Brown Recluse Spiders

We are having the worst time with brown recluse spiders this year. We moved into this house in November and I have never seen so many in one place!! I have been told that b/c they are so territorial that you usually don't see more than one or two in an area, but I'm killing 3-4 a day!! We've put glue traps in the few places that Madden can't get under, but they don't seem to be helping!!

Hubby got bit, so we had to make an emergency trip to the hospital, to pay a butt-load for a steriod shot and some antibiotics. Not to mention the fact that he had to miss work b/c you can't be in the sun with the meds and he's a roofer.

I read online that these bites can be fatal to dogs and cats, and I keep finding Madden chasing them around! I can't watch him all the time and I'm terrified that he's going to get bit and get very sick from it. Not to mention the dogs. I've never been bit, and this was hubby's first time but my mom has been bit by them twice before and I know that these bites can go from bad to worse in no time flat. Luckily we caught and treated hubby's as soon as we noticed it and a week later its almost gone.

I've read that once these buggers establish a territory (your house) that they are almost impossible to get rid of, but if anyone knows any tricks I would really appriciate your help. I know they are only in the mid-south, but I was hoping someone might know something about them.

Here's a pic of hubby's nasty bite the night that he got bit:


You can't see it very well in this pic, but the streak goes all the way into the middle of his arm-pit. He also had a nasty rash on his tummy from it.

I can't help but shake out the bed-covers every time I crawl in now...and the towels....and my clothes....and my shoes....

That sure is an awful reaction! I agree with you and am really concerned and cautious about poisonous spiders such as this.

I've heard of those and I'm sorry you have to deal with them!!!!!

*shudder* I got a nasty bite from one of those little buggers about a year or so ago and thankfully, got treatment before necrosis set in -- for such a little creature, they sure pack a punch when they bite you. Hope your hubby feels better soon.

EEEK!

I HATE SPIDERS...OMG...*SHUDDER* I feel for you!!! I don't know WHAT I would do to have that problem...I mean, I have random spiders in my house and that totally freaks me out, but when it comes to Brown Recluse and Black widows... I can't take it...LOL, I'm a big baby!!! And, of course, now I'm itching all over!

Best of luck with getting rid of them...and I hope your hubby feels better soon! OUCH!

Flaming hell!!! I hate spiders to start with and thankfully we don't get ones like you people get.

My first thoughts were of Rosie because like Madden she'd be chasing after them, and she's usually quick and sharp if she sees a spider or fly

We have them bad around here too! In my office they are terrible!! I am sorry hubby got bit!! It looks awful!! I would call an exterminator and see if they have any treatments for them even if you have to stay in a hotel for a few days.

thy can be fatal to animals and humans, so you had better be careful. it is a good thing you got your husband to the hospital when you did. Maybe you would be better off calling an exterminater to get rid of them.

god their ugly little buggers, i just checked them out on google,this is the same sort of thing you get if one of our white tails bite you , very nasty little critters they are to i have seen whities about an inch long in my fire wood heap. I use a good strong surface spray to keep them out of the house i spay under the eaves of the house cos that helps and what do manage to get into the house the huntsman spiders kill off. YES i let big hairy spiders run around my home cos they hunt down all the nasties, if i see one i will snap a shot for you all to see but its winter now and they hibernate,,maybe i could send some over to you all

i could not help myself i had to get this for you
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/cataholic59/huntsman241003.jpg

this guy is just hanging about under the guttering its about the same size i get here

Would fumigating them work? I would just set 3-4 foggers into that house (or more depending on how big it is) and just kill everything that crawls inside!

Yuck! I don't envy you whatsoever. I hate spiders.

The venom of the Brown Recluse can also be fatal to humans if you don't have it treated withing the first 2 hours. 10 years ago the Recluse was responsible for over 10000 deaths in South America because we didn't have the antivenom. If your husband's bite mark turns purple/black, go to the hospital immediately. Judging from the picture, it looks like you caught it in time. He should be alright.

I feel so terrible for you guys
I am deathly afraid of spiders, and if I found brown recluse spiders every day I am fairly sure I would do something as drastic as selling the house and moving to get away from them. I am truly that scared of them!

Good luck on finding some sort of solution.

Originally Posted by Scratchies

god their ugly little buggers, i just checked them out on google,this is the same sort of thing you get if one of our white tails bite you , very nasty little critters they are to i have seen whities about an inch long in my fire wood heap. I use a good strong surface spray to keep them out of the house i spay under the eaves of the house cos that helps and what do manage to get into the house the huntsman spiders kill off. YES i let big hairy spiders run around my home cos they hunt down all the nasties, if i see one i will snap a shot for you all to see but its winter now and they hibernate,,maybe i could send some over to you all

i could not help myself i had to get this for you
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i271/cataholic59/huntsman241003.jpg


this guy is just hanging about under the guttering its about the same size i get here

Click to expand...

I have goosebumps just looking at that guy.

I'd definately call an exterminator.... and they can even tell you what is safe for your cat to be around, or if you have to pack your pets up for a day or two and send them to grand-meowmy's for a sleepover.... I don't like any bugs except ladybugs and fireflies! Even crickets freak me out!!!

Originally Posted by squirtle

I have goosebumps just looking at that guy.

Click to expand...

ditto, i actually shuddered looking at it. i'm terrified of spiders :/ i don't know why, i know its silly (well its sily to be afraid of the non venomous ones-it's very much NOT silly to be afraid of spiders like recluses).

there aren't supposed to be brown recluses in San Francisco, but a friend of mine got bit by one, in an apartment building right here in the city, so i know they're here. he had a hole in his leg for months :/

Originally Posted by katlady007

thy can be fatal to animals and humans, so you had better be careful. it is a good thing you got your husband to the hospital when you did. Maybe you would be better off calling an exterminater to get rid of them.

Click to expand...

I don't want to scare you more than you probably already are, but my husband almost lost his leg to one. Call a pest control service and see what they can do for you even if you have to stay in a hotel until they are finished.

I read an article in Good Housekeeping a few years ago about these little nasties and that is scary! I've heard their bites can do major damage, and lihe others have said, death, if not treated quickly. I would definitely call an exterminator! Ah, one more reason I will never live below the Ohio river.... I think Suan said it best: Flaming hell!!

Yikes! That looks awful! We have them nasty things around here too, but thankfully(knock on wood) none of us have been bitten by one yet. *shivers*

OMG, i shuddered just thinking about spiders, and even more so ones that bite. Thank goodness I don't have any of those. I think the only ones i have to worry about are dock spiders, they are massive and mean (but thankfully i have no dock! lol).

I have to join the ranks of you spider-haters...ever since i saw Arachnaphobia (sp?)! Have you tried looking up on the internet solutions to the problem. Maybe there is some natural repellent to them (like citrus for ants).

I wish you the best of luck....

OMG! How can you sleep at all at night?! Those really freak me out. I'm glad Canada doesn't have anything near as nasty. And as for Australia: EEEEKKKKK!! What a compromise to let Huntsmans in your home just to keep out the other spiders!