Friday, May 7, 2010

Spiders: Brown Recluse

The most common spider around here is the Brown Recluse, also known as a Violin Spider. These spiders love to hide in loose piles of debris, like wood piles, corners of a garage, under your lawn mower or if indoors - in furniture, closet corners and folded clothing. I found one last night just outside of the Bunny Barn in our pile of sticks we give to the bunnies to chew on. I'm not usually that jumpy around insects, but this spider in an exception as they are poisonous to humans and these pesky insects tend to strike when disturbed or threatened by humans. I wasn't bitten, it just put me on the defensive to find it and kill it, which I did.


If you are bitten by one of these spiders, seek medical attention immediately. This is not to be taken lightly, as the wound can take months to heal and it leaves a deep crater like shape on you, if not treated properly. This picture of a bite on this man is horrible looking, but you will look the same if not treated. You have been warned.

Use common sense when moving anything outdoors, as they are usually close by even when you might think they are not.

This image is not a fake to scare you any!

4 comments:

  1. Note to self: Don't read this blog on lunch. LOL

    That is scary. I hate bugs and spiders anyway, so this just makes it worse. Thankfully, that kind of spider probably doesn't live up here.

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  2. Hi Dave!

    I figured if I didn't include the image of the hand, no one would take notice to how dangerous this spider really is. I had a feeling it would turn some stomachs, as it turned mine a little.

    This spider is mostly found in the southern parts of the US, from Florida over to California, in some parts of Mexico, and in South America. I have read about brown recluses being found in northern parts of the US and some in Canada too, and the only way they got there was by suitcase most likely, from the visitors coming here each year. Make sure you check your luggage before heading home.

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  3. I live in NC and my friend got bit by a brown recluse. Apparently they put this sac type thing in your skin when they bite you and hers didn't bust until a day later then the swelling was horrible. She was able to get to the doctor before it got worse and ended up being okay! Those spiders and black widows scare the crap out of me.

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  4. Ewwww!!!! I was trying to identify the type of spider that wants to move into my basement and came across your blog from google. Thankfully, I don't think it is a brown recluse but that picture really got me! Poor thumb! You would think they would need to surgically remove the dead (black) tissue and then suture it...

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