INfested? what to do

WE are completely infested with brown recluse spider inside the house and in the shop area. They are bad to say the least. I was bitten the night before last, but it wasn't a bad bite with alot of venom, just some red swelling. But none the less, I need to do something about these guys. I've contacted the pesticide folks, and they say spraying won't kill unless you spray on contact. I have sticky traps everywhere, they are working but I still see them running across the carpet, we have some things stored in boxes. which will be unpacked tomorrow, because they love boxes.

any help would be appreciated on how to help get rid of these things.

kathy

Kathy sounds reasonable you need to contact the critters perhaps there is a dust you can put down that will do them in try asking them. There must be a recomended methoid for these spiders try a different company. Know any college students or proffessors at a large university. Have them ask the schools spider experts for the solution or the name of the guy with a likely solution. Even your local health department should be able to help you here. How big are these guys will fly paper in the bottom of a box hold them. Sorry I don't have a concrete answer for you. Ernie

Kathy I just typed brown recluse spider and it says the pest company is right. it says use traps with sticky bottoms. More info there give it a try good luck. Ernie

Kathy, I don't want to alarm you, but you need to have a doctor look at your bite. When I retired and had to move, my son was bitten on the leg about ten inches above his foot. It became red and inflamed and quite sore. He went to the doctor and they had to cut all the bite area out, cored out if you will. This is necessary because the venom rots all the tissue away and keeps working through the muscle to the bone. The doctor also gave him some meds to take. Please check with medical folks about this.
When I was working, I was responsible for lots of properties our non profit organization used. We built a new residential facility for boys in another part of the state. The contractor the the building did not follow all the required guidlines in the building. Some months after the building was opened, I believe I remember it to have been the spring, it was invaded by Brown Recluse Spiders. The dwelling was built in an open field and the spiders found their way thru the foundation into the building Three adult staff were bitten and two children. A local company used a huge tarp cover(the building is a two story which had offices and twelve bedrooms, a large class room, living room, dinning and kitchen). They gassed the building for two days.

I hope this information is helpful to you and that you can find a resouce that will be of help.
Gary/Louisville

Here's some info: http://www.uky.edu/Agriculture/Entomology/entfacts/struct/ef631.htm
http://citybugs.tamu.edu/FastSheets/Ent-1004.html

Sorry I don't know how to connect you to the link, but go to the "Wild life discussion forum" and open the thread about the Brown Recluse bite pictures. This is a very serious spider bite.
Pati

Thanks vgmky I did go to the doctor yesterday, The swelling has already disappeared and so has the redness, so I guess he ws right, there wasn't enough venom to do any damage. It still itches alot, but that's the extent of it, I was very llucky. How long was it before you took your child to the doc vgmky, I don't think I would have let the doc cut on me till I saw something concrete there. I wasn't really sure if this was just a mosquito or brown recluse, and the doc didn't say a thing other than there's not much they can do about a brown recluse bite, he didn't mention anything about cutting any of it out. That's awful

Will check out the web site Terry

Patishell seems, like I've seen a link here on recluse spider bites and pictures there too, it was quite graphic LOL, scarey, that's why I rushed to the doc when I realized I was bitten afterall. Ididn't think it bit me till yesterday. 48 hrs later. he said I was past the danger zone, there should have been a hole already, but there was nothing but redness & swelling,

I'm so relieved that it wasn't as serious as those pictures! I have such a fear of these spiders because I have known someone who was bitten by one. I can't imagine having so many in my house! My first move would have been to have the whole house put under a tent by an exterminator. I have done this several times over the years for termites and it has an added advantage of killing ALL the bugs.
Pati

My younger son was bitten when he was a pre-schooler (it was in his coat sleeve and got him under the arm when we put on his coat. He yelped like a pin had stuck him, I patted the jacket and couldn't find the source of his pain, so put it on him. When he got home and took it off, the dead spider fell out. Didn't realize it was a brown recluse at the time, but the next morning his arm was very red and swollen. We rushed him to the ER and the doctor basically put him on RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation) and "prescribed" low-dose aspirin therapy (St. Joseph's baby aspirin) to ensure circulation in the area remained good. Swelling went down and he was fine in a couple days.

