Posted on 04/26/2011 1:07:00 AM PDT by Daffynition
ScienceDaily (Apr. 23, 2011) One of the most feared spiders in North America is the subject a new study that aims to predict its distribution and how that distribution may be affected by climate changes.
When provoked, the spider, commonly known as the brown recluse (Loxosceles reclusa), injects powerful venom that can kill the tissues at the site of the bite. This can lead to a painful deep sore and occasional scarring.
(Excerpt) Read more at sciencedaily.com ...
I will say that posts like that are neutralizing the creepiness factor of spiders. ;^)
These Brown Recluse bites can sometimes look like third degree burns. Skin sluffs off. Oderiferous. And can leave one crippled to some degree.
Potato is well known for its drawing properties. The poultice formula I have heard of for recluse bites has Plantain (not the kind that makes banana type fruit) used for its drawing properties and it has enzymes that neutralize the venom. Earlier I said activated charcoal was part of it but I looked up the formula and it is steamed bituminous coal powder. That soaks up the exudate from the wound and neutralizes the bacteria. It also has Comfrey to stimulate cell proliferation, Echinacea to stimulate immune response and Lobelia which I can’t think offhand the purpose of.
Flawed conclusions flow from flawed premise.
The poultice is a hand-me-down. Somewhere I have an old book with notes my grandmother wrote of various medicinal remedies. I recall her once saying she used a “root-poultice” when my grandfather was injured on the farm. Stopped bleeding/prevent infection. Old timers had no choice. Far away from med facilities. Guess it worked. My grandfather survived the incident...
I nearly took that spider out with my 30-06. probably would have if i wasn’t trying to make sure sure the thing wasn’t on my back or something.
LOL Arachnophobia. The reason individuals aren’t allowed to own nukes. ;-)
And western Montana too (which means Wyoming too, in between)
Today I spotted a single strand of web going 30 feet across my yard about 20 feet above ground the entire 30 feet...any ideas?
ROTFLMAO! I can see that perfectly. No wonder adults are constantly flummoxed by the responses they get from kids when they ask them "Why did you do that?"
I don't know what it is about spiders that brings this out in people, though.
OMG! I think the other post about nuking it from orbit is appropriate. The only good thing is, my wife wouldn’t question why I turned the house into smoking glass.
World Wide Web?
Good info to have. Thanks.
So, without taking my eyes off it, I groped for a magazine or ANYTHING I could whack it with. This was a killable bug. No mercy. I roll up the magazine, creep over and...WHACK! I MISSED the damned thing, when I was trying so hard not to miss. And then, don't I lose sight of it, and cannot find it. I had to get a BIG flashlight and hunt for it. After 15 minutes, I saw it again, and...WHACK! Don't I miss it AGAIN! It drops to the floor and disappears. SHIT.
Now, this is a MAJOR, DEDICATED bug hunt. I look for twenty minutes with no success, swearing and muttering the whole time. My wife is in the next room and thinks I have lost my mind.
Finally, with a sick feeling, I have to give up. As I put down the magazine, I feel something crawling on my leg, inside my pants. I roll my eyes at myself and tell myself "Get a grip. You are just feeling itchy, there is nothing there."
Then, a few minutes later, I feel something again, and I grit my teeth and silently say to myself "Good God. THERE IS NOTHING THERE, knock this crap off and get a hold of yourself."
As I am telling this to my wife, I feel something and "ARRRRRRRRRGHHHHHHHH! THERE IS SOMETHING THERE!" I rip off my pants, and sure enough, that damned big ugly bug had flown UP MY FRIKKING PANT LEG!
I know the old saying about keeping enemies close, but this was ridiculous. I then spent the next fifteen minutes hunting it down, and DID NOT MISS again.
An alien or a big big spider.
See #83. I give more detail there. There are a number of websites that sell “recluse bite kits.” I gather, grow and buy my own herbs though.
ROTFLOL Sounds like Murphy's Law was working overtime.
Were you too wound up to fall asleep after that? That's how those bedtime surprises work out for me.
In retrospect, what was really hilarious about it was my wife’s reaction to it. She had no idea what I was doing, and finally after all that time had piped up to ask me what the heck I was doing with all the banging, huffing and indiscriminate flashlight beams going in every direction when suddenly I started frantically ripping my pants off being married to somebody for any length of time always has the capability of new discovery, and I think for a few seconds my wife really set up and wondered what she got herself into :-)
Dangit! Now I’ve got the creeps before bed, and I live in Washington State, and I have seen MANY of these. Crap! I HATE SPIDERS!!! Hubby had one JUMP OFF THE WALL onto his ARM in the middle of the night one time. Said he woke up, saw it on the wall and thought...no way can that be in here when Shawna wakes up! (I love my husband, BTW!! :) ) Told me the next morning about it JUMPING off the wall onto his arm, still freaked me out, but was glad I wasn’t awake!
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