Brown Recluse Spider
Insect
Invaders
TheHorse.com, KY -
... Much of the information on the
brown recluse spider is based on
human experiences, rather than from horse cases. The information
...
Apartment
residents support manager
Lynchburg News and Advance
- Lynchburg,VA,USA
... apartment. Weaver also said that she has permanent
disfiguration from bites after a recent brown recluse
spider infestation. Mayor ...
Beat
Happenings
Riverfront Times - St-Louis,MO,USA
Hey diddle diddle: The easiest way to identify the poisonous
brown recluse spider is by the shiny violin
pattern on its head -- which has garnered it the ...
Goliad
Resident's horses keep shining
Victoria Advocate 1/2/2006
Peptocandy, a mare raised and owned
by Kelly Schaar of Goliad, recently overcame stifle problems
and a bite by a brown recluse spider to emerge from a
field of more than 600 horses as the National Cutting
Horse Association Futurity Open division ...
Bossier
City builder helps 30 south Louisiana churches rebuild
Shreveport Times - Shreveport,LA,USA
... That church was in one of the hardest-hit areas
and was hit with not just mold and mildew, but also snakes
and brown recluse spiders, said Brett Rowell,
Brown ...
How now, brown
cow?
Roanoke Times - Roanoke,VA,USA
... 5, Shanna has been a virtual recluse,
rarely leaving her barn and only socializing with her
handful of barn mates. And she's put on more than
100 pounds. ...
CBS4
Investigates Spider 'Myth' In Colorado
cbs4denver.com, CO -
Dec 7, 2005
CBS4 investigators wanted to find out if
the Brown Recluse Spider was to blame.
... "He said 'that's a Brown
Recluse Spider bite,'" Luchetti
said. ...
more news >>
This small, non-aggressive, hermit-like
spider prefers avoiding people and lives in dark corners
and out-of-the-way places. Occasionally, however, it finds
itself in the path of humans and can inflict a nasty bite
in self-defense.
The scientific name of the genus
is loxosceles (pronounced lox-oss-cell-eze) of which over
50 species are known throughout the world, all poisonous.
The loxosceles reclusa, from which the generic name, brown
recluse, devolved, is normally found only in the eastern
U.S.
The Southwest US is home to two loxosceles
species, the l.deserta and l.arizonica. Both of these
species are commonly referred to as the brown recluse.
During the summer months emergency
rooms in Las Vegas treat an average of 2 to 3 recluse
bites a week, some of which can get pretty nasty. Multiply
that by the number of hospitals in the southern states
and the prevalence of recluse bites grows rather large.
Taking some common sense precautions, as noted later in
this article, can greatly reduce your chances of being
bitten.
The adult female varies from 7 to
12 mm in length, averaging about 9 mm. Males are slightly
smaller but just as venomous. The recluse has long legs
which are covered with tiny brown hairs. Body color varies
from light tan to dark brown. Uncommonly, the recluse
has 6 eyes, where most spiders have eight. However, if
you are close enough to count the eyes, you're too close
for comfort.
Immediately behind the recluse's
head is a distinctive violin shaped marking with the narrow
neck pointing back toward its abdomen. This distinctive
feature has resulted in the recluse often being called
the "violin" or "fiddle" spider.
The recluse's web is an irregular
maze of threads extending in all directions without a
definite pattern. The web's main use is as a retreat and
not for trapping prey. In winter the spider spins a tube
of thick silk as a retreat.
Barring fatal encounters, females
tend to live an average of two years and males slightly
less. However, under prime conditions, recluse spiders
have been known to live for as long as 4 years. Egg production
varies between 30 and 300 per female, producing about
50 percent living young each season.
Surveys of the recluse's indoor habitat
found the largest majority living in old boxes and papers,
with a fair number found in bedrooms, attics, and hallways.
The recluse may also be found in old clothes, bedding,
and the underside of tables and chairs. Outdoors, the
largest number by far were found under rocks, piles of
inner tubes, and in abandoned buildings.
The amount of venom the recluse injects
during a defensive bite ranges from 0.25 to 0.62 microliters,
with an average of 0.36 ul. Males usually have about half
the amount of venom of the female, but it is just as toxic.
In cases where captured recluse
spiders were severely provoked and would not bite, indicating
the basic non-aggressive nature of this small creature.
Biting generally only occurs in self-defense.
Where are they found?
QUCIK and SIMPLE IDENTIFICATION OF BROWN
RECLUSE SPIDERS
Large Brown Recluse
Spiders: about the size of a quarter, including its legs.
Small ones: size of a dime. Note that the "VIOLIN"
part is very difficult to see. You may need a magnifying
glass. Thi photo shows a recluse in its typical resting
posture -- look at the legs and how they position themselves.
It's NOT a Brown Recluse IF any
of the following are true:
1) It's really BIG:
A spider's body is in two main parts. The size of the
body, not including legs, of a recluse is smaller than
a dime.
2) It's really HAIRY:
Brown recluses have only very fine hairs that are invisible
to the naked eye.
3) It JUMPS:
Jumping spiders live up to their name, and some other
spiders including wolf spiders occasionally jump, but
recluses don't.
4) I found it in a
WEB
Brown recluses don't spin a web to catch prey; they
spin silk retreats and egg cases, but don't form a typical
recognizable web.
5) It has DISTINCT
MARKINGS VISIBLE TO THE NAKED EYE, such as
stripes, diamonds, chevrons, spots, etc. that are easily
seen.
