Brown Recluse Spider Bite
A brown recluse spider bite can have traumatic consequences. Know their habitat and avoid being bitten; knowledge is protection. Collect the spider in a jar, when possible, and take it with you for your immediate medical attention.
The brown recluse spider, also known as the violin or fiddle-back spider, isn't as commonly known as the black widow, but it should be. There are 100 recluse spider species, 13 of which are in the U.S. The Loxosceles is the most common and the worst of the recluse spiders.
If you are afflicted with a brown recluse spider bite, however, you will quickly learn quite a bit about this spider and its bite. Recognizing a brown recluse spider, and it's habitat, is important to your well being. Get medical attention as soon as possible to minimize your medical problems, and possibly even death. Let's start with what a brown recluse spider looks like.
A brown recluse spider is recognized by the violin pattern on its thorax, the section where the legs attach to the body. The base of the violin is located near the head and the neck points to the abdomen. Recluse spiders also have three eye stalks with two pairs of eyes on each stalk, unlike most spiders which have eight eyes. They are normally yellowish-tan to dark brown in color. With their legs, they are about 1-inch in diameter.
They are normally found in dark and dry places, away from activity, such as an attic or basement, porch or crawl space, or under woodpile logs or rocks. Recluses thrive in human disturbed areas. They are not aggressive, but will bite when threatened or when pushed upon. They spin a loose, irregular web, often in a corner, made of sticky threads that range in color from off-white to gray.
This type of spider bites most commonly during warm, summer months. Part of the reason for that is during the winter when you are working on the porch, at the woodpile or in the attic you are wearing gloves which prevents you from being bitten. Given their favored hiding places, it's a good idea to always wear gloves when remodeling old spaces or working in the woodpile.
If you get a brown recluse spider bite you can expect a range of reactions. Most often you won't feel the bite so only know you've been bitten when reactions begin. If you feel anything it can range from a pin prick sensation to intense burning and pain. A small white blister raises at the bite site and gets swollen. The affected area gets red and enlarges, developing into a deep lesion that is dry, not oozing.
- Apply ice to the affected area to reduce pain and swelling and seek medical attention immediately.
- Collect the spider, or as much of the spider as you can, in a jar or plastic bag with rubbing alcohol to preserve it, and take that to the doctor's or the emergency room.
- Elevate the bitten area above your heart level.
- Wash the bite with mild soap and cool water.
- Take some acetaminophen for pain.
- Refrain from strenuous activity as much as possible to decrease the spread of the venom in your skin.
- Don't attempt to remove the poison from the bite area.
- Don't cut the affected tissue away.
- Avoid steroid creams like hydrocortisone.
- Don't heat the area because it accelerates tissue destruction.
Details to Pay Attention To:
Your physician may recommend follow-up visits daily for three to four days. This is to help prevent any necrotic tissue damage from infection that may occur after a bite. Removal of tissue was the standard treatment, but it's been discovered recently that prolongs healing time.
Children, the elderly and people with impaired health or immunity are most commonly severely affected by a brown recluse spider bite. This is mostly due to their size or condition. If people in this group are bitten by a spider and you are not sure what type it is, it is always best to get it checked out by a doctor to ensure that it will not cause further health problems.
A brown recluse spider bite can cause you some health problems for a few days to many months. By getting proper medical attention, you help prevent many of the severe health problems associated with untreated spider bites. It's best to avoid a brown recluse spider bite, so wear gloves when working in their habitat and clean out those spaces to discourage their presence.
