The brown recluse spider earned its name from its reclusive personality. It prefers to be undisturbed, so it typically lives in dark corners and also under furniture, boxes and books. Versus other spiders, it is shy and nonaggressive when it comes to confrontation. If it feels threatened enough, it will bite humans and animals. Its web is very irregular and loose, resembling that of a funnel. Its thread is significantly stickier than other arachnids. The web is only built as a daytime retreat to hide from predators and as an egg holder. These spiders are very resilient and can survive six months without food or water. It’s quite nocturnal, hidden in its lair during the daytime and roaming its environment at night for prey. The most distinguishable mark on the brown recluse spider is the violin-shaped pattern on top of its abdomen. Most spiders have eight eyes, and brown recluse spiders have six eyes arranged in pairs (with one median pair and two lateral pairs).

Over half of brown recluse spider bites are dry bites, meaning that no venom is injected and nothing immediately happens to the victim. More times than not, the victim does not even realize that they have been bitten at all. Typically, when venom is injected, the victim will experience an immediate redness which develops around the bite then begins to disappear within a few hours. Very often, the bite appears to look and feel no worse than that of a mosquito, until it blisters in the center. Within 24 to 36 hours, the blister breaks open, leaving an oozing ulceration. This ulceration ‘scabs’ over within three weeks from the initial bite, leaving a permanent scar. If the bite is delivered into fatty tissue, the lesion may be very deep and extensive, not healing for over two or three years. In extreme cases where the bite is not taken care of early, skin graft, amputation and the possibility of bone marrow failure may occur. It is imperative to immediately see a medical professional if you believe to have been bitten by a brown recluse spider.

If you believe that a brown recluse spider has set up shelter in your home or business, contact the experts at Solidified Pest Control today!