Brown Recluse bites

[johno]

We have something like 7,000 brown recluses per acre here. Don't quote me on that number - it's been a long time since I heard it...

Anyway, they are everywhere, especially under houses. Certain times of the year, they are more troublesome than others. I get, on the average, about two nasty bites every three years. My wife's father came up with an idea for treating them. I let her treat me once, then ever after that, because it always works.

THIS IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY! I AM IN NO WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL! But it works for me...

Within a day or so of getting the bite, it can be identified by a white, hard kernel in the center. With sterilized tools, she digs it out, and washes it with hydrogen peroxide until it quits bubbling. That's it. It goes away after that.

[cannaisseur]

JohnO, is this not the same spider that can cause one to actually lose a limb, or a big chunk of flesh if its severe enough? This is one of two very poisonous spiders in Florida, with the black widow being the second. I though they were not prone to biting, hence the name.

[johno]

Untreated brown recluse bites do cause deterioration of flesh. I suppose the loss of a limb is entirely possible. First there is a pimple-like wound with red radiating around it, very tender to the touch. Then there is bad bruising. Then flesh begins to slough off. These bites are common here.

[johno]

The Brown Recluse's Habitat. Hite et al. (1966) recorded the location of 298 brown recluse spiders, collected in homes in Arkansas, as follows: in boxes, 156; among papers, 39; in bedrooms, 29; attics, 22; halls, 14; utility rooms, 11; kitchens, 11; livingrooms, 5; bathrooms, 4; front porch's, 3; window wells, 2; cellar, 1; and basement, 1. In school buildings, among 74 spiders, 45 were found in schoolrooms, 26 in basements, 2 in attics, and 1 in a storeroom. In other sites, among 58 spiders, 21 were found in the loft of a feed mill, 11 in a broiler-house storeroom, 10 in storehouses, 8 in cabinet shops, 6 in garages, and 2 in sheds. Outdoors, of 196 spiders collected, 158 were found under rocks, 34 under piles of inner tubes, 2 under houses, and 2 under bark.

From: www.entomology.ucr.edu/ebeling/ebel9-1.html#loxosceles%20reclusa

This is fairly typical of where I encounter them. Most often, though, I get bitten while under a house in the summer by brushing against one, usually on my shoulder (I wear tank tops alot...) Also, it is not unusual to find them hiding in laundry or shoes. They are more common in Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas than they are elsewhere, I'm pretty sure.

[cannaisseur]

Interesting info on where they are found, as it seems they are not so 'reclusive.' Do you have a link to a picture of one by any chance?
Thanks for the info on the treatment, one never knows when it may come in handy.

[johno]

www.brown-recluse.com/index.html?google1&gclid=CJjFoPGPy4sCFQkmZQod5jJMHA

This is an ad site for a product I have never used or heard of before, but they have the best photos I've found of this spider. There's alot of good info here - I just overlook the advertising.

My wife was reading this thread and had a little more information to add. She said she opens the wound and uses peroxide to eat around the kernel first, then digs it out, then finishes with more peroxide until it quits bubbling. I guess I missed that first step when I was busy not watching!

[mbrown]

Johno,

Isn't the Brown Recluse also known as the Fiddle Back Spider.

Mike

[johno]

Yes.

[houseodessey]

Ick. I've had one of those in my guesthouse sink for months. I always thought it was a baby garden spider so I left it there. I wondered why it never got big . It is dead now.

[shadowwalker]

I was bit by a Recluse. I got bit while I slept. As luck had it I squashed him as I rolled over. I have a spot where the skin sloughed off. It was very painful. All together the hospital and doctor costs. Were over $800.00 in 1981 prices. He bit me twice about 1 inch apart. I had my leg swell up from the bites on my butt to my toes. It felt like a swelled grape or something. The pain was almost unreal. Hospital stay was three days. And recoup at home was over 12 days.
I also was carrying a coffee can full of small black scorpions. About two years later. I was crawling up a hill collecting them fromunder rocks. I slipped and fell. My hand went into the can. I hade 11 stings on it. Again, the hospital I went. Again my hand and arm swelled up so bad. The pain was unreal.

[hoosierheightsfarm]

Sounds like you need to stay away from poison things!

The only TRUE way to identify the brown recluse is using a magnifying glass. They have 6 pairs of eyes, whereas almost all other spiders have 8 pairs of eyes.
www.highway60.com/mark/brs/default.htm

Patrick
See this website for more info, and pics of NASTY spider bites.

[Jim]

holy cow. Johno thats hardcore. I saw a series of pictures once of a brown recluse bite and the necropsy that followed...not cool.

[Alan]

Oh man shadowwalker, that's a bad deal indeed, I've never been bit by a scorpion (obviously not in Indiana) but hope never to be, I have several cousins who have lived through it. The worst I ever got was into an underground hornets next, I got stung six times, did the hospital thing for a couple of days after being shot up with the epi-pen and then about 2 weeks at home recovering.

-Alan

[hoosierheightsfarm]

I've seen doctors use nitro-patches on and around recluse bites to increase the blood flow (nitro is a vasodilator, thats why it keeps your chest from hurting in a heart attack, it dilates the vessels to allow more blood, thus oxygen, get to the heart area) to the tissue.

I've also read about using a taser gun, with the fixed electrodes, to send high voltage through the affected tissue. That denatures the proteins (again) and decreases the necrosis.