Brown Recluse Spider

Brown recluse spider belong to a group of poisonous spiders commonly known as violin spiders or fiddle backs. Brown recluse spiders are most common in the South East and South Central United States. Adults are 3/8 in. (10 mm) long and are light brown with a dark, violin-shaped mark on the back near the head. In humans their venom kills the tissue surrounding a bite and leaves a deep sore, but only rarely does a bite result in death. We have compiled some very important facts about controlling Brown Recluse Spiders that will help you in your quest to rid your home of these pests.

Brown Recluse Spider - Just the facts:

• A Brown Recluse spider is slightly smaller than the black widow, with adults measuring about 3/4 inch with very long legs. Its color varies from light to chocolate brown. It has six eyes (the brown widow has eight in two rows), and a dark, violin-shaped marking on the cephalothorax, the area including the head and legs. This marking gives the spider its common name the violin or fiddle backed spider.
• A Brown Recluse spider are nocturnal and prefer foods such as firebrats, crickets, cockroaches and other soft bodied creatures. Earning their name well, the recluse spider ceases its wanderings at first light.
• 'Loxosceles reclusa' or the Brown Reluse spider is the most poisonous house spider in the United States.
• Brown Recluse Spiders venom did not develop as a defense mechanism against mammals as evidenced by the lack of pain initially. It is meant to paralyze prey. Enzymes in the venom begin the process of digestion so that the spider can ingest the liquefied internal parts. Therefore, the serious side effects on humans is incidental. Bite severity varies with individual envenomations.
• The Brown Recluse venom produces a condition called "necrotic arachnoidism." The bite itself may be completely painless or cause intense pain that lasts two to eight hours. A small blister forms at the site within six to eight hours. The surrounding tissue begins to darken and takes on sharply raised edges resulting in a sunken area which may be several centimeters in diameter. The wound heals very slowly, and sometimes scars have been reported as large as a half- dollar.
• Occasionally, there is a systemic reaction within 24-36 hours that includes chills, fever, nausea, weakness and joint pain. It is almost impossible to positively determine a brown recluse bite without having collected the spider, because there are a number of other skin afflictions that could be misdiagnosed as brown recluse bites, including complications from Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, bacterial infections An ice pack should be applied immediately to the site of the bite to localize the venom, and the individual should then be taken immediately to a physician. If possible, take the spider with you for positive identification.
• Brown recluse do not like lighted areas and is common in cracks and crevices of old logs or beneath flat stones or under bark. When it comes inside our homes, it takes up residence in places that go undisturbed --- behind picture frames, beneath sofas, in back of closets, etc. It is very common in outside storage sheds. The spider spins an irregular web that is used as a resting place rather than a snare. It hunts its food and leaves the web in search of prey. Its reclusive habit of this species that makes it an excellent "hitchhiker."
• Female recluses deposit eggs in off-white silken cases about 1/3 inch in diameter in sheltered, dark areas. Spiderlings emerge in 24-36 days and abandon the egg case.
• Removal of lumber, rock piles, scrap materials, junk and old boxes is important in combating poisonous spider infestations. Outbuildings suspected of harboring poisonous spiders can be treated with a variety of pest control products, including Demand CS, Talstar One, Demon Wp and Suspend Sc . When applying pesticides, always follow the instructions on the label.
• Spiders are arthropods. All spiders have two body sections -- cephalothorax and abdomen -- and eight legs. Few spiders have fangs strong enough to pierce skin, or have venom toxic enough to cause necrosis. At one extreme, a spider bite may be merely an annoyance. Brown recluse spider bites may result in painful, severe erythema, necrosis, and, rarely, death. Patients may be frightened and unsure after a spider bite, which may result from folklore and long-standing anxiety. For many people, only snakes and rabid dogs cause greater fear.
• Brown recluse spiders belong to the genus Loxosceles. They are found throughout the world, and are particularly troublesome in parts of South America and the Mediterranean area. There are 13 species of Loxosceles in the United States; five are known to produce cutaneous necrosis. Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Texas, Utah, and southern California are areas of habitation for three species. L. laeta has been imported from South America. The most infamous is L. reclusa, which inhabits the south central United States, especially Tennessee, Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and surrounding states. Awareness is important throughout the United States, since sporadic cases occur outside the usual habitats when Brown Recluse Spiders are transported in human belongings.
• Arachnophobes, listen up: Despite their creepy-crawly reputation, most household spiders are perfectly harmless to you. Very few bite people, and fewer still cause health problems. Of the 3,000 kinds of spiders in the United States, only four--the black widow, the brown recluse, the hobo and the yellow sac--are known to pose serious threats to humans. But even they would rather not tangle with you. And other spiders can help control these species, either by preying on them or competing with them for food and web sites.
• Don't lay heavy logs in a stack lest you snag a glove on a splintery edge and crush a finger. Bring them in over their place and pull your hands away briskly so they drop a short distance and land with a satisfying klunk! Never swat at a bug you uncover in a woodpile. There is a very small chance that a brown recluse spider will take up housekeeping in your wood. These smallish and unremarkable-appearing, medium- brown, hairless spiders love woodpiles.
• 1. Research indicates that recently developed pyrethroids (e.g., cyfluthrin, cypermethrin, etc.) are particularly effective against brown recluse spiders. Wettable powders and microencapsuled "slow-release" formulations of these chemicals provide residual activity and are preferable to using emulsion-type sprays. Insecticide treatments should be applied so that the chemical contacts as many spiders and webs as possible. Residual liquid sprays should be applied to the outside perimeter of the home (including under eaves, patios, and decks; behind window shutters), baseboards, undisturbed corners, and other suspected spider harborages. Residual dusts should be applied to voids and inaccessible areas where spiders may hide. Aerosol flushing agents such as pyrethrins, though ineffective by themselves in providing control, can cause spiders to move about so that they contact treated surfaces.

Products to control Brown Recluse Spider - More info from Ohio State University on the dangerous pests

1.Treatment information obtained from Ohio State University Entomology Department.