Poisionous spiders in Virginia

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Originally Posted by Count Arioch the 28th

I find that very hard to believe, considering that they can't survive in Virginia for very long, and the fact that brown recluse bites have an extremely low fatality rate even when untreated. Bees kill a higher percentage of people than brown recluse spiders.

But if you can show me a news story where someone was bitten, the offending spider caught, and the spider was verified by an arachnologist to be a Loxosceles reclusa, then I will believe it. Until then, I'm going to agree with the scientists over two vague personal accounts from some random person on the internet.

Actually Count Arioch....your only partially right....they are somewhat of a rarity, BUT the Brown Recluse DOES live in VA....proof you say? Here, courtesy of University of Virginia.

THIS IS THE TRUTH ABOUT BLACK WIDOWS AND BROWN RECLUSES IN RELEVANCE TO VA.

[url=http://uvahealth.com/blog/index.php/2011/10/12/spiders-fact-vs-fiction/]Spiders: Fact vs. Fiction | UVA Health System Blog[/url]

And

Rick Vetter of the University of California challenged people to send him spiders they believed were brown recluses. Of 1,779 arachnids submitted from 49 states, only 4 brown recluse spiders came from outside its known range. One was found in a California home; the owners had just moved from Missouri. The remaining three spiders were found in a shed in coastal Virginia. Attempts to find more brown recluses in the area came up empty, suggesting an isolated population of unknown origin.

[iss8709]

Spiders are not poisonous they are venomous. Wolf spiders are venomous also as are the st. Cross spider, grass spider, all I have seen outside my house in Virginia. Normally they are no serious threat to humans. The major ones are the Femal black widows (the males pose no harm) an the brown recluse. Will everyone who doesn't know the real facts on spiders stop trying to educate others on them. Please.

[brittd276va]

I walked in my kitchen a few hours ago to get some coffee and as I walked in, seen a female black widow crossing my kitchen floor. I thought I was going to have a heart attack. Simply because it immediately made me wonder if there are more in or under my home that are going to randomly pop up. Especially the thought of one popping up with me sleeping or something. Its a very scary thought! Id never seen one until I moved to southwest virginia. I only moved about 10 minutes from where I grew up - I currently live just across the state line in SW virginia - just a couple minutes from where I grew up in NE tennessee. And for the people saying brown recluse doesnt live in virginia - kingsport tennessee is connected to the virginia state line, and my sister was bitten by a brown recluse on the lower back (which she has a huge scar from where it started eating away at the skin and turning black) - so what, does the virginia state line have some invisible barrier that doesnt allow brown recluse to pass across it? Lol. Smh.

[seecarine]

I live in va.Brown recluse definitely live in the area.cousin was bit by one a year ago.it put a golf ball sized hole in his leg.they are more common than black widows here in Fredericksburg but most people get them confused with a wolf spider.I find dead ones all the time in dark places that are rarely used