Help Identify Spiders and More
Arrakis dune spider.
If you are reading the comments and know what type of spider bite, a visitor has, please feel free to help.
Warning: Some of these pictures may show a scary spider or a bite that has become infected and could be considered disturbing to some, so if you don’t like the sight of rotted skin or exposed bone, this may not be for you. However, it does drive home the importance of seeking medical attention before it’s too late!
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This morning I woke up with my stomach sore ( yes I am a large woman) I looked down and saw size of your little finger all Red and in the middle its purple/black. As a dummy, I squeezed it, Blood and pus came out. It is sore to the touch. Its also a little warm. I can send you photo’s of it if you want.
But Could this be a spider bite?
I have never seen anything like this except on this website.
Any Help or suggestion. ( I know go to my doctor’s ;-) )
Hey,
I live in Fort Lauderdale, my ex lives in Cody, Wyoming. He just called me so I could diagnose a bite on his lower back without seeing it. He describes it as approx 1/8 in by 1/2 in raised red. Within the past 24 hours it has started forming blisters and the area is now approx 6 in. in diameter. Area is red, causing pain down his ‘butt” and he now tells me it appears to be spreading around to his abdomen. I’m a good nurse but not good enough to diagnose it from here with little exposure to ‘bites’. Have recommended he seek medical attention but he is stubborn. Can anyone help me with this diagnosis? Thanks.
My son is 4 1/2 years old and I think he may have been bitten by a spider. He has 2 bumps on his stomach but they have not changed and they have not gotten any worse. He has no signs of any sickness but I am scared and worried…can someone help me???
i got a spider bite last week and now is very large! Any comments? I am very scared!
I live in South Carolina. I was outside yesterday, I did not feel a spider bite me, but later my left forearm started itching. I put alcohol on it. This morning when I got up, there was a whelp about 2 inches across. My arm is swollen and red. The red place is as big as my hand and feels feverish. I can’t see any bite mark, only a little round white circle in the middle of the whelp. Anyway, I’m going to the doctor in the morning. Medical insurance or not.
I live in the metropolitan part of Columbus, Ohio
Since i was a child i have been told i have “sweet Blood” and that insects of all kinds are attracted to it…totally gross i know. Well i recently moved in to a older historic apartment and have been waking up in the morning with 7-10 bites …i show no signs of fevers and they do go away after 3 -4 days if i don’t itch it like crazy to where i break the skin. BUT my boyfriend who sleeps in the same bed with me EVERYNIGHT doesn’t get bit at all not even once. We keep our clothing in separate closets and dressers … Im wondering if that’s the problem if any one can offer suggestions i would really appreciate it…..also i have 2 cats so i have to consider that when using a bomb or something
PLEASE HELP IM at my WHITTS END! WITH THE ITCHIES
April 18,2007
My husband was at work and he put on his raincoat and he believes there was a spider in it . He showed me a
place on his forehead and there was about five
little bumps there and the place has swollen
up and has got to be a dark red. He said it was itching some
and last night it had fever in it. Can someone
give some input as to if it could be a spider
bite?
I was working in the yard when I noticed a small brown spider crawling
on my shirt. Later I noticed a swelled area on my arm about the size of my palm. I’ve experienced no pain. I can’t find any place where I might have bitten. The swollen area on my arm is not red,tender, or hot.
Im not sure if I have a bite? I put on some old gloves and that same nite my finger started to hurt. It is swollen so tight I cant bend at all and the pain was almost unbearable. Some redness. Thank you
i live in iowa and last night i was going to bed and this huge black spider ran across my bed i have this wierd bump on my leg it looks like a bug bite and has a scab in the middle should i be worried/
I have what I suspect to be a spider bite right above my left eyebrow. I woke up with a bump and over the past couple of days my left eye has been swollen. Not sure what I should do. Go to the doctor or keep putting Neosporin on it hoping it will go away soon? I can’t live forever with a Rocky Balboa eye.
