The Brown Recluse, also called a “violin spider”, is one of the more notorious spiders in the United States due to their incredibly toxic bites. Brown recluse spiders are among an elite class of spiders, like the Black Widow, whose venom can cause severe reactions and damage to humans. The Brown Recluse will live about two years, but can survive without food or water for about six months. They have long legs and light brown or tan bodies.
Brown Recluse Venom
The venom that these spiders employ to kill their prey is both cytotoxic and hemolytic, which means that people can have a similar reaction to a Black Widow bite, but this venom also can break down the cellular structure of the bite wound to cause even more damage to the bite area. Bites from Brown Recluse spiders are also often times completely painless at the time of the bite, but you begin seeing and feeling symptoms within hours.
These symptoms can include:
- severe pain at the bite site
- severe itching
- nausea
- vomiting
- fever
- and muscle pain
Where You Find Them
Brown Recluses live pretty much all across the United States and can survive in many climates. They’re hunters by nature, which means they do not use webs to catch insects. Which means unlike spiders like Black Widows, you don’t have the tell-tale web to indicate where they might be. They usually live in wood piles, vacant houses, basements, wall voids and any other place it can remain hidden until it begins hunting prey. They favor areas of low activity because they are actually quite shy in nature, so sheds are particular popular. While they’re not aggressive by nature, because you may not notice them due to the lack of webbing, it’s easy to accidentally grab one when moving boxes or looking in storage.
Brown Recluse Spider Bites
The unique nature of Brown Recluse venom means that they can have a dramatically damaging effect on human tissue. While symptoms of their bites occur within hours of being bit, the area of the bite depending on the severity, can begin to deteriorate as the venom breaks down the tissue. Wounds can become quite gruesome as they deteriorate even up to weeks after the initial bite.
If you think you may have been bitten by a Brown Recluse spider, either because of symptoms or a very odd looking discoloration around what appears to be an insect bite, we recommend seeking medical help to begin treatment as soon as possible.
Reliable Pest Control
If you’ve seen what appear to be spiders that match the description of a Brown Recluse in or around your Tucson home, or spiders in general that you don’t want hanging around, please contact the professionals at Results Pest & Termite today to get a free quote over the phone and our pest control technicians can keep your home pest free for that complete feeling of peace of mind knowing you don’t have dangerous insects lurking around!