Spiders in San Antonio!!?? (Dallas, Austin: live in, eat, backyards)

[TechieO]

Hi I just heard from a friend that there are a lot of Brown recluse spiders in San Antonio and that they have a very nasty bite that eats out your flesh. Creepy. I looked it up online and there seems to be some truth to his allegation; at least on the creepy wound. My question is how common are they really in San Antonio. Do you have them in your home? Do you know anyone that has been bitten? IS there an area of the city where you are more likely to find them?

[firstclassflyer]

About the same amount as in So Cal...how many have you seen?

[TechieO]

I have never seen one and I do not live in So Cal so I think I cannot relate to your answer can you be more explicit please

[johnrex62]

I have lived in or around San Antonio/Austin for over 40 years and have seen less than a dozen, been bitten by none, and have seen over 20 people that have been bitten. Only two had serious injury as a result of slow treatment.

They are common, but will usually avoid people and won't bite unless threatened. If you are cautious around weeds and trashpiles, stay out of crawlspaces and the like, you will have little to fear.

A friend of mine got bitten by one out at her ranch, where they are fairly common. She had been taught as a child to recognize both the spider and their bite, so she got quick treatment and is none the worse for wear. If you are aware of your surroundings and pay attention to your body for any new bites or stings, you should be fine. San Antonio has its fair share of critters, but they're more scared of us than we should be of them.

[rd2007]

A guy I worked with at MRSOC was bit by one twice and they did a number on the skin of his arm. I'm sure that was really bad luck, but makes me a little more careful..

my major complaint are the ones that build webs around my porch at night. It doesn't happen every night, but I REALLY don't like being face to face with a spider when I let my dog out at 4:00ish in the morning...

[wCat]

In 40 years in Texas, I've never seen one.....and don't know anyone that has been bitten by one. When I lived in Dallas I heard about an employee of the same company I was working for had been bitten.....20 years ago. I didn't know her....or if the story was true.

Study up and know what to look for.....these spiders are all over the US....Texas is no exception.

[OzzyRules]

Spiders are pretty stupid sometimes. The other day I was walking into my front door and I saw a small one dropping down his web near the threshold. I didn't think much of it.

It happened again the next day. This time he went a lot lower and I swear he was just waiting for a chance to get inside. I ended that fantasy pretty quickly. Not that he would have found much of interest except for a heavily sprayed front area near my door.

[leoquintero]

Brown recluse spiders are very common and more so in backyards with lots of tall grass, brushes, weeds, and trashpiles. Not many bites recorded to humans due to the fact that these spiders are easily scared by people and noises; in most cases they leave when they hear people coming or steps around their habitat, unless they are in a spiderweb which in this case they are hunting for food.

Venom toxicity - the brown recluse venom can cause significant cutaneous injury with tissue loss and necrosis.
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Habitat - brown recluse is found in the United States from the east to the west coast, with predominance in the south. Texas!
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Spider Identification - an adult spider is 1/4 to 3/4 inch in body - a dark violin shape is located on the top of the leg attachment region with the neck of the violin pointing backward toward the abdomen. Unlike most spiders that have 8 eyes, the brown recluse has 6 eyes arranged in pairs - one pair in front and a pair on either side.

[Bo]

I once met someone who had to have skin grafts after receiving a brown recluse bite. She worked in a dusty, old building and was reaching for something that had fallen between her desk and the wall when she was bitten.