Extreme case of brown recluse spiders

[paperdyer]

I was bit by a Brown Reclusive a few years back. Spent 3 nights in the hospital. They didn't know what was wrong with me. They sent in a specialist. He said it was a tic bite. I said, it's getting bigger and eating away my flesh. It's a brown bite. No, we don't have them in Jersey. I said, I was bit by one in NY in the 70's. It almost killed me. What you think they haven't mastered train travel? No, it's a tic. Hey, you the specialist I live in the middle of nowhere on several acres. Some of them are so big their community has a zip code. Tics, there isn't a tic that hasn't taken a bite our of me. Nothing happened. I now have a major circular scar that the police can use to ID me if my body if found in a ditch. Maybe I should thank the big bad brown.

My wife was bit by a brown and was almost hospitalized. She developed this huge area from her shin half way to her knee. It would just keep breaking open and draining while spreading. The doctor told her to do pretty much what she was doing herself i.e. keep it clean, put compresses on it, etc. I don't remember it finally stated clearing up or the doctor game her something. To this day the area on her leg is discolored and sensitive to any type of irritation. So I'm will Midnight Lady and Paladin. Kill them all.

[Sakari]

My wife was bit by a brown and was almost hospitalized. She developed this huge area from her shin half way to her knee. It would just keep breaking open and draining while spreading. The doctor told her to do pretty much what she was doing herself i.e. keep it clean, put compresses on it, etc. I don't remember it finally stated clearing up or the doctor game her something. To this day the area on her leg is discolored and sensitive to any type of irritation. So I'm will Midnight Lady and Paladin. Kill them all.

I will ask you the same question I asked the person you quoted . ( who does now say, they do not know what, or if they were bitten )

Did anyone witness the spider bite her, and did anyone keep it and have it verified to be a brown recluse?

I take it you did not read the entire thread.....

Your wife was not bitten by a brown recluse, this is just another urban legend/hoax that gets spread. At least the blaming of a brown recluse.

I like a new word I saw on this site...... " Fear Porn "

[WoIverine]

Wow, holy crap, they just need to move everybody out of there and tent the place for 6 months...that'd probably do it.

[Mikenator]

Great now I have to strip naked and dive in a pool so my skin will stop quivering

[Q-C]

Your wife was not bitten by a brown recluse, this is just another urban legend/hoax that gets spread. At least the blaming of a brown recluse.

I realize brown recluse are blamed for bites for which they are not responsible, but they can cause necrosis (as can other spiders) so how do you know she wasn't bitten by a recluse spider?

Possibly not? I agree.

But "she was not bitten by a brown recluse"? With no evidence to the contrary either, it's impossible to say this with 100% certainty, is it not?

[Q-C]

[media=]

[/media]

"Don't try this at home." WTH?

[XenoFish]

My dad was bit by one, he still has a dent in his leg from it. I'm not afraid of spiders but I don't like them in any way. Now if it was snakes, I'd burned the house down. I hate snakes.

[Sakari]

I realize brown recluse are blamed for bites for which they are not responsible, but they can cause necrosis (as can other spiders) so how do you know she wasn't bitten by a recluse spider?

Possibly not? I agree.

But "she was not bitten by a brown recluse"? With no evidence to the contrary either, it's impossible to say this with 100% certainty, is it not?

After all of the reading I have done ( most of it is on this topic ), It seems that people blame being bitten by one when it is something else ( infection from bites, scratch, etc. ) is the more likely scenario.

Unless someone feels the bite, sees the spider, gets confirmation it is a brown recluse ( keeps the spider and takes to Doctor ), they have no idea what it was. They read the horror stories ( exagerated stories ) and assume they have been bitten by one. Even Doctors are saying it is a bite from one, without knowing.

Bites from brown recluse spiders do not typically cause body-wide or systemic reactions. The venom itself does not cause infection. Instead, the open wound creates an entry point into the body for bacteria. The only way to confirm that a spider or insect is responsible is if the specimen is captured and identified.

Ok, I will say " most likely " not from a brown recluse. Only because they are in parts of North Carolina.

Now, if someone states they saw the spider, kept the spider, and had it identified......Then I will believe them.

edit to add ( from a story from Montana University stating the Montana Boy very unlikely bitten by brown recluse.....

Reactions to the toxin in the venom delivered from the brown recluse bite mimic several other types of medical issues, including bacterial infections, chemical and allergic reactions, lymphoma and other conditions. The spider is often erroneously blamed for bacterial-caused rashes and lesions that have nothing to do with spiders or spider bites but, rather, are caused by some other wound or puncture that allows bacteria to enter the body.

