Spiders
- Spiders are arachnids and have two body segments, eight legs, no antennae and a pair of chelicerae, or fangs.
- Spiders are actually beneficial since they eat insects and other arthropods.
- All spiders have poison glands, but not all of their poisons react with our body chemistry in such a way that is detrimental to our health. A non-poisonous spider may bite people and reddening and swelling may occur.
- Poisonous spiders that are located in this area are the black widow and brown recluse.
Some of their species include:
 |
 |
A. Black Widow Spider
- These spiders are black with red of orange markings on the underside of the abdomen. The marking is often in the shape of an hourglass.
- Females are about ½ an inch in length while males are about ¼ an inch in length.
- Most of the time, the female black widow will consume the male after mating.
- The female will create an egg sac that contains around 300-400 eggs. She will be more likely to bite if she has just created the egg sac since this uses a lot of her energy and she will be hungry.
- Black widows' a venom is a neurotoxin - the venom will go into your nervous system. Usually, there is no reaction at the site of the bite. Fatalities from a black widow bite are rare, but small children and the elderly are at highest risk. When first bitten, the bite may not be noticed or feel as if you're being poked with a pin. This may be followed by a dull pain and cramps, often in the abdomen. As symptoms progress, one may experience sweating, weakness, nausea, vomiting and tremors. A victim may also undergo difficulty in breathing.
|
 |
|
B. Brown Recluse Spider
- Brown recluse spiders are tan with a dark brown fiddle-shaped marking on their cephalothorax.
- They are fairly small spiders, only reaching ¼ to ½ of an inch in length.
- These spiders are typically found outside in debris, wood piles or under bark, stones or logs. They can be located indoors, usually in storage areas such as closets or attics.
- Brown recluses are nocturnal. They feed upon insects that are soft-bodied such as cockroaches, silverfish or crickets.
- Bites to humans generally occur when a spider gets into shoes or clothing or crawls into bedding. Brown recluse venom causes necrosis, or tissue death, at the site of the bite. The effects are usually localized. The initial bite is usually painless, but a burning sensation develops at the site in about 30-60 minutes. The bite site will begin to redden and enlarge. A blister full of pus will form in the center of the bite. Generally within 12-24 hours after the bite occurred, the victim will experience fever, nausea and vomiting. The tissue around the bite is killed and secondary infection may develop.
|
Return to Pest Library »
