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Most people are afraid of spiders, like Little Miss Muffet, and sometimes, it is with good reason. There are only a few spiders in the world that are truly poisonous. However, a few is enough. Some spiders may be poisonous to some animals but only a few are poisonous to humans. These include the brown recluse, the black widow and the yellow (or gold) sac, the hobo spider and the red legged spider.
As you may know, spiders are not insects, they are arachnids. They have fangs, and devour their food from the inside out, sucking out the insides. It is also with their fangs that they inject their venom.
Black widows are by far the most common poisonous spider bite in the United States. Black Widow Spiders are most common in the tropics and the Southern United States, but have been reported as far north as Canada. They spin an irregular web in crevices and dark places. They have long legs and dark, black bodies. The female is the poisonous one, the male is smaller with no marking and harmless. The female's distinctive marking is a red hourglass shape on her abdomen. This can also be seen as two seperate red spots. They are approximately 1cm long, but vary. The venom of a black widow spider is said to be 15 times more poisonous than a rattlesnake. Places these spiders are found include, but not limited to: garages, wood piles, and any dark secluded places. Often a person is bitten when reaching underneath or behind something. Always use caution when cleaning old dark places. Turn things over with something else. When bitten, sometimes the initial bite is painless. Pain maximizes about 1 to 3 hours after the bite. There is local pain and swelling, perhaps redness. The venom causes muscle cramping. So there will also probably be some cramping, and possibly nausea and vomiting. There can also be difficulty breathing. Black widow bites can even be fatal, however less than one percent of these bites result in death. Children under thirty pounds are most at risk. When bitten you must seek medical attention. At home, you can apply an ice pack and some alcohol or peroxide before going to the hospital. Then try to catch the spider safely and take it with you to the hospital for identification. Spider bites are rarely fatal. Bites of non-poisonous spiders usually cause no reaction at all.
The Brown Recluse Spider is another one of the most poisonous spiders. Its danger is primarily in tissue damage. Its poison kills the cells and tissue at the bite. After applying ice and alcohol, seek medical attention. Again try to safely contain the culprit for identification. The initial bite is usually painful, but it becomes very painful within several hours. Again this makes it more dangerous because the damage is being done. The recluse is also called the violin spider because of its distinctive "violin shaped" marking on it's back. These spiders can be found in dark places as well. They don't like to be disturbed and will run as well, unless antagonized. You can often find them in dark corners and crevices, wood piles, newspaper piles, old clothes not worn lately, in chests, attics, basements, window cylinders, boxes, under rocks, under anything in dark places.
Poisonous and non-poisonous bites, can become infected, however. The problem is that sometimes, even poisonous spider bites are not felt at the time of the bite.
Some signs and symptoms of a poisonous spider bite include: redness, pain and/or itching at the site, stiff, achy joints, muscle spasms, fever, chills, nausea, vomiting, muscle cramps, difficulty swallowing or breathing, convulsions and loss of consciousness. In severe cases called anaphalactic shock the person's face, eyes, tongue, lips and throat can swell, making it difficult to breathe. This is a potentially life threatening situation. 911, emergency call system should be activated.
When a person is bitten by a spider, wash the area with soap and water. Hydrocortisone creams can be applied for itching and swelling. Tylenol or Advil can be given by mouth for pain and Benadryl by mouth will help with swelling and itching. Watch the area closely for signs of infection. It is always best to seek medical attention if you have been bitten by a poisonous spider, and don't forget to bring the spider if possible, for identification.
Control of infestation of poisonous spiders includes safley killing the ones you can see. Vacuum them up and expose of the bag outside. Clean away webs, again safely, to monitor for future activity. Seal cracks and crevises, window sills, pipes, door thresholds, holes etc, to prevent them from coming back into the home. Remove debri and piles where they may live and breed. Professional extermination is the best route for infestation of poisonous spiders.
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