Spider Bites!!! (Punta Gorda: house, buy, scorpion)

[FL80]

Hi,
We moved down to Punta Gorda about a month ago and love the area. We've only encountered one problem so far: I somehow managed to get two GIANT bites on my legs which required a trip to the E.R. The Dr. thinks these are two spider bites! I'm not very outdoorsy and have no idea how I got these. Has anyone else encounter spider problems? How did you get rid of them? Thanks in advance!

[BlueWillowPlate]

I am sorry this happened!
We've only been here for almost a year ourselves. I have seen some monster spiders outside. Maybe you were out in the garage or carport or something and just didn't see the spider but it got you anyway? I don't know.
I have seen one scorpion inside (eek!) and one outside.
But the worst bites I've had were what I think was a fire ant bite on my hand, and a chigger bite on my ankle. That chigger bite drove me crazy with itching.
The fire ant bite wasn't that terrible but took forever to heal.

[sunrico90]

See below for tips on how to get rid of spiders...

Capture & Removal of Individual spiders.

Invert a wide-mouthed container over the spider. Then slide a stiff piece of paper or thin cardboard large enough to cover the mouth of the jar under the container while keeping the jar pressed against the surface on which the spider is standing. Work slowly so the spider is not harmed.
Next, while keeping the paper/card over the mouth of the jar, turn the jar over and tap the paper so the spider falls into the container.
Holding the paper over the top as a cap, carry the jar outside and release the spider by removing the cap and setting the jar on its side on the ground or shaking the container.

Eliminating Food Sources.

Outside lighting attracts insects and spiders that prey on them. Prompt removal of organic wastes and proper storage of food items (stored grains, flour etc.) may reduce insect populations and thus making the place less inviting to spiders.
To prevent initial or repeated indoor spider infestations, attention should be paid to repairing cracks and crevices in window casings, sealing spaces above and below doors, repairing holes especially at entry points of water pipes and electrical lines, and keeping screens securely on chimneys. The use of window and door screens (or repairing damage screens) can also help reduce insect and subsequent spider invasions into the residence.

Mechanical control.

Unwanted spiders can be eliminated, over time, with routine vacuuming. Vacuuming removes food sources. Periodic vacuuming in previously undisturbed areas, especially along baseboards and under furniture near the floor, also will remove webs, nests, and egg sacs, helps in their control.
Inspect firewood for spiders or their egg sacs before entering the house. Lastly, keep woodpiles and other debris away from the house.
Following the recommendations above will reduce your spider population to a tolerable and livable level. In rare instances where spiders are numerous and constantly entering the house, you may wish to use an insecticide. Sprays containing Dursban in a ME (microencapsuled formulation) or other encapsulated chemical insecticides are best. Do not exceed the recommended dosage given on the label and follow directions completely. These materials are best applied only along baseboards, door casements, and corners, and should be applied only where spiders are present.
source:http://pherec.org/entguides/EntGuide7-Spiders.html (broken link)

[MoMark]

Originally Posted by FL80

Hi,
We moved down to Punta Gorda about a month ago and love the area. We've only encountered one problem so far: I somehow managed to get two GIANT bites on my legs which required a trip to the E.R. The Dr. thinks these are two spider bites! I'm not very outdoorsy and have no idea how I got these. Has anyone else encounter spider problems? How did you get rid of them? Thanks in advance!

Sunrico's advice is terrific. I hate spiders in the house, but rarely kill them. I usually do just what he says and catch them in a glass and use an envelope or something to push them in and then they can't climb the slick glass while I carry them outside then fling them out of the glass into the yard. I do the same with wasps or hornets that somehow get into the house. As for the bites themselves...I know it sounds gross... but apply just a bit of your urine to the bite, better yet, wet a small bandage with your urine and tape it over the bite. You'd be surprised...it works (just don't tell anyone! )

[Lana Lang 2]

I got spider bites the other day and I don't know What they ar. The other day during testing at school I felt a sharp pain in my leg. When I got home a saw there was a spider bite right there. They are't big or anything, I just keep getting them!

[Magnolia Bloom]

I've never been bitten by a spider, but they can be quite nasty. A co-worker was bitten and was out for a while.