I was bit last week. The bite is below my knee. It started out looking like a mosquito, for a day or two. Then, it got a black dot in the center. I thought it was a scab, so I picked it. Pus came out. I went to the doctor and they gave me an antibiotic. The bite seems to be getting worse instead of better. The bite itself is now the size of a nickel, but my knee is swollen like a baseball. Now, where the scab was is a hole. It is very painful, the doctor’s office told me that they didn’t need to see me again, but I’m worried. What could have caused this? I thought if I took a suggestion with me, they could treat it. P.S. I live in Southern IL
I live in South Caolina, and have been bitten by something and I have no idea what it is. I have a large lump on the back of my neck that is now scabbed over, and it’s very sensitive to touch. Also, I have been having some cold chills and a low grade fever. Just last night I have noticed that I have 2 round marble size lumps on the neck muscle that runs down to my colar bone, about 2 inches from the bite area. There also is an apperant rash, almost welts, around the bite. I also have stiffness in my neck and a sharp pearcing pain in my ear at times. If anyone knows what this may be from, please feel free to e-mail me at omjkuh@aol.com. I would go to the doctor, but I have no medical insurance.
by the way has anyone any information on what kind of spider would look like: big around as a half-dollar, light brown and on the legs tan stripes?
I’m not sure what kind of spider bit me, but about 2 weeks ago i noticed a small bump on my forearm. no discoloration, only a little pain. then the next day it had turned into a pea-sized sore with a red ring around it. it had a pus colored scab. i removed the scab but nothing came out. it is still a sore, dark red, almost black with a red ring still around it. i have treated it like any other sore with peroxide and triple-antibiotic ointment. it’s still there. any ideas?
I’m from Houston, Texas
About 5 days ago, my husband felt itching between toes on left foot.I looked at it and it looked like possible athlete’s foot, b/c there was a small crack, so i sprayed it with Tinactin antifugal spray. It continued to itch and this time we put some natural aloe vera to soothe it. The fourth day, he noticed swelling in the area and itching again. On the fifth day, When he got home that evening and took boot off, he noticed the area very swollen still and redness in a “patch” look on his toes and upper foot. We decided to go to the emergency room to have it looked at.
I was so upset b/c sometimes these emergency room don’t do a darn thing to help the situation and seems like a waste at times. The nurse said that it looked like “fungus” and not a spider bite, but either way she could only prescribe antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medecine to see if that would help even if it was a spider bite. I was hoping for blood work at the moment for “just in case” . We are now on the 6th day and he’s going on his 2nd antibiotic pill and first anti-infammatory pill and the foot is still the same and now we are noticing a small “watery blister” by his toe and another little one by the small toe. No improvement yet! We are very concerned and scared b/c we are not sure what this could be and what could have bitten him, but we know it is not athlete’s foot/fungus!!!!!!!! We will get a second opionion tomorrow if there is no improvement. any one know what this could be??????????? Help please.
hi spiders are gross…. ewww
Hi all! I was bitten by something on my right hip, and I am not positive if it is a spider. I am at a loss of what else it could be. The effected area is red, swollen, and just last night I noticed that it has red spider web-like areas around it. It is sore to the touch, and I have had a couple headaches and dizziness. I have not been sick to my stomach, and I am rather tired all the time now. I was bitten two nights ago, and it seems to be getting worse. I didn’t see any fang marks on it initially, but it sort of looks like it now after the initial swelling went down. I am in the midwest, which is full of brown recluse spiders, but I sincerely doubt that it was what bit me. Someone please give me a clue as to what spider may have bit me! =)
Hello,
I was bitten by a spider on March 12, and the description of thing like white-head pimple with black dot, hard lump, big red swollen area is just like me. I developed a fever, spasms in my abdomen, back spasms, and swelling in my joints I am still taking Naproxen for one month later. I’m in southwestern Ontario. Joint pain so bad I had trouble walking initially, couldn’t even hold a pen, couldn’t go to work. Sometimes needing ben-gay for my hips & hands; shoulders crack terribly from swelling sometimes. (I’m 28.)
Last night, though, the bump re-appeared, just–“hello!” Has black dot in centre. It really hurts. Knuckles on my right hand are swelling up, turning blue again, and I am really worried the whole process is starting over again.
Please, PLEASE, if you can be of any help to me, you may save me time off of work. I am moving to a new city and trying to change jobs, and I really need some insight. The other doctors had thought brown recluse spider though I didn’t have necrotized tissue (just pus coming out the first time, ew).
