Brown Recluse Spider in Northern Virginia? (vanity)

myself | 6/1/2005 | Pyro7480

[Pyro7480]

I share a duplex house with two other people. My room is the basement, while the other two live in rooms on the second floor. We share the living room, dining room, and kitchen on the first floor. Our house is just outside the DC Beltway in northern Virginia, south of Alexandria.

On Sunday, one of my roommates was apparently bitten by a brown recluse spider. She didn't get it looked at immediately, since she thought it was just a really bad pimple. By yesterday, however, it was quite apparent that something was wrong. She went to a doctor, and the diagnosis was confirmed, that she was bitten by a brown recluse. The doctor told her that they get a bunch of these in the summer months in the area.

I was under the impression that the brown recluse was only found in the south central region of the United States. Are they now prevalent enough in Virginia to cause the doctor to say such a thing? It doesn't make sense to me that she was bitten, most likely in her room on the second floor, while I haven't even seen anything that looks like a brown recluse spider in my basement room. You would think that something like that would more likely get into a basement than into a second floor room.

[SunkenCiv]

[4dogsnacat]

I have almost 1900 sq ft. Thursday I am bombing inside for 2496 sq ft. Underneath with 3 larger bombs and one in each shed and thinking of putting two in the big one just in case. I have used horse spray on spiders and they sure move out in a hurry. Also bee killer, the type that sprays 25 ft. Good for cleaning out an area you need to occupy or clean.Outdoors of course. I have read in this area that I should also get granules...thanks for that info. I dont do spiders.....may need to retrain the dogs to kill bugs....lol

[RinaseaofDs]

Necrotizing toxin. Flesh around the area of the wound dies. If left untreated it will continue to necrotize the limb.

[Darksheare]

Got a crawlspace anywhere?
Throw a couple fogger cans in there as well.
Just be sure ot wash all your dishes and such afterwards or you'll toxify yourself afterwards when you have dinner.
(Clean laundry should be put into some safe storage.)

[diamond6]

Oh my...........are those photos of your leg?

[Phantom Lord]

no. got em off the web.

[AlexW]

"How should I eliminate the threat of being bitten myself? Should I call an exterminator?"

Learn how to live with them. If you have them, you can not get rid of them. Exterminators have limited results.

They were new to the US in the 50s as they came in from the southwest..I am sure it must be Bush;s fault, haha
Just like Armadillos, they move further east and north every year.

I had them by the hundreds in my dwellings in rural west Tennessee.
It was very common to pick up an old magazine in a cardboard box, only to see one dash away. They do not reside in the light, and when exposed, they move very fast.
You will not see them in webs, but they do resemble the common web weaver spiders that are common in wall/celling corners.

I had only one friend that had a bite. She apparently got it from an old pair of work gloves under the sink.
I don't know about now, but the treatment then was massive doses of cortisone.

[diamond6]

Whoever that poor soul was.... oh my heart goes out to him. How gruesome.

[Leroy S. Mort]

Friend of mine who lives just west of Philadelphia got bitten by one. You do NOT want to see the pictures....