Staff writer
It’s the time of the year where insects and arachnids are emerging from their winter hideaways; some, like butterflies, are pleasant and others, like spiders, not so much.
The brown recluse is a spider that co-habitats with humans. It can be found in dark places within the home, in seldom worn clothing, and under furniture according to brownreclusespider.org.
These spiders are non-aggressive and shy by nature but can pack a heavy punch if disturbed.
Most of the time when a recluse bites, it’s not initially felt, and depending on the amount of venom injected into the wound, the bite might go unnoticed. Bites that are more serious build in intensity causing a fever, shivering, nausea, itching, and restlessness.
Poison from a recluse causes necrosis of the soft tissue that can be identified by reddening, inflammation, and pain surrounding the bite area.
The majority of skin around the bite dies and can create a scar, but is not life threatening and can be treated by antibiotics. In more extreme cases kidney problems can occur when poison reaches the kidneys that can turn into problems with multiple organs and could cause death if untreated.
Sticky glue traps can be more effective at killing the spiders than poison because of the recluse’s long legs that allow spiders to float over most poisons. To kill the spiders, spray poison directly on the spiders, www.pestkill.org advises.
The site recommends a dust application or exterior treatments to best rid of the spiders.