Spiders | Brown Recluse Spiders | Ants | Fleas | Termites | Mice | Other Pests
Brown Recluse Spiders
“Can you come over right now, I have a Tarantula in my closet?” said one of my customers. Many people who call me, “Spiderman” are dealing with arachnophobia which is a dreadful fear of spiders. Part of overcoming this is understanding some of the facts about spiders.
There are over 3500 species of spiders in Kansas, yet only two are poisonous.
They are the Brown Recluse Spider and the Black Widow Spider. Many of the household spiders like the Wolf Spider will eat the Brown Recluse Spider, thus are like defenders of your castle “Home.” Understanding a little about them can help calm the fears of someone terrified of spiders. Having us come and exterminate spiders in your Wichita home can also alleviate your fears.
The Brown Recluse Spider can live 18-24 months and prefers to live in areas of a home that are secluded. Thus the name “Recluse.” They molt, shed their exoskeleton, five times before they are fully grown, and only get about as big as a fifty cent piece. So, the “Tarantula” my customer referred to was actually not a poisonous Brown Recluse Spider, but a non poisonous spider that was helping them control the poisonous ones. They usually come out at night and hunt for their food. The Brown Recluse Spider will eat dead or alive insects and sometimes even other Brown Recluse Spiders. Many people think the best way to identify them is the “Violin shaped” marking on top of them. While this can be helpful it is not always seen, especially on the young spiderlings.
A lot of people ask me if I have ever been bit, and I have not. The best thing to do for those who suspect they have been bitten would be to try and find the spider, elevate the affected body area, apply ice, and go to the doctor. There are many misdiagnosed bites because they do resemble other things like staff infections etc. So, having the spider to show the DR will help eliminate other possibilities. Applying the ice will slow the spreading of venom in ones body. These are some important tips in preventing Brown Recluse Spider bites.
Video - Brown Recluse Spider Bite
10 Things you can do to prevent
Brown Recluse spider bites
1. Make sure nothing on your bed comes in contact with the floor or the walls: such as dust ruffles, comforters, bed canopies, etc.
2. When picking up piles of dirty laundry don’t hug it to your body, the best thing is to pick it up piece by piece and put in laundry basket.
3. Wear gloves and long sleeve shirts or jacket when cleaning up in garages or basements.
4. Shake out shoes or clothing items that have been lying on the floor before putting them on.
5. Shake out sporting items like skates, baseball gloves and bike helmets before putting them on.
6. When moving or carrying firewood wear gloves and long sleeve shirt or jacket.
7. Be careful when unpacking items that have been stored for long periods of time, like Christmas items, especially items stored in cardboard boxes.
8. When possible store items in plastic storage boxes with tight fitting lids not in cardboard boxes.
9. When possible store items on shelves not on the floor.
10. Eliminate clutter!
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Spiders | Brown Recluse Spiders | Ants | Fleas | Termites | Mice | Other Pests
