The Brown Recluse Spider In Nashville Area (houses, university)

[MontanaGuy]

I'm tearing down an old shed in my back yard and finding large numbers of spiders both alive and dead. My neighbor informed me that several of the dead ones were brown recluse and I also killed one which had the upside down dark violin shaped marking that I had seen on the internet. Now I just discovered another dead one in my sun room so now I know they're inside my house which really gives me the creeps. I moved here about a year and a half ago and am not familiar with them but I've seen how bad their bites can be on internet photos. I'm wondering if others in this part of Middle Tennessee have also found them in their homes and also if anyone has been bitten by one or what you've done to get rid of them. A guy who works at a store that sells pest control chemicals told me that even though certain chemicals are marketed to supposedly kill brown recluse spiders that they're not effective and the only way he knows to catch them is by using glue board which they will stick to if they try to walk across it. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

[mad fiddler]

Originally Posted by MontanaGuy

I'm tearing down an old shed in my back yard and finding large numbers of spiders both alive and dead. My neighbor informed me that several of the dead ones were brown recluse and I also killed one which had the upside down dark violin shaped marking that I had seen on the internet. Now I just discovered another dead one in my sun room so now I know they're inside my house which really gives me the creeps. I moved here about a year and a half ago and am not familiar with them but I've seen how bad their bites can be on internet photos. I'm wondering if others in this part of Middle Tennessee have also found them in their homes and also if anyone has been bitten by one or what you've done to get rid of them. A guy who works at a store that sells pest control chemicals told me that even though certain chemicals are marketed to supposedly kill brown recluse spiders that they're not effective and the only way he knows to catch them is by using glue board which they will stick to if they try to walk across it. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

When I lived in my old house, which had LOTS of spiders, I'd just flea bomb twice a year.

[multics]

Next time you catch one see if it's actually a male southern house spider. Looks very similar to the brown recluse: Southern house spider - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Spiderzrule

[Lamplight]

Originally Posted by multics

Next time you catch one see if it's actually a male southern house spider. Looks very similar to the brown recluse: Southern house spider - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Spiderzrule

I've seen lots of those and thought they were brown recluses before I knew better. They look really similar, but those house spiders can grow a lot larger than a brown recluse. I believe the brown recluse rarely gets any larger than 3/4", and they are very fast. I've also seen some spiders with the fiddle-ish mark on the abdomen instead of the thorax like a brown recluse. From my understanding, the brown recluse rarely bites humans, and even when it does it may not inject any venom. Their bite wounds get very bad very quickly, so if it's a venomous brown recluse bite it should be pretty obvious within a day, maybe even a few hours. The skin becomes hard and turns kind of purple, and you will likely start feeling sick. That is a sign to get to the doctor as soon as possible!

To be honest, I'm far more afraid of a brown recluse than a black widow, both of which I've found in my barn.

[MontanaGuy]

Thanks alot for the information. I actually have the dead spider in a little plastic bag and just took a look at it. It's not very big and I have to use a magnifying glass to get a good look at it. That photo from the link bears a very strong resemblance to a brown recluse and to be honest I can't clearly tell which one mine is but I can't see any hair on it like I see in that photo. I do feel a sense of relief that at least there's a possibility that it could be something harmless. Thanks.

[Mary_Moon]

We have lots of spiders on our property, including black widows and brown recluse. Our pest company has a separate, yearly treatment program specifically for spider which we gladly pay for. They use a combo of chemicals and glue boards and inspect monthly. It is about $175/yr and is separate from our normal pest treatment service but well worth it. When we first moved in, neighbors 2 houses down were hospitalized with brown recluse bites and with 2 young children, we weren't taking any chances.

[MontanaGuy]

Mary_Moon wrote:

When we first moved in, neighbors 2 houses down were hospitalized with brown recluse bites and with 2 young children, we weren't taking any chances.

