Brown recluse bite treatment, environment and location, serious bites but limited range read and share

Native to the United States, known as the fiddle back spider, the brown fiddler or the violin spider due to markings on the back resembling a fiddle or violin. The Brown Recluse Spider is one of two spiders native to the U.S. with venom that is toxic to the point of in the case of being bitten needs medical attention. (The other spider is the Black Widow.) Although common among the spiders the violin pattern is not a definitive sign to identify the spider, other spiders such as the cellar and pirate spiders also share a violin shaped marking on their back. Examination of the eyes is the only way to identify the brown recluse spider, most spiders have eight eyes, the brown recluse (as well as other recluse spiders) have six eyes arraigned in pairs, one median pair and one lateral pair.

This is the Brown Recluse Spider, small
package strong venom.

A few other spider species have three pairs of eyes arraigned similarly. Covered with hair they have the appearance of being covered with soft fur, joints in the legs sometimes appear in a lighter color. They possess no consistent coloring patterns that would normally be used to identify spiders as a brown recluse, adding to the confusion and the reason people describe them differently. (OSHA has a good paper on them here.)
  Brown recluse spider eggs are contained in sacs, the female lays her egg sacs over an extended period of one to three months always in the spring from May to July. In each sac is approximately 50 eggs hatching in about one month. Baby brown recluse spiders grow to adulthood in about one year and have lived in a controlled environment for as long as five years. In fact they are so hardy and resilient they are able to survive extended droughts and lack of food, during a five season period a brown recluse lived the entire time with no food. They are shy creatures, from the stories we hear it doesn't seem to be the case however it is. When threatened they usually run away rapidly appearing to avoid any conflict, when further threatened they will "play dead". They don't run very fast, a nice steady
even paced gait with it's legs extended is it's preferred way to travel. Even if they are missing one leg or more they move with the same measured and steady pace.

They actually live in a fairly limited area of the USA, look a likes
in the western states, none in the Northern tier states.   

  They build irregular webs, very disorderly the webs normally include a shabby looking thread tunnel. The brown recluse lives in woodpiles, sheds, compost piles, fences, and other dry and private places. They prefer rotting tree bark to most environments, and when none is available the spiders favor cardboard, the common thought is because cardboard mimics their favored rotten bark. When in the house shoes, dressers, couches, under beds, inside work gloves even in toilets, they are extremely adaptable creatures. Females have a tendency to remain close to their nests while the males do all of their hunting in the dark. Their primary source of food is small soft bodied insects such as crickets, cockroaches and fire brats.
  Native from Texas to Georgia and Kentucky they range south of a line drawn from Nebraska through southern Iowa, Illinois, Indiana to southwestern Ohio. Contrary to common knowledge the Brown Recluse has not extended it's habitat outside of that region, it's natural habitat. That means there are none in California, Oregon or other southwestern states. The confusion comes from there existing in these states a "look a like" they have never been identified as being medically significant. Included in a nation wide study it was found out of 581 reports from the state of California of brown recluse bites only 1 actually was. Although "none existent" in some states they do sometimes catch a ride in various ways and end up in an area they are not native to. The one case that was identified as an actual brown recluse bite was from a family recently relocated from Missouri, it is suspected that spider caught a ride to coast with them. There are many cases of mis-identification, due to their color variations, if ever in dought a person should seek medical attention. The incidents of brown recluse spider bites as reported from the states of Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma were found to be between 75% and 90% occurrences, indicating well established populations.
  Brown recluse bite symptoms, initially the bite is not painful however it can be very serious due to the deadly hemotoxic venom it employs, it must be noted most bites are minor with no side effects. A certain amount of bites do produce severe lesions on the skin, some cause severe skin injury. As a non aggressive spider the bites mostly occur when the recluse is forced into contact with the skin, such as upon putting on a shirt or pair of trousers while the Brown Recluse in tangled in them. The brown recluse bite symptoms are much the same as other poisonous insects commonly they include: nausea, vomiting, fever, rashes as well as muscle and joint pain, rarely such bites cause organ damage or death. The brown recluse bite treatment after medical treatment seems a little brutal, the bite forms an open wound due to the soft tissue destruction taking months to heal, often leaving severe scaring. Becoming painful and itchy within the first 8 hours, the pain and effects will get worse within 36 hours after the bite, necrosis will develop over the next few days. The effects of the bite make it grow to as large as 12 inches, normally becoming gangrene and then falling off. After the initial medical treatment there is not a lot that can be done, keep the bite clean and covered with fresh wound dressings. Brown recluse bite treatment begins with first aid, place an ice pack on the bite to control swelling and inflammation, then immediately seek medical care. Bring the spider with you if you can capture it, place it in a clear container with a secure closure. As stated above most bites do not respond to treatment successfully making the wounds self limiting and allowed to heal on their own.
 

Typical Brown Recluse web and tunnel nest, she will
build a flimsy door of silk thread to finish it.

There are recorded cases of houses that have been infested with the brown recluse spider with no one being bitten, even after years of exposure. Safety precautions should be adhered to when living in their environment, gloves, enclosed shoes, long pants, long sleeves and eye protection. The brown recluse will not bite if not forced into it, if you are bitten on the hand while wearing gloves the fangs are so short they cannot penetrate the leather. prior to dressing inspect shoes, socks, trousers and other clothing, shake out each one. Your chances are low for being bitten, if you wear protective clothing it is reduced more, merely being cautious and observant will go a long way in keeping you safe. Further discussion of bites can be read here, there is a picture of a bite wound, it's a mild photo, some wounds are very upsetting looking, they can be seen on Google images.
  Thanks for reading, leave a comment, suggestion or story I'd like to hear from you.

jacquesandkate  emergencykitsplus.com