Thank you very much,
Amy in Ontario
I have a spider bite directly in the middle of my neck. At first, I thought it was a zit, but upon trying to pop it I realized it was very hard, and irritated. I didn’t see the spider, I figure I probably rolled over on it in my sleep or something. Anyway, once I trying to pop it like a zit, it became swollen, around the bite, but still retained a very hard center, about the size of half a pea. I put some hydrogen peroxide on it and it faomed like crazy, it’s been almost two days now and there hasn’t been much of a change. It’s still very sore, red, and hard. I also want to note that my skin is very sensitive and I have had allergic reactions to other sorts of bites. I’m very concerned, I don’t know how to get any relief from this.
Hello.. im Joshua, and I live in Hickory, NC
Id say about 3 days ago I noticed a small area on the bottom of my left big toe that felt kinda like a blood blister, or a stone bruise from stepping roughly on a sharp rock. Anyway now the area that i thought was simply a bruise has progressed into a blister type wound, white in the center, and red around the edges of the wound. Its about half the size of a dime with a rash breaking out on the top of the arch on my left foot The part that gets me is the area its on and the toughness of the skin as well as no apearance of fang intercorse. Any help with figuring out what on earth coused this would be great relief.
i think i got bit by a spider i live in the south but it happened in the house. i was sleeping and it felt like i wanted to get sick i couphed like i was going to get sick i drank something to clear my throat now it hurts to swallow. could it be a spider bite? boy it really hurts. now im getting pain on the right side of my neck. help me please.
okay im not sure what kind of bite i have but i got bit yesterday…the dang thnbg got me twice on my finger i have benn trying to squeeze everything out of it but it wont come out its not as bad as the ones i have saw thank god it is just real red and real swollen where it bit me
yeah i agree w/ celestia i would also like to see more spider bite pics and what spider did it and how to treat it i have a spider bite and i dont know what to do im afraid its gonna get real bad infected
I am an Infantryman serving in afghanistan. I was bitten and at day one the area appeared to be a bruise. two tiny holes a quarter inch apart or less. day 3 the area is a deeper dark color ,like a larger bruise in the forearm at the bend of the elbow. The area has increased from one inch long and wide to three inch by six inch long with soreness in the elbow joint at the end of day three. the medic says we will keep an eye on it. I am taking antibiotic for treatment. there is a hard area the size of a marble in the centre at the bite. sick stomach the first day otherwise feel fine. dont know what bit me —Spider?
Hi, my 3 year old son was bitten by either a mosquito or a fire ant, or a spider. We live in Central Texas, and I have seen several brown recluse in the house, too. But of course we try to always get rid of them as soon as we see them. The bite looks red and swollen with 2 pus filled heads or pimples. The redness gave in by the evening-I noticed them in the morning, after he got up. By the evening there was a pale pink circle where the redness initially was and the redness itself narrowed itself, holding the size of a quarter now. Was it a spider or not?
Hello Josh O.
your grandfather could of been bitten by a brown recluse spider since that spider’s bite results in dying tissue do you know if the bump had a red target looking ring around it when you first saw it?
i recommend you take him to the hospital if the symptoms have only gotten worse
Hi, my grandfather lives in rural South Dakota as a cattle rancher in and out of barns etc. A little less then 2 months ago he had a bump/bite on his chest that was the size of a 50 cent piece. Being the hard-as* that he is he just went on until my grandmother noticed it and it started oozing. She took him to the Dr. The doctor saw the spot and the rash that developed around it and haphazardly sent him to a dermatologist. Dermatologist tests came back inconclusive for any infections. Now the symptoms are worse and areas around the initial circle are becoming open sores. He does have pain and headaches, but no vomitting and the initial sore is getting larger and tissue is definitely dying. Are there any particular spiders that could live in this area that if they were to bite would cause symptoms that would be manifest this far after a bite? Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance,
Josh
My son was bitten on a Scout campout in SE Texas last weekend. The initial bite looked like an irregular circle of dirt under the skin, appeared to be a blood blister about the size of a dime, but with an unaffected center. We took him to the dr. and he was prescribed an antibiotic & Zyrtec. Last night, 6 nights after the bite, he had itching and had a larger circle, about the size of a fist, of bumps around the site to which we applied anti-itch cream. This morning, 1 wk post bite, the bumps are gone but there remains a fist sized zone of redness. The bite doesn’t match the appearance of a brown recluse, which is common in our area. If anyone recognizes this description, please let us know.