That's really scary. I've read that although fatalities are extremely rare they tend to happen to children under age seven. I'm curious about the pest control treatment that you're using. It sounds like a very reasonable price but do you also have to get another service with a monthly fee in order to be eligible to get this additional coverage?
I think I would need a microscope to really determine which kind of spider I have. The brown recluse have six eyes in three groups of two while most other spiders have eight but it's so small I just can't tell.
Did your neighbors have bites severe enough that they needed to have skin grafts? After seeing some of the photos on the internet it put a bit of a scare into me although I realize that these are the most severe cases and probably not typical of an average bite.

[Lamplight]

Originally Posted by MontanaGuy

Thanks alot for the information. I actually have the dead spider in a little plastic bag and just took a look at it. It's not very big and I have to use a magnifying glass to get a good look at it. That photo from the link bears a very strong resemblance to a brown recluse and to be honest I can't clearly tell which one mine is but I can't see any hair on it like I see in that photo. I do feel a sense of relief that at least there's a possibility that it could be something harmless. Thanks.

If you can see the eyes, brown recluse spiders have only six eyes, and they're grouped in pairs of two. So it kind of looks like three oblong eyes.

http://www.brown-reclusebites.com/Images/eyes.jpg (broken link)

[IngleDave]

I'm fairly familiar with these little critters, but that doesn't mean I like them. I had a smallish infestation three or so years ago and it freaked me out quite a bit. (To this day, I keep my shoes on my closet's upper shelves). I consulted the University of Tennessee which has a long history of studying these spiders and the recommendation was the Home Defense Max by Ortho. This isn't an advertisement, but believe me, it took care of the problem.

I've learned to recognize them easily. Catch one, study it, know it. They're pretty easy to identify once you know what you're looking for. In fact, as I came into my kitchen last night I saw something run across the kitchen counter. A brown recluse. The only explanation was that it came from the kitchen drain and managed to climb the sink (they are not great climbers...I should clean my sink). I didn't panic and watched him until he stopped. Panic will only cause them to run and hide and that won't help you at all. You need to know where it is. I sprayed the thing with way too much bug spray. At least it couldn't move, then smashed it with a cat food can... needless to say, the spider memorial started soon after that. It's the first one I've seen in ages. I hate them.

Not everyone will react the same to a bite. Some may experience huge problems, others might be affected as though they were stung by a bee, no more. Of course, you won't know, so caution is the word. My doctor told me that if I was ever bitten to go to Vanderbilt (take the spider if possible). They have special expertise in the bite of the brown recluse. The early treatment will prevent many problems. The best thing is to be vigilant, don't go rummaging around in boxes without gloves and just be aware of where you're putting your hands. And spray, spray, spray...and use the Home Defense. It certainly worked here.

One more thing, get the glue traps. That's the best indicator of what kind of problem you might have and with each one caught, that's one more you don't have to worry about. But, don't touch the spider in the trap, he might just still be alive, but immobilized. Keep your eyes open. Sorry to have gone on so, but this topic is one got my attention.

[Mary_Moon]

Originally Posted by MontanaGuy

Mary_Moon wrote:

That's really scary. I've read that although fatalities are extremely rare they tend to happen to children under age seven. I'm curious about the pest control treatment that you're using. It sounds like a very reasonable price but do you also have to get another service with a monthly fee in order to be eligible to get this additional coverage?
I think I would need a microscope to really determine which kind of spider I have. The brown recluse have six eyes in three groups of two while most other spiders have eight but it's so small I just can't tell.
Did your neighbors have bites severe enough that they needed to have skin grafts? After seeing some of the photos on the internet it put a bit of a scare into me although I realize that these are the most severe cases and probably not typical of an average bite.

Our neighbors didn't have to have skin grafts, but they were left scarred. They have 2 small children, too who fortunately weren't bitten. The spider service we had through our pest control could be purchased as a stand alone product, but we did get a small discount for adding on monthly regular service as well.