Unfounded Fear Of The Brown Recluse

When it comes to fears of being bitten the brown recluse reigns supreme. It's not that this pest is large and so the bite would be very painful or cause an immediate open wound. In fact, most people aren't even aware that they have been bitten until a few hours pass by and the swelling and other symptoms begin to set in. The fear with the recluse bite is not the initial bite, it is the aftermath and the on going progression of the wound that people fear most. The only other bites that people fear as much would be snake bites or one from a black widow spider. It is the recluse however that comes with ready made stories about gaping wounds that never heal and even the extreme of cutting off hands or limbs to stop the poisons. This only half truth has spread throughout the nation as everyone is at risk when in reality only a moderate region of the United States in documented to having the brown recluse as a native pest.

Recluse spiders have been found outside of their range, but this is attributed to its habit of hiding in things like furniture or clothing. If these items are moved so is the spider. So when something is shipped or taken on vacation it takes with it a recluse and indeed the spider has been found in places it is not normally known to be. However, the spider doesn't fair very well at all in these areas, and it is very rare that it becomes established. It is far more likely to find a dead recluse in the states it's not known for than a live one. The range of the recluse includes states from north Texas and Oklahoma across to western Georgia and up to parts of Kentucky and as far up as parts of Iowa down to the Florida border. The states in between have healthy stands of the spider, and that is where you'll find them most.

The recluse is a shy creature and although they are comfortable living inside a home they'll go to great lengths to avoid any people or pets. Being nocturnal hunters they either return to their lair in the early morning or may find a quiet place in which to spend the daylight hours. They do not catch their food using webs but the lair of the recluse will have some irregular webbing around the area, and it is also used for the egg sacs the female produces.

Populations in untreated homes can get quite high and many exterminators report killing hundreds in occupied homes. One such house in Oklahoma had three thousand recluse spiders taken from it and no occupants were ever bitten and rarely saw a spider in the three years they lived there. As spiders go recluse females do not produce a lot of young. She may have two or three egg sacs at a time with fifty to sixty brood in each one. This spider often goes long periods without food or water ( about six months) and it can withstand the cold basements in the winter as well as the brutal heat of the attic in the hot summer months.

This durable spider then really has no desire to search out humans or pets and stays clear from their activity as much as possible. The main cause of interaction and people being bitten is when the spider is either rolled on by accident when it crawls onto your bed or perhaps if it were hiding in an article of clothing. Once the human rolls on the spider or puts pressure on it their instinct is to bite. Even so, the bite must be directly on the skin as their fangs are not powerful enough to even go through clothing. The wound of a recluse bite can get ugly and quite large and some last for months but in most cases the site heals up in about three weeks and no medical attention is required. It is the few bites that turn bad that get the most press and even Doctors assume that every spider bite is a recluse when classic signs begin to appear. Actually, the yellow sac spider also delivers a necrotic venom and is far more likely the spider in question. It is virtually impossible to identify a bite from the wound itself and without the captured spider not even a medical professional can know for sure. In the end this tiny little spider gets all the blame when all he wants to do is live a quiet life tucked away in a corner never wanting so much as a friendly smile from anyone else who lives in the house.

More Information:

Brown recluse bites are a source of fear for millions of people across America. This fear is fueled by much misinformation and tall tales not based on actual facts. Arm yourself with the truth and put your fears to rest.