The Brown Recluse spider? How many know it and understand the potential consequences of a bite? Fewer than should!
The Brown Recluse has a bite more harmful than the Black Widow! It is found in ALL parts of the US! Not only is it quite plentiful in the South, it is also quite common in the Northeast, Midwest and West. Regardless of what you call home the recluse is a common resident of your surroundings!
It is an interesting but potent parasite we all live with, the ability to be aware of its presence could save you or your family members from many days of uncomfortable and unpleasant experiences at the minimum!
A little about him.....He must have originated in the Nashville area, he has a guitar on his back! The neck of the guitar contains his head and a small portion of his back, the body of the guitar fills the upper 3/4 of his back. (I previously thought that the guitar was on his belly...it is not!). He has a slender but long body. His legs are about 2 times the length of his body. His overall color is light brown, the guitar is a darker tan or brown. He is VERY fast! As his name indicates he is hard to find, he hides out. He likes dark dry places.....but when there is competition for food HE WILL COME OUT! Common places to find him are dark barns, crawl spaces, dark closets, small crevices in wood, brick, etc. For some reason he really likes cedar shake shingles!
Adult brown recluse spiders are soft-bodied, yellowish-tan to dark brown, about 1/4 to 1/2 inch long and have long, delicate grayish to dark brown legs covered with short, dark hairs. The leg span is about the size of a half dollar. Distinguishing characteristics are the presence of three pairs of eyes arranged in a semicircle on the forepart of the head and a violin-shaped, dark marking immediately behind the semicircle of eyes with the neck of the violin pointing towards the bulbous abdomen.
The eight legs and violin marking appear on the flattened-like cephalothorax (combined area of the head and thorax). Both the male and female brown recluse spiders are similar in appearance and equally toxic. The immature stages closely resemble the adults except for size and a slightly lighter color.
What are the implications if bitten you ask....Listen up!...The venom is VERY potent, it destroys the tissue! If not treated fast the complications can be quite severe. Four to six months to heal, several episodes of surgery, the last several being skin grafts. There are more than several cases of amputation! Those who wait too long can be in very serious trouble! There has been an anti-venom developed ( At Vanderbilt I might add) but it must be administered soon after the bite. Also, it has one serious setback...should another bite occur (at any time) because of the anti-venom the results of the second bite are much more serious! I would think hard about using the anti-venom.
How do you know if one has bitten you?
Catch and kill the spider...examine him, if he fits the description...GET MEDICAL AID!
If bitten and you know not what did it and the following occurs GET MEDICAL
AID. At the location a severe itch occurs ( similar to poison ivy), at the
location about an inch in diameter becomes red and may have
small bubbles similar to poison ivy, leakage begins at the center, you may begin
a fever (low grade), redness (infection) begins to project out from the center.
If these occur within 24 hours...GO TO THE MEDICAL AID
CENTER!!!! You may have the opportunity to avoid the nasty consequences of a
bite!
Now you ask, why all this?
Last week at about 3:15AM I was bitten while in bed and sound asleep!! I was abruptly awaked and immediately scratched my knee, at the time I assumed I had gotten into the poison ivy again. In the morning, the area looked like it was poison ivy, I treated it with the normal poison ivy medication. The next day the center was continually "leaking", not unusual for poison ivy that had been scratched. That evening the leaking really ruined my trousers, unusual I thought but no "alert". That evening I also began feeling terrible, the way you feel with a fever. That night sleep was alternated with chills and cold sweat, in the morning I knew I had the Flu... The "poison ivy" was no worse but no better either....quite common for poison ivy. Since the other problems were the most severe I wasn't concerned about the poison ivy! In the evening I really looked at the poison ivy on my knee....Oh my this thing looks more like a recluse bite than poison ivy...a one inch diameter dark red ring, a hole in the middle and a 4 or 5 inch diameter of red ( like an infection) area. Off I went to a Clinic (it was a Saturday on Memorial Weekend). Doctor on call said it sure looked like a recluse bite, but since I didn't have the proof there was no sure way to know. Got a potent antibiotic and all other stuff. Fever left about 24 hours later, the spreading redness seemed to reside and the pain diminished. Had to return a day later ( Memorial Day) for the next step. This step is good to avoid.. I won't get into the detail...but...IT HURT and I almost left the scene on three occasions! You figure it out! The surgeon removed the dead tissue and treated what was left. Left me with..."well it should heal from the inside now, no question it is a recluse bite". The damage...a hole about 1/3 inch in diameter and 7/8 inch in depth in my knee! Tomorrow, 2 days after the minor surgery I go back, will then find out what is next...I hope a band aid does the trick. Since I have little pain, etc since the last "cut" on me I am optimistic.
Now....Had an exterminator visit. You may be interested in what he had to say. First, the recluse does not make a normal spider web....he does however make a "web". He makes it for a way of escape. It is very different from the normal webs and should be easy to spot. It is not the typical "patterned" web but rather a "solid web" more like a very fine denier, light weight and uniform spun bonded "fibers" product. It is very unique. The recluse has a YELLOW cotton ball of eggs, other spiders have WHITE. The inspector found 4 "webs", 3 recluse spiders and 1 skeleton. He said our house is not "infected" and we should be free of them in a month. What he found he said was NOT UNCOMMON!!....SO BEWARE!!!!
Some more interesting info about extermination. It is very extensive and expensive. Closets, drawers, etc. must be empted. Suspended ceilings come down, switch and receptacle plates removed, gas turned off, plants put outside, etc. The process takes about 6 hours. The exterminator suggested that had we retained our routine pest control we may not have had a problem. If you kill the recluse source of food you won't find him around. We had an abundant supply of food, lots of pests!
Another item I missed. On Memorial day I visited the Doctor at 10:00AM, I was the second recluse patient!
The continuing saga.....Visited two doctors today, the last a surgeon. Both of course had to "play" with the wound so I have felt better. The surgeon had some encouraging words...."You were lucky he didn't drop all of his venom, had he, you would be looking at at least two skin grafts." Then he went on to convince me how lucky I was..."Next week you must have surgery to remove all the affected tissue, it will hurt and take 4-5 months to heal or longer since it is on your knee, you will have a very deep 1 inch diameter scar."
OBSERVE...unique web? YELLOW ball of eggs. AWARE...how a bite develops,
recognize it fast!
I will warn you that some of the pictures are graphic. Bite Pictures
Message
It's Spider Time again! No, not the comic book kind. Let's be careful, especially in storage areas, on docks, and in warehouses. See the results of one spider bite from the Brown Recluse Spider.