Edited October 18, 2014 by Sakari

[Q-C]

After all of the reading I have done ( most of it is on this topic ), It seems that people blame being bitten by one when it is something else ( infection from bites, scratch, etc. ) is the more likely scenario.

Unless someone feels the bite, sees the spider, gets confirmation it is a brown recluse ( keeps the spider and takes to Doctor ), they have no idea what it was. They read the horror stories ( exagerated stories ) and assume they have been bitten by one. Even Doctors are saying it is a bite from one, without knowing.

Ok, I will say " most likely " not from a brown recluse. Only because they are in parts of North Carolina.

Now, if someone states they saw the spider, kept the spider, and had it identified......Then I will believe them.

I am familiar with your info on the brown recluse (post #3), being a spider phobe and all (though not so much lately). I was just questioning your 100% certainty. I didn't know she was bitten in North Carolina.

[Sakari]

I am familiar with your info on the brown recluse (post #3), being a spider phobe and all (though not so much lately). I was just questioning your 100% certainty. I didn't know she was bitten in North Carolina.

You were right. I should not have made it sound 100%, not when a Brown Recluse does really exist......That is why i changed it

[seaturtlehorsesnake]

since we're sharing stories, i've got one! a few years back, i got a really nasty swelling on my calf. it was extremely painful, enough that i had difficulty standing. so i went to a doctor, and the doctor diagnosed it as a possible spider bite that had become infected.

however: he only said possibly. he thought there were two small punctures, but it was too swollen to be sure. and he also emphasized that the swelling came from the infection, not from the spider. and he really emphasized that it was not a brown recluse bite, because we don't have them where i live, and they aren't exactly aggresive biters in the first place.

i think that's the sort of thing sakari is talking about (please let me know if i'm wrong), that so many things that are reported as brown recluse bites do not actually have much evidence that they are brown recluse bites. and the things that people report as bites can often have a number of other causes.

[Sakari]

since we're sharing stories, i've got one! a few years back, i got a really nasty swelling on my calf. it was extremely painful, enough that i had difficulty standing. so i went to a doctor, and the doctor diagnosed it as a possible spider bite that had become infected.

however: he only said possibly. he thought there were two small punctures, but it was too swollen to be sure. and he also emphasized that the swelling came from the infection, not from the spider. and he really emphasized that it was not a brown recluse bite, because we don't have them where i live, and they aren't exactly aggresive biters in the first place.

i think that's the sort of thing sakari is talking about (please let me know if i'm wrong), that so many things that are reported as brown recluse bites do not actually have much evidence that they are brown recluse bites. and the things that people report as bites can often have a number of other causes.

Or no evidence at all......

Exactly

Looks like I am some kind of Greenpeace activist to save the Brown Recluse. It is not that, I just have a thing with false information, and fear porn. ( love that )

Kind of like all of the fake things you see on facebook that people keep sharing, without researching first. People seem to believe everything they read anymore.

Edited October 18, 2014 by Sakari

[snop1x]

holly fck... i hate spiders.i once had to throw wet toilet paper on the door of my bathroom to hit a spider so i could come out.if i see a spider in my house i can't even sleep if my sister , mother or father can't find it and kill it. i know it's a little excessive but i don't have control over it. the only advise i can give is : BURN THE HOUSE DOWN , SAVE HUMANITY

[MidnightLady]

With thousands of spiders in their home, makes me wonder.

Spiders need a food source......

What could possibly keep thousands of spiders healthy, inside a house?

Gross!!!!

I read somewhere that if we didn't have birds and spiders our planet would be over run with insects. So I try to be understanding when the birds wake me up in the morning and a spider is living in the corner of a room. I really don't like to kill things but wasp nest just have to go. Question: does anyone know if they serve a purpose?

[MidnightLady]

I had to clean myself after reading this for the first time the other day, and there it goes again, need to change again. HOLY ****!!

Did you ever see the "Bones" episode where thousands of spiders came out of an encased body and Cam says," I now have to change my cloths and maybe burn my hair?" I could relate!

[MidnightLady]

You have a favorite one?

Yes, all the (fake) spiders in "Eight Legged Freaks"

[MidnightLady]

My wife was bit by a brown and was almost hospitalized. She developed this huge area from her shin half way to her knee. It would just keep breaking open and draining while spreading. The doctor told her to do pretty much what she was doing herself i.e. keep it clean, put compresses on it, etc. I don't remember it finally stated clearing up or the doctor game her something. To this day the area on her leg is discolored and sensitive to any type of irritation. So I'm will Midnight Lady and Paladin. Kill them all.