My mom was bitten by a centipede and it killed the skin around the bite- was very bad and left a scar on her forehead. It got on her while she was sleeping (she thinks her cat brought it into her bed) and must have swatted it in her sleep.

[FLsunshine]

I've been bit several times and I've yet to see the actual spider. They could get in your clothes, drop on you from a tree, be in your car, anywhere. I had one on me the other day and I never even felt it crawl. I cannot stand them. The bites can really hurt!

Punta Gorda had a rash of wolf spiders one year. Everyone I knew had them in their homes. They disappeared with the hurricane. That was at least one good outcome of the storm

We're in the country now and have an absolute infestation of spiders. Nothing keeps them out. I'm not about to put them outside to have them just run right back in. Everywhere I've lived in FL has been over-run with them. Some places worse than others.

I hope your bite heals quickly.

[Pipelayer]

I live in an area where there are a lot of spiders, they seem to be attracted to the box-elder bugs and other insects. I have been bitten so many times I've lost count. I have apperently built up some type of immunity, the bites seldom itch or leave the red circle mark like they used to. Nevertheless I can still feel the bite afterwards and if the spider pumps a large amount of venom into to the bite, it can still be quite uncomfortable. The symptoms I've experience after a spider bite were allergies, leg cramps and nausea.

The Experts say: that spiders do not stalk of intentionally go after humans. Back around the time when I had first gotten bitten by a spider, I saw a spider stalking me, and I suspect this is the one that bite me the previous night.

I watched it and it watched me, I got up close and stared at it and it partially retreated back into the crevice. I laid back down on the couch, continued to stare at it for a minute, I then turned around and picked up the remote to turn on the TV, when I turn back the look at the spider (near the ceiling) it was gone. I assumed it just retreated, I had previously sprayed behind my mirror that sits just above the couch I was laying on. Suddenly, the spider crawled from up under the mirror headed back toward the ceiling but it was crawling irratically, it apparently got a hold of some of the insect spay behind the mirror. Once I realized it was stalking me I finished it off.

Not only did this spider have the resolve to stalk me, it knew to wait until I turned my head till it advanced toward me. Scary isn't it? I've since on several occasions, months and years later, awakened with spider bites. Most of the time I would awaken with a bite and that was the end of it. But on a few occasions I would get bitten every night, such conduct is typical of a clever misquito, but we have them both here (misquitoes and spiders), and I can tell one bite from the other, the nightly bites were spider bites. I realized I had come across another stalking spider who waited every night for me to go to bed and would bite multiple times. This would go on until I found and killed the spider, which is not always easy to do.

So I don't buy that "spiders don't intentially bite humans crap". I'm not saying that's completely not the case in every situation. Sure... someone can accidently disturb a spiders space and get bitten, and yes in most cases spiders live among us and we never even see them, yes I agree. But there are cases where a spider does intentially bite humans, and I'm a living witness to that.

[oceandreams94]

OMG!!!!!!!!!!! This is the one thing that I am afraid of in Florida!!!!!! Isnt there ANYTHING that a person can use on the thier lawn and in thier home to keep them away???!!
I simply cannot stand them, I know that they do good by eating other insects, but I will NOT live with them in my house or yard.

Jen

[Prichard]

I've lived in Florida all of my life. I've done my own yard work and like to be outside quite a bit. I've never once been bitten by a spider. House spiders generally don't bite. There are only a couple variety of spiders that do bite here in Florida, of those I believe there are only two common ones that are poisonous. The Brown Recluse is hard for me to recognize, so I can't say whether I've ever seen one or not. I do occasionally see black widows - perhaps 5 or so in my lifetime. Basically, I don't go picking up wood or rocks without flipping them over first to check for spiders.

Now, I have been stung by fire ants (they don't bite - they have stingers) - leaves painful blisters, sometimes large ones, where they sting. The spider bites that I have seen on people weren't 1/2 as bad as some fire ant stings that I've seen. I only know of one person bitten by a Brown Recluse - he does have the scarring to prove it. I know of no one bitten by a black widow.

Basically, what I'm trying to say is that spider bites are really rare. Yes, they do happen, but it's not worth worrying about other than taking certain basic precautions.