Spiders in our area

 The Brown Recluse is one of the most dangerous spiders in the United States. Commonly found in states throughout the South, the Brown Recluse will occasionally hitchhike a ride into other states.

The brown recluse spider is a member of a group of spiders commonly known as the "fiddle-back" spiders due to its violin-shaped marking over its body. Another identifying characteristic is the number of eyes - most spiders have four pairs of eyes while the brown recluse has three pairs arranged in a semicircle.

A Brown Recluse bite can go undetected for hours or days until a reaction at the site of the bite begins to develop. Others that have been bitten describe a pinprick feeling followed by severe burning and pain. Other symptoms include fever, chills, nausea, weakness, swelling and the formation of a lesion at the site of the bite. The healing process can take as long as eight weeks.

Spider bite killed 5-year-old boy

Published: Oct 08, 2004 6:48 PM EST

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A 5-year-old boy's death was the result of a bite by a poisonous brown recluse spider, the state medical examiner ruled.

Nichols Robinson was bitten while playing outside his home about 70 miles south of Nashville on July 29.

The child was taken to a doctor, who determined he was suffering from a virus rather than a bite. However, that night the child was rushed to a hospital, where his symptoms included hypersalivation, sweating and neurological problems before he died, according to the medical examiner's report, completed Thursday.

"In about the last 30 or 40 years, I was only able to find about six deaths related to bites proving to be from a brown recluse spider," said Dr. Bruce Levy, the medical examiner.

The brown recluse is one of two common spiders in the United States — the other is the black widow — that are considered poisonous, the National Institutes of Health said. The bite can cause a rash, swelling and flu-like symptoms and in rare cases, kidney failure, seizures and coma.

The spider is most common in the South and central United States.

 The black widow spider is one of six poisonous species of spiders in the United States; however, it is the only species whose venom can kill humans. Black widow spider venom affects a human's neurological system causing severe pain, nausea, vomiting, chills, sweats and muscle cramps.

The Black Widow is easily identified by its black body and the red hourglass shaped mark on its abdomen.

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