[cardinal4]

Ugh, what a way to go..

[from occupied ga]

Spray more insecticide!

[thackney]

ping

[Tammy8]

Years ago a recluse bit me on my thigh...ended up with a hole I could put my fist in before it finally healed. I can only imagine how bad it would be to get bit neck/head/face.

[jocon307]

It may be rare to die of this, but as we see even from the comments here this is a very dangerous creature.

I think they are found throughout the US.

[trisham]

"The native range lies roughly south of a line from southeastern Nebraska through southern Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana to southwestern Ohio. In the southern states, it is native from central Texas to western Georgia and north to Kentucky.

Despite rumors to the contrary, the brown recluse spider has not established itself in California nor anywhere outside its native range. Over the last century, occasional spiders have been intercepted in various states where they have no known established populations; these spiders may be transported fairly easily, though the lack of established populations well outside the natural range also indicates that such movement has not led to colonization of new areas, after decades of opportunities.
Note that the occurrence of brown recluses in a single building (such as a warehouse) outside of the native range is not considered a successful colonization; such single-building populations can occur (e.g., several such cases in Florida, but do not spread, and can be easily eradicated."

Source: Wikipedia

[Paradox]

This woman I know, got bit by one on her leg.. the abscess was nasty, but the WORST part was, during treatment for it, she contracted MRSA. It ate away half the tissue in her leg. Nearly lost her leg and her life.

talk about bad luck

[Nifster]

the brown recluse is a nasty little beast

[SWAMPSNIPER]

Worst bite I ever had, worse than a pygmy rattler. I ended up with a secondary infection in my mastoid sinuses that kept me sick for almost a year.

[AlexW]

I lived with many brown recluse spiders in west Tennessee.
My last home and business was an old 2 story school building
that was full of them. The recluse is also known as a “fiddle back” because of the violin shape mark on its back.
It looks like any small common spider.
When bitten, one will see a small blister which will, within a short time, collapse and create a volcano shaped blister. You will not likely feel anything when it bites you.
It is imperative that you get immediate treatment, consisting of massive doses of cortisone by injections. If untreated, the bight will begin to rot the skin around it, often requiring plastic surgery.
The spider was unknown in many areas, such as Tennessee, prior to the 1970s, or so. It has spread across the US in shipping shipping cartons, as people move from state to state.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

I have heard stories and read testimonies from people who swear by a cure they used for a Brown Recluse spider bite.

It sounds odd and painful but apparently it does work.

It involves an electrical charge passed through the site of the wound. The most common way is to use the charge created by the start of a lawnmower. Remove the wire from the spark plug. Ground one side of the wound to the tip of the plug or body of the engine. The spark plug wire goes on the skin on the other side of the wound. A fast pull on the starter cord does the trick. Something about the low current/high voltage charge that destroys the venom...whether it's the enzymes in it that get zapped or something else, I don't know.

If ever I get bit I intend to try it immediately. Call me nuts but modern medical science has no cure. I would be looking to old time cures if it were me.

[grania]

Reading all of the anecdotes about brown recluse spider bite effects that have been posted in less than 15 minutes, I wonder how rare these problems are.

[native texan]

That is awful! I have an elderly brother in law (84) who lives in the Texas panhandle. My son & dau-in-law went by to check on him about 3 weeks ago and found his house FULL of the spiders...even in his bedroom under the bed! They called an exterminator out immediately to take care of the problem. He is an independant ol’ cuss and won’t have a housekeeper “because they might steal something.” No bites so far!

[cuban leaf]

I used to hate jumping spiders (the only spider that has ever bitten me and it was worse than a bee sting) but no more. I found out they are a natural predator to Brown Recluses.

Meanwhile I found four or five black widows on my property last year.

[ThomasMore]

[DCBryan1]

I bought my house 5 years ago and saw LOTs of black widows and brown recluses. WIth a pregnant wife, I declared war on them. CHEMICAL WARFARE! I used www.domyownpestcontrol.com and mix THIS in a 5:1 powder to water solution and use it as an exterior barrier spray. I use a 1:1 spray indoors. I have found dead field mice, lizards, skinks, and salamanders around my barrier. I haven't seen a spider in 5 years. DEMON WP is a GREAT product for SHTF pest control.

[Jed Eckert]

Sadly, not too many people are aware of the fact that you can easily neutralize the spider venom with a simple electric shock at the site of the bite. One of the lower voltage stun guns is ideal for this.

I have a friend who successfully used this on himself to treat a brown recluse bite and had absolutely no ill effects. As he told me it's half a second of pain (the shock) to avoid months of agony.

More info here: Electric Shock Treatment For Venomous Insect Bites

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

[Arthur McGowan]

I would NEVER have “dismissed” a bite from a spider “the size of a U.S. Quarter.” I would have been hysterical, and at the ER in minutes.

[OldNewYork]

Rest in peace.