Those of you who wait are risking much, I came here to see if anyone had little red dots that itch like mosquito bites but have little whiteheads, nothing serious, I can’t believe you people would go days with symptoms like I’ve been reading and not go to the doctor.
You do know that spiders can be poisonous and dangerous right? What if the spider bite turned out to be a brown recluse that bit you, the longer you wait the more flesh you lose, I had a friend who had to get a hole cored down to the bone in his leg because of a recluse bite. Fever? Black skin? Mushy skin? whole arm going red?
I would be running to the doctor if i had been bitten by a spider! geez.
I got a bite. and It looked pretty bad at first, and on the third day of having it, i had a fever of 102, aching in my whole body, and could not eat, but then come the fourth day and the only thing i have left is gas. the bite SEEMS to be getting better, but i dunno, any thoughts? oh, it seemed to match the description of the black widow’s symptoms, but not for long enough or soon enough. so yea, i’m confused.
i popped it and it went down it doesent even hurt anymore thanks anyway
About 2 weeks ago I got bit on my finger by a spider while trying to move a pc of furniture. I have no idea what kind it was. It hurt when it happened, my finger turned red it tingled for a little while and to be honest, I forgot about it. A few days ago, I noticed a red, puffy, almost looks like a blister from a cigarette burn, something like that, anyway-I noticed b/c it was sensative to the touch, right where the spider bit me. Does one have anything to do with the other??? I’m a little nervous b/c I didnt get a good look at the spider but I’m on Long Island, New York. I’m thinking it’s all good but what is this thing that just recenelty appeared where the spider bit me???
Now it’s gone back down and looks like a pimple it has a pimple of pus on it and i have not popped it please i need to know what spider bit me
at first a little bump was behind my leg then after a couple of months it got bigger and painful and it look like someone poked a small hole in the center. what kind of spider is this and is it a spider bite or not?
it was about a mounth ago at first it looked like a light red dot but after that mounth it didn’t go away now it’s about the sixe of a quater i know it’s a spider bite because you can see 2 very litte bite wounds it only hurts if you touchit it’s located in the middle of my right arm we have found black widows in here but i know it’s not it i’m telling my mom about it tonight. If anybody has any info on this please leave me a message thank you
Mine is the same as Maddie’s #3. Something like a misquito bite then the next day I start to itch and it swells up. I notice two little holes and they formed a little blister. They popped rather easily and pus like stuff came out. It is all red and the center is really hard. The redness is spreading over my arm. I have been putting benadryl on it to stop the itching. But it usually takes about 3 or 4 days for it to go away. This is the 5th time I have been bitten in the last six months. Three times about 4 months ago and now twice in about a week. Not sure what this is. I did kill 2 spiders in my house over the weekend. They were about the size of a quarter. Could it be spider bites or what. I would really appreciate a response ASAP.
Thanks
Some visitors may chime in to help with the identification of a spider bite or offer their experience of what may have worked for them, but please keep in mind that the content of BadSpiderBites.com is not in any way meant to be a substitute for medical care or advice from a physician or health care professional. Spirder Bites and any related treatment will vary according to the particular patient’s needs.
One story rings true over and over, and that is of the person bitten by a spider who decides to wait too long for treatment. Please don’t let this happen to you. There are some excellent pictures of how damaging a spider bite can be.
Whenever possible, try to catch (not crush) the spider that bit you as it will be of great help in determining treatment.
Hello, I got bit by a spider about two weeks ago. The bite is about as big as the end of dixie cup and is located on my neck, i’m suprised it doesn’t hurt yet. Ive been wrapping my neck in gause because it is weepy and sortof bloody. If your look closely you can see tiny white and black lines through the affected area. I havn’t gone to the Dr. yet because I can’t afford one. Does anybody have any idea on what I should do? I’m a lawyer with a husband and 9 children, we are mormon. I only got a quick glimpse of the spider before it jumped away. It was black and I saw a flash of turquoise and red. what kind of spider could this be? I Live in Alaska, this is strange because I don’t usually see many spiders around, this was shock to me and i’m afraid for my life. thank you for your input, good afternoon.
about 2/3 days ago i found what looks like a bite on my arm…but im not sure…its swollen, reddish…it has a black line in the middle of where i picked the scab off and the black line wont go away. if you look closely you can see little clear bumps around where the scab was and it itches really bad…any clue of what it is?
what kind of spider if it is one?
