PA Spiders (recent brown recluse issues)

[saturdayskids]

I might be a bit late on this one.


I was walking through the woods in Oakmont and saw up to 20 or so of those spiders with shells on their back. They were EVERYWHERE. Most had a black/white shell.

I can't find anything about them online. I found an article on Spiney Shelled spiders but they don't match the description well.

[magss]

OMG OMG like i saw the same kind of spider you saw black with red legs it was much smaller than that one it was out on a ledgey thing on our porch but it scared the living shizz out me so it being my natural instinct that i wanted it to go away cuz i swear it was watching me, i whacked it with a broom and it felll slowwly to the ground like a peice of paper and then it was all like running around and then it went under the wooden floor things we haveits hard to decribe so ever sense then i've been like petrified to even walk out there...and im afraid its mad at me... so it ants to bite me.. geee i sure hope not!!!

[lialleycat]

Is this the spider? It's a red legged purseweb spider.

Sphodros rufipes

Sphodros rufipes - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[redneck510]

Two people this year that i know has got bitten by the brown recluse and both had some pretty nasty lookin holes from it! One was in the leg and the other in the arm. The wounds that they caused looked really bad and painfull. Both people live in Titusville, Pa " I didnt even know there was bad spiders here boy o boy was i in the dark im keeping my eyes open for them now"

[R.J. MacReady]

Originally Posted by lialleycat

Is this the spider? It's a red legged purseweb spider.

Sphodros rufipes

Sphodros rufipes - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

That's not it but I'd scream if I saw one of those Spiders don't bother me too much but man that thing is creepy looking!

Originally Posted by magss

OMG OMG like i saw the same kind of spider you saw black with red legs it was much smaller than that one it was out on a ledgey thing on our porch but it scared the living shizz out me so it being my natural instinct that i wanted it to go away cuz i swear it was watching me, i whacked it with a broom and it felll slowwly to the ground like a peice of paper and then it was all like running around and then it went under the wooden floor things we haveits hard to decribe so ever sense then i've been like petrified to even walk out there...and im afraid its mad at me... so it ants to bite me.. geee i sure hope not!!!

We have seen less of them this year but have killed about 10-15 in the house. I captured one and have it in rubbing alcohol. Would love to find somewhere local to take it to see what it actually is. It's amazing how you can whack a spider hard....it will fall....then it will run like nothing happened. Hopefully you didn't see too many more!

Originally Posted by saturdayskids

I might be a bit late on this one.


I was walking through the woods in Oakmont and saw up to 20 or so of those spiders with shells on their back. They were EVERYWHERE. Most had a black/white shell.

I can't find anything about them online. I found an article on Spiney Shelled spiders but they don't match the description well.

Those things are creepy aren't they? I had major issues identifying them online too. I haven't seen too many this past summer but they were everywhere last summer.

Originally Posted by redneck510

Two people this year that i know has got bitten by the brown recluse and both had some pretty nasty lookin holes from it! One was in the leg and the other in the arm. The wounds that they caused looked really bad and painfull. Both people live in Titusville, Pa " I didnt even know there was bad spiders here boy o boy was i in the dark im keeping my eyes open for them now"

I feel badly for anybody that goes through a spider bite that does major damage. Seems like more and more dangerous spiders are making their way into PA. Wonder if they come here in fruit crates. I had a spider with a huge soft shell climbing on my bed a few weeks ago. Really creeped me out.

[iamnoteddie]

I got bit by a brown recluse in hancock,ny in 98.Didn't feel the bite.I was cleaning out a screen house next to a creek and dealing with an old firewood stack.It was flooded about 18months prior.
I noticed what i thought was a huge skeeter bite on my forearm.Continued the cleanup and after noticed my arm had swelled up pretty good.I then noticed the telltale spider bite sign.Two holes.Didn't feel so hot so i showered and took two aspirins.(headache and body ache)Went into my uncles liquor cabinet and made a screwdiver and nodded off into nappy land.
When i woke back up my arm literally looked like popeyes arms after spinach.lol.Went to the ER and the doctor asked some questions and diagnosed brown recluse bite.They like moisture and decaying wood.Not supposed to be up this far north,but he said they travel in pallets and other deliveries.
The doc gave me a shot and 2 prescriptions.One was steroids which increases blood flow in capilleries and another antibiotics.He wanted me to stay but i told him i'd go home and be careful.Told me to keep warm compresses on it,and call in the morning.I went home and kept my arm in a huge pot of the hottest water i could stand.Watched some movies,had some screwdivers and caught some shuteye after 4-6hrs of soaking in fresh heated water.I also rubbed the bite with a hot washcloth to induce light bleeding while soaking.
Next morning it had stopped swelling(my forearm had been almost 140% of regular size)and had gone down about 10%.I called the ER and talked to the doc.I ate a big breakfast drank more than a quart of oj,took the meds and started my killing spree.I got a sprayer and some serious bug killer.I sprayed close to 15 gallons of bug killer around the property,starting around the house perimeter.Went bananas inside the house too,minus the chemicals.Fired up the woodstove in july and vacuumed every inch of the house,moved all the furniture,etc.My arm was fine in about 3 days.
I was shocked when i saw the info on this spider on the internet about a year later.Nasty little spider.Remember they like rotting wood and moisture.

[golgi1]

My friend was bit, on the nose, by something while he was camping in NY. We speculate that it was a spider, and possibly a brown recluse.

The bite necrotized the whole left side of his nose, and left a huge (about the size of a quarter) indented scar where the healthy flesh once was. He'll probably always have it, and he's much uglier now

But seriously, treat those bites as best you can, because they will leave nasty scars that can be much larger than the original bite.