Brown Recluse Spiders

One of the few spiders in America that are known to be harmful to humans, the Brown Recluse spider (scientific name, Loxosceles reclusa) can easily be identified by the dark violin or fiddle shape on the upper abdomen. Some, as a result of this marking, many refer to the Brown Recluse as a Violin spider or a Fiddle-Back spider. These spiders can be from a yellowish tan to a darker brown, with long legs covered in short dark hairs. They are most common in the western and southern United States, but can also be found in Chile.

Brown Recluse spiders do not spin webs, rather they actively hunt for or wait for insects like cockroaches and flies to be in close proximity to them. The same venom that quickly paralyzes prey also causes flesh to appear rotted when humans are bitten by them.

Brown Recluse spiders are nocturnal and prefer warm, dry areas. Since they rarely venture out in the day time, many reported bites occur when people are sleeping. There are common places where these spiders may be found in and around your home that you should be aware about:

Near furnaces and water heaters
Inside closets, shoes and dressers
In folded laundry and other stacked clothing
Behind furniture and baseboards
In the bedding of guest bedrooms (or in beds that are infrequently used)
In cellars and basements
In garages and storage sheds
In stacked firewood
Trapped by the slippery surface of sinks and bathtubs

A bite from a Brown Recluse can cause intense pain and the wound and "rotting flesh" appearance will often go down to the bone. Healing from this kind of bite is slow, and can often take 6 to 8 weeks. If it suspected that a Brown Recluse has bitten someone, a doctor should be contacted immediately, and the spider should be caught for identification purposes by the physician.

A house fly tastes with its feet, which are ten million times more sensitive to sugar than the human tongue.

Brown Recluse Spiders

Pest Control - Interesting Facts