, I’ve been brushing up on my Brown Recluse research.
There are several bug strips full of these spiders. Its very erie to know that they all are creepin around you all the time. Luckly its winter and the building has some problems with leaking water. I’m sure that wont stop them from biting me, but I know they wont be as active.
my husband got bitten by a brown recluse in Kansas. He of course did not feel the bite as it was on his right butt check untill he went to the doctor and they told him what had bit him.
Do Recluses live in Florida?
Thanks.
Maaan, this website has just intensified my spider fears. Thanks a lot for making me scared to put on my clothes in fear of being bitten by a brown recluse spider… If i get bitten by one of those things I’m going to commit suicide!
I was bitten by one and it took over my arm not very pretty!!! i now have a scare from it people ask me whats that i say spider bite you know what they say “yea right no really what is it” i mean man some people just don’t believe that spider’s can really hurt you!!!
It’s rather disturbing to be on this site, not necessarily reading about the repercussions of a recluse bite, but reading all the responses from people thinking they may or may not have been bitten by one and are not seeking medical help! In case the testimonials from those bitten badly enough to require surgery haven’t frightened you people enough, if you think you may POSSIBLY have been bitten by a brown recluse, haul your butt down to the nearest hospital and get it checked out! It’s common to not feel the initial bite. But if you find the beginnings of what sounds like a recluse bite, go get it looked at by a professional immediately!
Basically, if you’re close enough to the spider to discern more than a general body shape, you’re *too close*. If it’s black and has a “bubble-butt” for an abdomen, stay away; if it’s brown and thin, stay away! I work at the Houston Museum of Natural Science, and we stress to all children (and adults; you’d be surprised how many are ill-educated about harmful spiders in their area) to never touch a spider, scorpion, or snake in the wild and, if evidence of a bite is apparent, to go to the hospital ASAP. Brown recluse spiders may not produce deadly results, but they’re no picnic if you’re bitten! Our specimen is double-contained and under extremely careful watch.
I am in Montana, and the guy that sprays for bugs around here says he found some nests of Brown Recluse spiders around my house, so they definitely are here. I was taking a nap and woke up to a large long blister on my stomach, when I gently wiped my hand over it, it just brushed away and oozed liquid, It didn’t hurt so I let it be for a few days, but I noticed it was getting deeper to the point of an index fingers length, and about 3/4 inch deep so went to ER (on Sunday) several days after bitten.
They also gave me an IV for a short time there and sent me home with stuff to dress it with, also a home health nurse came to my house every few days to check on it. It took several weeks for it to heal up and close. I also used EMU OIL on it as it is a healing and preventative for germs to get in (do research on Emu Oil, its really good stuff for lots of things!!). Now I’m spider phobic of sleeping in or on my bed! I believe the wolf spiders are bigger in size than the brown recluse.
i was bit last may 2006 at my former job in their plant yard now i have a black mark and have a sore ankle
I do not care what they say I am a victim of over 13 bites in all from the Fiddleback 3 in Oklahoma in 82 and 94 and in the last yr over 10 bites one from the Brown recluse, and Hobo, and Yellow recluse. All having to have debrievment surgery. when I got bit last yr I met over 20 people that also got bit by the brown recluse, and Hobo and all got the same as me MRSA. I almost had to have my arm removed. This bite now from Sep 27 07 is 2 1/2″ deep and has 3 surgeries. I got another 2 weeks ago bit me 4 times on the back but must not have had a lot of venom left because only two had to have surgery. They are here in Tumwater WA, and in Alaska. I know the first Fiddleback case came in through the Oly Brewery. The man lost his hand.
Peace and Prayers from
“She Who Seeks and Gives” NaHomTima L.
I went to my friends house this weekend and she had been biten by a brown recluse. Well I woke up this morning and I found a bite below my shoulder, a little close to my underarm. I don’t know if my bite is a recluse bite or not. It is red with a little brown spot in the middle of the bite. I would show a picture but i don’t have a camera. Sorry!!
Please help me identify,
Leanne Taylor