I suppose I have to be sensible and agree with others that maybe I wasn't bit by a Brown, but I was bitten twice by something awful and generally I am not affected. I too have a scar and scared to have it happen again. So if you think something is way out of the norm don't do what I did. Get medical treatment as soon as you can.

[MidnightLady]

I realize brown recluse are blamed for bites for which they are not responsible, but they can cause necrosis (as can other spiders) so how do you know she wasn't bitten by a recluse spider?

Possibly not? I agree.

But "she was not bitten by a brown recluse"? With no evidence to the contrary either, it's impossible to say this with 100% certainty, is it not?

Good response. We figured that it came from a blanket I pulled out of the closed that has not been used in over a year. Next time, laundry first, warmth second.

[Sakari]

I read somewhere that if we didn't have birds and spiders our planet would be over run with insects. So I try to be understanding when the birds wake me up in the morning and a spider is living in the corner of a room. I really don't like to kill things but wasp nest just have to go. Question: does anyone know if they serve a purpose?

Everything serves a purpose. ( except politicians )....

Speaking in very general terms, wasps do a lot of good, actually. The term "wasp" is used to describe thousands of species within the order Hymenoptera. These include: the parasitic wasps, like ichneumonids and braconids; hunting wasps, like mud daubers, digger wasps, and spiders wasps; and pollinators like the fig wasps. As a group, wasps provide extraordinarily important ecological services, including pollination, predation, and parasitism. Put simply, without wasps we would be overrun with insect pests, and we would have no Fig Newtons.

I suspect, however, that you weren't thinking about things like fig wasps when you started wondering why we need wasps. You were probably aggravated by the yellowjackets hanging around your garbage cans, or terrified by the huge hornets' nest you just discovered in the shrub near your pool. We take notice of the social wasps because they build visible nests, often close to our own homes, and because they will defend these nests aggressively. How about these stinging social wasps? Do they serve any good purpose?

Paper wasps, hornets, and yellowjackets all belong to the same family, the Vespidae. These social wasps share the ability to construct their nests of wood fibers, which are carefully chewed into pulp by the wasps and molded into paper.

Hornets and paper wasps prey on other insects, and help keep pest insect populations under control. Paper wasps carry caterpillars and leaf beetle larvae back to their nests to feed their growing young. Hornets provision their nests with all manner of live insects to sate the appetites of their developing larvae. It takes a lot of bugs to feed a hungry brood. Both hornets and paper wasps provide vital pest control services.

Researchers at the University of Florence recently discovered another important role of both hornets and paper wasps – they carry yeast cells in their guts! Yeast is used to make bread, beer, and wine, but we know very little about how yeast lives in the wild. The University of Florence researchers found that wasps and hornets feed on late season grapes, which are rich in wild yeast. The yeast survives the winter in the stomachs of hibernating queen wasps, and is passed on to their offspring when the mother wasps regurgitate food for their young. The new generation of wasps carries the yeast back to the next season's grapes. So raise your glass to the wasps and hornets!

Yellowjackets don't get quite as much credit for being beneficial, although they should. Yellowjackets mostly scavenge dead insects to feed their offspring. We do need these services, too, of course. What would the world be like if all the dead bugs just piled up? Unfortunately, their scavenging habits and their love of sugar puts them in close proximity to people, which almost never ends well for the yellowjacket or the person.

http://insects.about.com/od/antsbeeswasps/f/What-Good-Are-Wasps.htm

Spiders are very beneficial, and spiders in your house ( not infestations ) keep bugs out of your house. I do not like spiders either, have been bit by a black widow ( yes, I saw it, it was squished partially on my elbow ). I never kill them though, as much as they give me the heevy geebies.

I suppose I have to be sensible and agree with others that maybe I wasn't bit by a Brown, but I was bitten twice by something awful and generally I am not affected. I too have a scar and scared to have it happen again. So if you think something is way out of the norm don't do what I did. Get medical treatment as soon as you can.

Good advice!

[MidnightLady]

Everything serves a purpose. ( except politicians )....

Speaking in very general terms, wasps do a lot of good, actually. The term "wasp" is used to describe thousands of species within the order Hymenoptera. These include: the parasitic wasps, like ichneumonids and braconids; hunting wasps, like mud daubers, digger wasps, and spiders wasps; and pollinators like the fig wasps. As a group, wasps provide extraordinarily important ecological services, including pollination, predation, and parasitism. Put simply, without wasps we would be overrun with insect pests, and we would have no Fig Newtons.

I suspect, however, that you weren't thinking about things like fig wasps when you started wondering why we need wasps. You were probably aggravated by the yellowjackets hanging around your garbage cans, or terrified by the huge hornets' nest you just discovered in the shrub near your pool. We take notice of the social wasps because they build visible nests, often close to our own homes, and because they will defend these nests aggressively. How about these stinging social wasps? Do they serve any good purpose?