Hi, I live in Las Vegas.
My toddler was in our backyard playing during the day. That evening I noticed what looked like a white head pimple on his left thigh with a small black dot in the center. The next day, the red mark was the size of a quarter with still the white head and black dot. By the third day, the red mark was the size of a pancake with the white head and black dot still visible. He was then taken to the Dr’s. and it was sliced open and the doctor squeezed pus from it. I have no idea if it was a spider, bee, or something else. I has been a week now. It is much better but there is hardness under the skin and he is still on antibiotic. Any suggestions?
Need to know.
I seem to be getting red marks (about 2-4) on my chest, shoudlers, neck and face after I have taken a shower. It has also appeared when I was in a hotel pool/hot tub. They look like little spider bites, and they go away within 10 minutes.
Any ideas?
-D
I woke up the other morning and I had a pain in my knee, when i looked at it, it had a black mark(looked like spider bite). The next day it began to swell, and it is now red and swollen, it has a little pain on my leg and i cant even sleep on it, because its sore. Please tell me if this is a bite and what I should do?
Hello Vicki,
I too have had this same problem with what I though are spider bites! It has happened about 6 times now, and I wake up a few hours after sleeping to find my chest and shoulders covered with small red welts! My wife and daughter who sleep in the same bed have never experienced a problem, just me.
The spider bite(s) (maybe not) are itchy and I found that if I take a hot soapy shower afterwards, I’m fine and the red bumps disappear within a couple of hours.
I thought for sure these welts are caused by a spider bite, but since I am the only one that gets them, my wife suggested they may be an allergic reaction of some type. I thought maybe dust mites, but if this was the case, then my wife and daughter would have experienced it as well.
I still have no idea what is causing the bumps. It happens only at night and sure looks just like a spider bite. One thing that I noticed and may be relevant, is that it seems to happen after being downstairs (in the basement) for a time.
If I find out what is causing this, I will post the information. If you find anything, spider bite or not, please post it!
Thanks!
We live in Camas, Washington and for the last two months have been biten by some type of spider. The bites don’t itch but they are a red circle. My husband right now has about 75 of them and I have maybe 15 bites. They don’t hurt but are driving me crazy because I don’t know where they are coming from. At some point I thought maybe bed bugs but after researching them I know thats not it. I’ve fogged my house 3 times now and even called a exterminator who couldn’t help me because he didn’t see any spider webs. Any suggestions or ideas on what we have. Thanks
Hello Racine,
We can not give you medical advice for a spider bite, but if I had a bite like this, I would seek medical attention right now. There are too many stories about people bitten by spiders that wait until it’s too late!
I live in Florida and I just got bit by what I think is a spider but not sure. Its located on my thigh. When ever a bump appears on my body I have the feeling that I have to pop it so that way it goes away faster. So I tried to pop the spider bite thinking maybe I can release some pus or something but no,only pain.
The spider bite is really painfull for my left leg. I cant even sleep on that side of my body at night. The bump has gotten bigger since I messed with it but I dont know what to do. It has a little bite mark to the top and the whole area around the bump is a redish, almost turning purple color now, from me messing with it, and my leg is sore around the bite mark.
It almost feels like someone was beating me with a bat in that area. What should I do? I am plaining to go see a doctor if it doesn’t get better soon!!!
I live in Central Pennsylvania, and am surrounded by woods. While getting dressed, I felt a bite on my leg and Immediately shook out the pant leg and took them off. I also checked in my boots but I do not know what kind of spider bit me. At first it simply looked like a mosquito bite, then a day later on top of the bite a green pus-like bubble formed. I squeezed the pus out but later that night a half-dollar size circle began to develop around the bite. There was no pain associated with the bite but it does itch. I was wondering if anybody knew what kind of spider may have bit me?
I have two spider bites. One on the back of my theigh and one on my shoulder. I’m not sure what kind of spider bit me. The one on my shoulder is a two pronged bite that is a bit smaller than a centimeter apart. If anyone can, please let me know what kind of spider this is?
I live in Sacramento, CA and last weekend I got a spider bite and not sure what kind of spider bit me. The bite area is black with a blister around it and the area surrouning it is red.
The finger was swolen and I have a rash of several red dots all over my torso front and back only. I was not sick with any other symptoms. I felt kinda nervous. I was out emptying the garbage and did not even feel the bite.