Spider Bites Can Be Deadly But Not All Of Them Are!

Getting bitten by a spider can be very scary; especially if you don’t know what kind of spider it was! The good news is spiders are mostly non-confrontational. When people are bitten by a spider its generally accidental like rolling over on it in your sleep or brush up against it in an attic. The feeding pattern of most spiders is making a web and waiting for their prey. And, the spiders most common found in the home are too small to break the skin or their venom is not strong enough to hurt a human.

Our reading has shown that most spider bites are actually bites from other types of bugs; not really spider bites! Those spiders are getting a bad rap.

The small percentage that are real spider bites can be dangerous in it was a venomous spider. The initial pain from spider bites is at the location of the wound. Pain from the bite varies depending on if it is a venomous spider or not. Non-venomous spider bites cause pain or discomfort for anywhere between 5 minutes to an hour. Many people say it is somewhat similar to a bee sting. Spider bites from a venomous spider cause pain for more than that. Spiders are not known for transmitting diseases like mosquitos.

What to do if you are bitten by a spider:

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• Clean the bite with soap and water
• Use ice or an ice pack to help with swelling
• Take Tylenol or Benedryl products to reduce symptoms of discomfort
• Catch the spider and bring to with you in a sealed container to the doctors office
• If you are bitten on an arm or leg, wrap a tight bandage (not so tight you cut off circulation) above the wound to restrict the flow of venom
• If symptoms do not improve in 24 hours or if there is redness, puss, circles, red line leading away from bite a black spot in the center seek medical attention

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Venomous Spiders of the South

Image courtesy of Wikipedia

The two main concerns for spider bites in the South are the Brown Recluse and the Black Widow. The brown recluse spider is often found living happily undisturbed in your attic, basement or crawlspace. They come in contact with humans when they go into the brown recluse’s nesting area. These spiders are brown with a violin marking on their heads. They also have 6 equal sized eyes. Read more about the brown recluse spider here. The other spider found here in Tennessee is the black widow. These spiders can be found in your attic, basement, garage or crawlspace and outdoors. The female black widow is the more dangerous one. She has a black exterior with a red hourglass marking on her stomach. These spiders generally attack if feeling threatened or if their web is disturbed. Spider bites by black widows are less common than brown recluse. To find out more about black widow spiders click here.

Image courtesy of Wikipedia