Brown recluses have no markings on their legs or abdomen
(the largest part of the spider's body). The "violin"
is very small and located on the front half of the body.
The violin is also indistinct in some, especially young
spiders. They're really rather dull looking.
more
information >>
"The severity of a person's
reaction to the bite (from brown recluse) depends on
the amount of venom injected and individual sensitivity
to it. Bite effects may be nothing at all, immediate
or delayed. Some may not be aware of the bite for 2
to 8 hours, whereas others feel a stinging sensation
usually followed by intense pain if there is a severe
reaction. A small white blister usually
rises at the bite site surrounded by a large
congested swollen area. Within 24-36 hours,
a systemic reaction may occur with the victim characterized
by restlessness, fever, chills, nausea, weakness
and joint pain. The affected area enlarges,
becomes inflamed, and the tissue is hard to touch. The
spider's venom contains an enzyme that
destroys cell membranes in the wound area with affected
tissue gradually sloughing away, exposing underlying
tissues. Within 24 hours, the bite site can erupt into
a"volcano lesion" (a hole
in the flesh due to damaged, gangrenous tissue)."
A typical reaction to the recluse
bite is the decay (necrosis) of the flesh at the bite
site. The victim may have an immediate painful reaction,
or may not become aware of being bitten for 2-3 hours.
When the reaction is immediate, a stinging sensation
is usually followed by intense throbbing pain.
In both cases, a small bleb or
blister usually arises and the area surrounding the
bite becomes congested and swollen. Later reactions
include restlessness, feverishness, and difficulty sleeping.
The pain is likely to be quite intense, and the area
surrounding the bite very sensitive to touch for some
time.
There is no antivenom for the recluse's
bite. However, its venom, a mixture of enzymes which
rapidly destroys both tissue cells and blood cells,
appears to be self-limiting in that its ability to destroy
cells eventually seems to decrease and cease altogether.
In many cases the flesh in and
around the bite sloughs away, gradually exposing underlying
muscle tissue (necrosis). Then as the wound heals, the
edges thicken and the central area becomes filled with
dense scar tissue. Healing is slow, sometimes taking
between 6 and 8 weeks. The resulting scar resembles
a hole scooped from the body and may range from the
size of a penny to half-dollar.
This necrotic process is typical
of most bites of the brown recluse. In many cases, the
necrosis is so minuscule (usually due to only partial
envenomation) that the bite goes unreported and heals
on its own. If at all possible, it is recommended that
the offending insect be captured and brought to the
treating physician for identification.
In some extreme cases a general
systemic reaction occurs, usually as the result of complete
envenomation by the spider, which can, in rare cases,
lead to death. People in poor general health, young
children and older people are more apt to have a serious
reaction to the recluse's bite.
The picture above
(compliments of University of California, Riverside,
Department of Entomology) shows the healing sequence
of a necrotic wound resulting from the bite of a brown
recluse spider. The first panel was taken approximately
48 hours after the bite. Subsequent photographs were
at intervals over a period of 58 days. Surgical removal
of contaminated tissue occurred as the tissue sloughed
off.
Successful treatment
and prevention of severe necrosis or systemic toxicity
depend on early recognition of both the offending insect
and the bite symptoms followed by appropriate treatment,
which can include antibiotics, tetanus shots,
pain medication and possible debridement or
surgical excision of the wound area.
Follow-up with daily wound care is vital to prevent
further infection. Studies have shown that treatment
initiated more than 48 hours
after the bite is unlikely to have a positive effect.
THIS
IS NOT TRUE! DO NOT BELIEVE THIS. WE HAVE TESTIMONIALS
THAT OUR TREATMENT WORKS WELL AFTER THE BITE OCCURS
CLICK HERE FOR THE
BROWN
RECLUSE SPIDER BITE TREATMENT >>
Control of indoor infestations
of the brown recluse spider can take a long time (6
months or more) and can be difficult because humans
have a very low tolerance for this pest, it tends to
be widely dispersed within infested buildings, and it
seeks secluded sites. Control of spiders, including
the brown recluse, is best achieved by following an
integrated pest management (IPM) approach. IPM involves
using multiple approaches such as preventive measures,
exclusion, sanitation, trapping, and chemical treatment
when necessary.
As any secluded or seldom-disturbed
location provides excellent habitat for the recluse,
it is wise to keep your house cleared of undisturbed
clutter. The spider does not hang around locales that
are frequently disturbed by cleaning or rearranging.
Prime nesting areas such as attics,
foundation vents and crawl holes can be sprayed or dusted
with insecticides such as lindane, chlordane, diazinon,
or resmethrin according to instructions on the package
labels.
Since spiders feed on insects,
any measures taken to decrease the number of insects
in your home will also decrease the number of spiders.
Newly hatched spiders can enter the home through screens
or around loose-fitting windows and doors, but the older
ones can be kept out by careful screening. Spiders can
be invade the home with firewood, plants, boxes, and
many other items brought in from the outside.
In warm areas. it is highly advisable
to treat for spiders outdoors as well as in the house.
Recommendations include applying a residual-type insecticide
coves, porch eaves, low roofs, window wells, around
door and window frames, and to a 3- to 5-ft area around
the house foundation, as well as the garage, shed, other
outbuilding on the premises, piles of old lumber, woodpiles,
weedy areas, and fences.
Follow the directions
on the insecticide carefully to prevent harm or injury
to children, pets, livestock, or any plants in the treated
area.
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