Brown Recluse Spider in Northern Virginia? (vanity)

myself | 6/1/2005 | Pyro7480

[Red Badger]

And in "outhouses"......

[wtc911]

Speaking of deadly bugs, how come you never hear about the "killer bees" anymore? Did they just go away or disappear through interbreeding with the other bees?

-------------------------------------

They killed the guy who was working on the story.

[theFIRMbss]

>I was going to joke about how this might be a bad effect of "global warming," but theFIRMbss beat me to that! ;-)

I was just joking!
In fact, today I'm buying
my brother this book!

[LesbianThespianGymnasticMidget]

I've told several of my girlfriends that the brown recluse comes in the house for water and that most people get bit on the butt because the spiders are often on the underside of the toilet seat. That's why I always make sure to put the seat up after use so they won't get bit. That ends the bitching about leaving the seat up.

Brilliant, simply brilliant. My hats off to you!!

[lafroste]

Wow. That's a pretty serious looking progression. Did he lose his thumb? I killed a brown recluse last summer, I think I will re-check the house.

[bonfire]

I lived in TX for 11 years and I NEVER killed spider without checking it out w/a magnifying glass first. Brown recluse are difficult to identify without the aid of magnification.

[marty60]

KILL them. The nasty little buggers can cause serious problems. Maybe it hitched a ride with someone that moved from TX.

[Shery]

Years ago they started migrating east with retirees from California, where they originate. My husband was bitten by one...and I just happened to have the medication of choice on hand. IM Decadron. It is a steroid. The doctor then gave him oral preparations to make sure, as his bite was in the groin area. He changed into work clothes in order to paint. The spider was waiting in the workclothes! Nice surprise!

[Tennessee_Bob]

I count my blessings on that bite - apparently, I'm not as sensitive to the venom as some are. Of course, I about died at sick call the next day. MD took a look at the bite, asked about the circumstances and announces "You were bit by a black widow. Unfortunately, there's nothing we can do for you now."

I asked him "What do you mean? Am I going to die or what?"

He looks surprised and tells me that if I had come in the day it happened, they could have done this, that, and the other thing - all they could do now was some antibiotics and put me on quarters for two days.

Talk about needing to work on your bedside manner...

[Born Conservative]

I've heard that they can be found as north as Maryland.

They are also in Pennsylvania. The bite is called the "patriotic bite"; it's red, white, and blue (seriously).

[processing please hold]

I'm not looking this early. My stomach is still churning from those other pictures. I'll bookmark and look after I've had all my coffee.

The Dr. kept telling him how lucky he was. I quess some people have a better immune system than others.

Thanks for the link.

[theFIRMbss]

>Speaking of deadly bugs, how come you never hear about the "killer bees" anymore?

When Belushi died,
killer bees stopped being fun.
Now they're just more bugs.

[newsgatherer]

Wow, that is gross, I never realized they were that nasty.

Thanks
Jake

[MamaTexan]

Are the bites always really really bad, or do some people just react to it worse than others?

The effects must vary. Just like any toxin, some people have dangerous reaction, while others are hardly fazed.

My husband falls in the 'hardly fazed' category. He's always getting bitten by all types of spiders. Black widow, brown recluse, etc., and all he gets is a small, tender lump that goes away in a few days.

One of the single biggest things you can do to avoid being bitten is to remove everything from your bed frame and clean the rail and any other nooks and crannies around the bed. Vacuum under the bed and wash your bedclothes regularly, making sure to turn the pillowcases inside out.

Brown recluse are nocturnal and actually quite shy. Their favorite hiding/feeding places are dark one that are rarely disturbed, since they eat soft bodied insects like cockroaches.

That's why one of the most common times to be bitten is while your sleeping.

[theFIRMbss]

>Maybe it hitched a ride with someone that moved from TX

Yeah, I knew it was
only a matter of time
before they blamed BUSH!

[Pyro7480]

Hmm, I see spiders like that all the time. They could be just regular spiders though. I catch them when I see them, and release them back outside.

[kAcknor]

Did he lose his thumb?

Don't know. I found the link via Google. ;) Those aren't the worst I've seen however.

The skin is pretty thin on the back of the thumb, and as long as the tendon is OK, a graft might repair the area. Sure going to leave a mark though...

[newsgatherer]

It isn't global warming to balme, it is George Bush, why jsut ask anoyne over at du or even herr doctor, "I never did and abortion, I only interened in an abortion mill", dean.