Brown Recluse Spider

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The brown recluse spider is one of two dangerous spiders found throughout Georgia. The brown recluse spider may be found almost anywhere in a home, barn, garage, shed or building. By nature, the brown recluse spider is not aggressive, however it does bite when put in a threatening position. People are usually bitten when disturbing the spider which is hiding in shoes or boots, moving about in a house, or hiding under furniture. A routine pest control service is your best option to minimize the chances of encountering a brown recluse spider in your home or business.

Anyone who believes they have been bittent by a brown recluse spider should seek IMMEDIATE medical assistance. While their bites do not necessarily pose an immediate risk of death, any poison injected into a person or animal will immediately begin to rot flesh, sometimes advancing to gaping holes in tissue as big as a softball.

Identifying A Brown Recluse Spider

Adult brown recluse spiders are soft-bodied, yellowish-tan to dark brown, about 1/4" to 1/2" 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 area of the head and thorax. Both the male and female brown recluse spiders are similar in appearance and equally toxic. The immature stages of the brown recluse spider closely resemble the adults except for size and a slightly lighter color.

Brown Recluse spiders spin small, loose, white to off-white webs with irregular strands. The female lays eggs from May through August in off-white silken cases about 1/3" in diameter. Sacs containing 40 or more eggs each are found hung in the web, overwinter in sheltered, dark areas and are guarded by the female until her death. Each female may lay as many as 300 eggs during her lifetime. Spiderlings emerge in 24 to 36 days leaving the egg case with slow development (10 to 12 months), and are influenced by weather conditions and food availability. Spiders can survive long periods of time without food or water and may live as long as two years.

This spider is most active at night when it comes out in search of food consisting of cockroaches and other small insects. During the day, time is spent in quiet, undisturbed places such as bathrooms, bedrooms, closets, basements and cellars. The spiders sometimes take shelter under furniture, appliances and carpets, behind baseboards and door facings, or in corners and crevices. Some have been found in stored clothing, old shoes, on the undersides of tables and chairs, and in folded bedding and undisturbed towels stored for long periods of time. Outdoors, the spider may be found among debris or wood piles, in barns, sheds, boathouses, or garages.

Brown Recluse Spider Bites

The severity of a person's reaction to the bite 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 and swollen area. Within 24 to 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 the 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" which is a hole in the flesh due to damaged, gangrenous tissue.

The open wound may range from the size of an adult's thumbnail to the span of a hand. The sunken, ulcerating sore may heal slowly up to 6 to 8 weeks. Full recovery may take several months and scarring may remain. Plastic surgery and skin grafts are sometimes required.

Control of Brown Recluse Spiders

Killing Brown Recluse Spiders can be easily accomplished with our pest control services. Regular pest control services are your best bet to kill any spiders in or around your home.

Infestation Prevention can be accomplished by removing piles of lumber or debris around houses, garages, and sheds. Homes should utilize screens on doors and windows, as well as sealing cracks and crevices where spiders can enter the house. A periodic exterior pressure washing to remove webs is advisable.

Please use the following link to learn more about another dangerous spider in Georgia.