Paper wasps, hornets, and yellowjackets all belong to the same family, the Vespidae. These social wasps share the ability to construct their nests of wood fibers, which are carefully chewed into pulp by the wasps and molded into paper.

Hornets and paper wasps prey on other insects, and help keep pest insect populations under control. Paper wasps carry caterpillars and leaf beetle larvae back to their nests to feed their growing young. Hornets provision their nests with all manner of live insects to sate the appetites of their developing larvae. It takes a lot of bugs to feed a hungry brood. Both hornets and paper wasps provide vital pest control services.

Researchers at the University of Florence recently discovered another important role of both hornets and paper wasps – they carry yeast cells in their guts! Yeast is used to make bread, beer, and wine, but we know very little about how yeast lives in the wild. The University of Florence researchers found that wasps and hornets feed on late season grapes, which are rich in wild yeast. The yeast survives the winter in the stomachs of hibernating queen wasps, and is passed on to their offspring when the mother wasps regurgitate food for their young. The new generation of wasps carries the yeast back to the next season's grapes. So raise your glass to the wasps and hornets!

Yellowjackets don't get quite as much credit for being beneficial, although they should. Yellowjackets mostly scavenge dead insects to feed their offspring. We do need these services, too, of course. What would the world be like if all the dead bugs just piled up? Unfortunately, their scavenging habits and their love of sugar puts them in close proximity to people, which almost never ends well for the yellowjacket or the person.

http://insects.about.com/od/antsbeeswasps/f/What-Good-Are-Wasps.htm

Spiders are very beneficial, and spiders in your house ( not infestations ) keep bugs out of your house. I do not like spiders either, have been bit by a black widow ( yes, I saw it, it was squished partially on my elbow ). I never kill them though, as much as they give me the heevy geebies.

Good advice!

Thank you for all of that amazing information. I choose to believe that everything no matter how great or small has a propose. Wasp though had me confused and everyone I asked didn't have an answer.I am putting your post on file for future reference. We have many varieties of trees here in the woods and it astounds me how fast the paper wasp can build the most fascinating of homes. Sadly they are destroyed as soon as they are discovered since we have children and critters in residence. I wish they could just be moved but no one wants to get involved with that.

[Sakari]

Thank you for all of that amazing information. I choose to believe that everything no matter how great or small has a propose. Wasp though had me confused and everyone I asked didn't have an answer.I am putting your post on file for future reference. We have many varieties of trees here in the woods and it astounds me how fast the paper wasp can build the most fascinating of homes. Sadly they are destroyed as soon as they are discovered since we have children and critters in residence. I wish they could just be moved but no one wants to get involved with that.

Here is what I do not get.....If the nests are not where kids can get to them, leave them alone. They are not going to go attack anyone.

Actually, maybe teach the kids what to look for, and tell them to leave it alone.

Edited October 18, 2014 by Sakari

[MidnightLady]

Here is what I do not get.....If the nests are not where kids can get to them, leave them alone. They are not going to go attack anyone.

Actually, maybe teach the kids what to look for, and tell them to leave it alone.

I agree with you but the last one we found was about 10 inches off the ground in a pine tree. I was completely shocked. The kids and cats love to get under the trees. This did look dangerous.

[+Hammerclaw]

I read somewhere that if we didn't have birds and spiders our planet would be over run with insects. So I try to be understanding when the birds wake me up in the morning and a spider is living in the corner of a room. I really don't like to kill things but wasp nest just have to go. Question: does anyone know if they serve a purpose?

They eat caterpillars that infest your garden and plants, but are too potentially harmful to leave on your house or porch as their sting is painful and can cause an allergic reaction once you've been sensitised by the first sting. Edited October 18, 2014 by Hammerclaw

[Sakari]

I agree with you but the last one we found was about 10 inches off the ground in a pine tree. I was completely shocked. The kids and cats love to get under the trees. This did look dangerous.

My wife " made " me take a couple down off the back deck in Oregon when we lived there. I know what you mean.

[seaturtlehorsesnake]

Looks like I am some kind of Greenpeace activist to save the Brown Recluse. It is not that, I just have a thing with false information, and fear porn. ( love that )

Kind of like all of the fake things you see on facebook that people keep sharing, without researching first. People seem to believe everything they read anymore.

personally, i'm pretty passionate about defending all spiders. even the most dangerous of spiders don't do a fraction of a fraction of the harm that say, mosquitos do. and spiders can eat mosquitos! spiders aren't the enemy of people, they're our allies.

spiders are our friends, people.