**UPDATE** We're finding brown recluse spiders in and around our townhomes!

[Descartes]

I open my closet upstairs to take my coat to the cleaners and, what's this??? A brown recluse!

I talk to my neighbors, and they're finding fully grown brs' in their place. Our townhomes are in a really "woodsy" area, and I live in Oklahoma, one of their primary locations.

Anyone else faced w/ the prospect of being bitten by one of these fascists? I'm paranoid now. I've known people to be bitten in their sleep.

[update]
So, the exterminator came to rid us of the BRS. Great. I was doing some laundry last night, putting things away in my closet, and.... what's this I see??? A damn BRS! It wasn't fully grown yet, but that doesn't comfort me much. I proceeded to end the life of said BRS with the end my Birkenstock (no, I wouldn't grab a shoe. How horrible would that be to grab a shoe to end the life of one BRS and have there be a BRS in the shoe? Too much irony for me). Where there's one, there's more. Where there's a child, there's a mother. I have yet to face the reclusive mother recluse, and I hope it stays that way.
[/update]

 

[Imaginer]

I go get a motel somewhere and have the place be fumigated. That is really freaky!

Arachniphobia anyone? :Q

 

[shiner]

I live in Tulsa in a townhouse(until my house gets built) and I've seen a few here as well.

 

[Buddhist]

I found a black widow in the corner of my pool last month! :Q
I captured it and killed it.

Brown recluse are supposed to be just as bad as widows, only a tad bit less deadly correct?

Good luck...i'd move...hehe
-M.T.O

 

[huey1124]

i remember learning from my zoology class, that brown recluse spiders are more venomous than a black widow. i think you can identify it to be a brown recluse, if you see a violin shape marking on its back. it's been several years since i took the course, so i could be wrong.

i would call a pest control company, or your landlord, and have it taken care of. you don't want to end up getting sick because of these.

 

[miniMUNCH]

Brown recluse bites fester for a long time and are very painful...

I once caught a Tarantula (sp?) in my pool...kept it for a few days then killed it.

 

[JohnnyKnoxville]

Well what did you expect when you move into their habitat,they're just gonna pack and move away???
They were there first and if you don't like it ,sounds like tough luck bucko.

 

[crab]

Ugh that gives me chills

BTW does anybody know of a website good for identifying spiders? thx

 

[oldandquitemad]

We have our fair share of those delightful little b@st@rds in North Carolina. I have been bitten twice by them and have the scars to show for it, and I am lucky at that. There have in fact been people who have lost limbs to fiddleback (our local name for the Recluse) bites. And yes, they do indeed crawl around at night and bite. Kinda gives you the itchies, doesn't it?

I have a close friend in the bug killing business and he will be the first to tell you that spiders are very difficult to kill through traditional treatment methods. The suggestion about fumigation is not too far fetched if you are actaully infested by them. Call a professional bug guy in your area for a consultation.

Best of luck, those things are no fun.

 

[blueghost75]

iiiiieeeeeeeee!!!!!!! damned spirders.....I would move my @ss out of there......

We get a lot of scorpions here in Austin, Texas. I hate the damn things. I am always parinoid that I will get bitten by one in the middle of the night.

 

[RossMAN]

Descartes & crab453 - Here are some other OT threads on spiders, some of which include stories, pictures and links to helpful websites containing pictures of venomous spiders and information.

Bit by a spider...

I HATE SPIDERS!!!!!!!!!

Eeeewww! Funnel Web Spiders! Poor DABANSHEE!

Eeewww!! Spiders...

A tale of a hell spawned spider

<Update!> ---- Dam! A spider killed my hard drive (i think).

Does anyone know which venomous spiders inhabit Portland, Oregon?

 

[Emos]

I definitely would get the place fumigated! Brown Recluse venom is very nasty...it actually breaks down tissues creating a nasty wound.

 

[oldandquitemad]

Emos, that's a VERY good link. I'd have to agree with everything said there.

 

[flippinfleck]

First off, my spider bite has since healed marvelously! Thanks Rossman, for that link. I was gonna post it but saves me the trouble

Yes, spiders suck. The Brown Recluse doesn't have as markedly noticeable an &quot;hourglass&quot; marking on it's back, the Widow has one and it's very easy to distinguish. And yes, the BR has been known to be a worse bite than the Widow.

