We are moving soon and our moving company recently brought us used boxes to use (the boxes could be from anywhere, but we live in the midwest.) Well, I found this guy tonight, and I'm worried it is a brown recluse. I'm thinking it could have been hiding in the large stack of boxes. And worried there might be more! These photos are taken from my phone, so they're not perfect, but wanted to snap a picture before I got rid of the spider. Thank you for your help!
Most definitely NOT a recluse; it appears to be a prowling spider in the family Miturgidae - http://www.pbase.com/tmurray74/image/143704360
These spiders can give a painful (but not dangerous) bite if mishandled.
Oh my goodness. I cannot thank you enough for your fast reply! I hardly slept thinking about my children's safety, and that our house may possibly be infested with dangerous spiders. The picture you've referenced does look like a match when comparing photos.
Thank you, thank you, thank you so much again!
You're quite welcome, and remember, recluse spiders are called that for a reason - you seldom see them wandering about in the open...
That makes complete and total sense, I had just convinced myself it was a possibility since we had recently emptied out and gone through all of our under-the-stairs storage area that is usually untouched (great place for a recluse to hide, I would guess!) and also the boxes from the moving company had probably been sitting quietly in a warehouse for a good while, and they were just introduced into our home a couple days prior. I had thought maybe the spider was en route to its new hiding place. :) But thank goodness you identified that spider for me!!! I can rest easy! Thank you again!
