Spiders Spiders Everywhere (anyone notice more in Atlanta this year?)

[spacelord75]

Originally Posted by atlantagreg30127

Depending on how allergic of a reaction your body has to the bite, a Recluse can be worse than a Widow - in rare cares far worse. So if you do see these in your home, have the place professionally "bombed" inside as well as spray. Wolf Spiders again, will actually go after and attack these bad spiders, so unless one is getting really big, I usually leave them alone.

The garden/writing spider I posted is common, but you don't always see them. They live in bushes and if you mess with the bush, they'll go deep inside to hide. The pic is of a young one - they get BIG, but again, aren't dangerous to people (though I'm not going to pet one).

My old house has so many gaps and crevices that bombing our house would work for about a week before more critters decided to come in! Oh well, whenever I am rich and can afford new windows maybe it will be better.

I literally did a double take when I saw the writing spider on my garage door. The body was easily 1" long (probabaly more) and with the legs it stretched to 3"....and thick.

[atlantagreg30127]

Originally Posted by spacelord75

I literally did a double take when I saw the writing spider on my garage door. The body was easily 1" long (probabaly more) and with the legs it stretched to 3"....and thick.

Um - that's a BABY. LOL

Look up "writing spider" in the images section of Google and you'll find some good images of adult versions.

[Saintmarks]

The writing Spiders seem to do there thing this time of year. However, I don't see them here in TX like I did in GA.

Brown recluses are pretty recluse, they are not as common indoors, they like the outdoors or old out of the way places like basements, sheds, crawl spaces or wooded areas. When found indoors, they usually will go to closets or baseboards or some other undisturbed areas. They don't attack and generally only bite when startled and pressed directly onto the skin.

I learned all this after being bitten by one. It was in an old pair of rubber boots in our unfinished basement that I didn't shake out before doing some yard work. I didn't even feel the bite, but have a nasty scar on my calf to this day.

[atlantagreg30127]

Originally Posted by Saintmarks

Brown recluses are pretty recluse, they are not as common indoors, they like the outdoors or old out of the way places like basements, sheds, crawl spaces or wooded areas. When found indoors, they usually will go to closets or baseboards or some other undisturbed areas. They don't attack and generally only bite when startled and pressed directly onto the skin.

I hope it doesn't sound like I'm about to contradict what you're saying Saintmarks at all, but I'd like to add to it and also say that you're really describing Black Widows just as much as a Recluse. They too, like to "hide" in places with no activity by people, and unless you disturb them suddenly, or surprise them when they have eggs nearby, they will not go out of their way to bite you, but instead, hide if possible. Most Widows will set up shop in one area and almost never roam around your home unless they're going to a new out of the way home area.

Brown Recluses will "wonder" around a house at night, looking for prey. As a matter of fact, the most common place for someone to receive a Recluse bite is in their own bed, when one has crawled in and the person slips into the bed with them in there, or, rolls over on it (or yes, putting on a shoe one is living in). Yes, they do hide in the places you mentioned for their nests, but they DO roam around homes as well, and you can see them crawling around the baseboards when they do. They are less afraid of being out in the open than Black Widows. I've actually caught/killed a couple of Recluses in my own home, as they wondered across the carpet at night.

You have to be diligent with spraying regularly. Also put out some of those sticky pad things in corners and behind furniture (where kids/pets can't get to them), as they really do catch spiders as well. If you have a bed "skirt", remove it - spiders use any cloth that's touching the ground to climb up and get into your bed if they just stumble across it while wondering around. Keep clothes that aren't being worn regularly in those vacuum-sealed "space bag" things that are water and bug proof. etc.

Most Widow bites result in a lot of PAIN, but are very rarely life threatening. Recluse bites can be a royal pain in the ass if you have ANY allergic reaction to them - in some cases, skin grafts or in rarer cases, amputations have resulted in severe Recluse bites. Do your part to minimize potential exposure.

[Saintmarks]

Originally Posted by atlantagreg30127

I hope it doesn't sound like I'm about to contradict what you're saying Saintmarks at all, but I'd like to add to it and also say that you're really describing Black Widows just as much as a Recluse. They too, like to "hide" in places with no activity by people, and unless you disturb them suddenly, or surprise them when they have eggs nearby, they will not go out of their way to bite you, but instead, hide if possible. Most Widows will set up shop in one area and almost never roam around your home unless they're going to a new out of the way home area.

Brown Recluses will "wonder" around a house at night, looking for prey. As a matter of fact, the most common place for someone to receive a Recluse bite is in their own bed, when one has crawled in and the person slips into the bed with them in there, or, rolls over on it (or yes, putting on a shoe one is living in). Yes, they do hide in the places you mentioned for their nests, but they DO roam around homes as well, and you can see them crawling around the baseboards when they do. They are less afraid of being out in the open than Black Widows. I've actually caught/killed a couple of Recluses in my own home, as they wondered across the carpet at night.

You have to be diligent with spraying regularly. Also put out some of those sticky pad things in corners and behind furniture (where kids/pets can't get to them), as they really do catch spiders as well. If you have a bed "skirt", remove it - spiders use any cloth that's touching the ground to climb up and get into your bed if they just stumble across it while wondering around. Keep clothes that aren't being worn regularly in those vacuum-sealed "space bag" things that are water and bug proof. etc.

Most Widow bites result in a lot of PAIN, but are very rarely life threatening. Recluse bites can be a royal pain in the ass if you have ANY allergic reaction to them - in some cases, skin grafts or in rarer cases, amputations have resulted in severe Recluse bites. Do your part to minimize potential exposure.

My experience with the brown recluse is I didn't even know I had been bitten, just a nasty raised pimple and a feverish area around it on my calf. I didn't do anything for a couple of weeks until it started turning black. The doctor diagnosed it right away, had to cut a chunk of skin about the size of a quarter out of my leg. I only surmise it as being in the boot as I had worn it earlier that day before noticing the sore.

My niece was bitten by a black widow and she knew it instantly. It was in an old shed at her grandmother's. My brother found the spider, so they knew what it was.

I have found a couple of blackwidows nesting on the outside of the house, but can't say that I have ever seen a brown recluse, but one definitely saw me.

You are right, the most common way to get bitten is to come into direct contact, putting on old clothing or climbing in bed where they are hiding. The black widow generally does not leave its nest, but the brown recluse is a roamer, particularly at night. At least if wikipedia is correct

[Saintmarks]

I read where cellar spiders and pirate spiders are very similar in markings to the brown recluse and the only way to distinguish is the pattern of the eyes. Well, I am not going to get that close. I'll kill them all!

But the writing spiders and wolf spiders are benficial, so I let them be. I love the writing spiders especially. Like king snakes and other non venomous snakes, they can keep some other pests at bay, but I still don't care to have any snakes about.