>edit The BR has a fidle on it's back, not an hourglass edit<

In Arachnaphobia the movie, I do believe the spiders that infested the house were supposed to be of the BR family. I don't have any links to offer on the identification of the spiders, nor on how to get rid of them. I could provide you with a gazillion links (don't quote me on that one!) to sites that will tell you how painful the bite is.

Definately talk to an exterminator about the problem and find out how to remedy it. Not worth it if you get bit; a constant (24x7) irritation that burns and makes it look like your leg is going to fall off.

Good luck!

 

[BeHeMOTH]

I believe BR are worse than Widows for that the bite is along the lines of leaporsy(SP)in nature and can grow killing skin which if not treated can leave you feable. check your shoes for sure and any dark areas. Widows and BR live in the same areas so some deaths claimed by widows are actually BR.

So if I where you I'd leave ASAP tonight.

 

[kami]

<< Arachniphobia anyone? >>


I saw that movie when i was young and had nightmares for weeks :Q

 

[Descartes]

Thanks for the excellent links RossMan.

This really freaks me out. The thought of a spider crawling through my sheets whilst I ignorantly lie at rest terrifies me.

*SHUDDER*

 

[RossMAN]

Thanks for the excellent links RossMan.

You're welcome, I hope you read all those threads to learn more. There's a lot of helpful feedback from ATOT members.

This really freaks me out. The thought of a spider crawling through my sheets whilst I ignorantly lie at rest terrifies me.

Same here, although I think I only see one harmless spider a month it still freaks the sh!t out of me. I end up spraying the windows, corners and doors with RAID after I see a spider and kill it. Sometimes I spray the RAID on the spider for a few seconds just so I can see it twitching to a slow death.

No I didn't scald cats when I was young, I just don't like spiders.

 

[Descartes]

<< No I didn't scald cats when I was young, I just don't like spiders. >>



That brings up another good point. I have two cats, and they like to eat everything that moves. They eat moths, spiders, and whatever else they can find I'm sure a BRS bite could be fatal to a cat, yes? The BRS would have hell to pay if one of my cats were harmed...

 

[Ameesh]

holy $hit !!!! run away!

 

[RossMAN]

The BRS would have hell to pay if one of my cats were harmed...

Why even take a chance with you or your cats? I would immediately spray RAID everywhere (inhaling optional, LOL) then call every insect pesticide company in your phone book tomorrow for information and quotes. From what I remember having your house inspected and sprayed costs an arm and a leg!

 

[Prong]

Years ago in a prior life, I worked in a Custom Door Shop in Phoenix in the mill area. One day, I was cutting the bands on a fresh batch of Red Oak. I proceeded to pull off a couple of boards to mill them and I noticed something from the corner of my eye moving on the wood underneath. Upon closer inspection, it was a &quot;momma&quot; brown recluse with a sh**load of babies scurrying around :Q Thankfully I wore thick leather gloves on a regular basis. After running to the paint shop and securing some lacquer thinnner, I singlehandedly saved the city of Phoenix from the arachnid threat After seeing those pics from the reactions, I'm glad I didn't get bit too.

 

[NateSLC]

<< From what I remember having your house inspected and sprayed costs an arm and a leg! >>


From the looks of those bites I just peeked at online, it looks like not having your house sprayed would cost an arm and a leg (or two) as well!

 

[Amused]

These little bastards are SCARY!!!

Their bites leave a venom that is cytotoxic and causes necrosis of the skin and underlying tissue. It kills the cells in the area around the bite. It typically takes 25 days for the ulcer to appear, however. Typically, the victim first notices that the area around the bite itches. After 2 to 8 hours a papule forms around the bite. This papule turns into a vesicle that often &quot;weeps&quot; a yellowish fluid. After 25 days or so, the vesicle will usually rupture and form a black crust. When this black crust comes off, there will be an ulcer that frequently exposes the muscle underneath.

Here's a picture of a bite and the healing process:

link

Here is a page with info:

link

Here is a page with a picture of the spider:

link

 

[RossMAN]

From the looks of those bites I just peeked at online, it looks like not having your house sprayed would cost an arm and a leg (or two) as well!

LOL I had almost mentioned this after realizing I said &quot;an arm and a leg&quot;, imagine the irony!