As far as I can tell, that's still considered the best first course of treatment unless the bite becomes necrotic (blackened, bruised look, then the surrounding tissue starts to actually rot...ewwwww.)

Kathy, take heart. We've had brown recluses in two homes now - one we rented, and this one. Both homes were seveal years old when we moved in, and I think the older the home, the more likely an infestation has set in. And the best course of action is to keep everything vaccuumed good (a vaccuum - big or hand-held makes an EXCELLENT bug/spider catcher, BTW!) and don't allow any boxes or items to sit for a long time. The more stuff is moved around, the less hospitable your home is to them, and they'll eventually retreat to places where they're undisturbed.

We've also learned to not reach for items under a bed with our bare hands without looking and/or shining a flashlight first.

Yep, Ive alredy had the chat with the kids, about shaking their clothes out if their left on the floor, etc. check your shoes before putting them on always. LOL my kids are so fearful now, they make me stick a stick down the shoe to chase out anything,

swelling is completely gone now, and itching has subsided . so I guess i'm back to normal now.

kathy

Kathy, the son that was bitten is 34 years old. He was bitten in the late evening and when he showered for bed had a chance to get a good look at the inside of his calf. By morning it had swollen and was beginning to look bad. He went to work and several friends advised him to go to the doctor which he did.
Gary/Louisville

Kathy, This may sound silly to you, but what Terry said about the vaccum made me think of those vaccums advertised specifically for spiders, bugs, etc. They advertise them on TV.

I suppose they would be considered what you would call (can't think of the word I want) junk. But, they cost $60 and look to be about 3 feet long. Anything that keeps me from getting close to one is for me.

Only think I don't know is what happens to them after you suck them up into the tube?

Jeanette

I've always imagined they just crawled back out! I've never vacuumed them up! They'd probably just come looking for me with a vengance. Don't like to flush them either! Have to check every time before I sit!!!

One of my daughters got bitten several years ago, and the spot on her hand did exactly what VGMY said. the flesh rotted away and left a hole about a half inch deep and almost an inch around. It took several years to fill in. She still has the scar.

The brown recluse is just what its name implys- a recluse. It only bites when it feels it is threatened or if its territory is quite invaded. We had a puppy bitten once and lost its tail clear back to the spinal column. We vaccumed well and got rid of them. If there is a nest of them as we had in that case a good spraying will likely hit a lot of them and kill them. As for the type of vaccum sweeper to use, I have a Rainbow which uses a water tank to hold what has been picked up. A pesticide could be put into that tank and would killl any spider who survived the trip thru the pipes and into the swirling water. If at all possible I would try to wash a vaccum cleaner hose with very hot soapy water immediately after use to dislodge and kill any spiders left in there.

On another note, do any of you know that a cockroach bite is nearly as bad as a brown recluse's? Our oldest daughter was bitten by one when she was a child and it got quite nasty looking. That was what the doctor diagnosed it as being. We had roaches in the barn and she remembered one flying onto her and biting her a few days earilier. It took a long time to heal.

leaflady, your post made me think of something. Our brown recluses are really pretty aggressive. When I've disturbed one, they come marching out after me. It's kind of funny to watch them when you have your wits about you and KNOW what and where they are (this tiny little spider is most definitely not afraid of something that can kill it with a swat or step!

Based on my experience, I'd have to say "recluse" is a bit of a misnomer. Maybe they choose secluded spots to nest in, but I haven't seen one run away from a fight yet! (And yes, they are most definitely brown recluses - not only do they have the graceful shape and long legs, but upclose the violin on their backs is a dead giveaway.)

Cockroach bites? Ewwwwwwwwwwwwww......

While I was doing graduate studies in Richmond, I volunteered at an inter-city center called Grace House; it was supported by several dozen churches and was a place where children could come to learn and play and get tutoring.... Where mothers were encouraged to come and learn some basic skills on caring for their children.
I have seen many infants which were put to sleep at night with their bottles. When morning came it was evident that the roaches had eaten away the dried milk on the babies mouth and chin. Not a very pleasant picture, indeed, but reality of living in the ghetto.
Gary/Louisville

Goodness, can't imagine being bit by a cock roach, that's rough, Iknow what you mean by checking the toilet seat LOL, I have had a rough time sleeping since I got bit, (it was in the middle of the night), can't sleep under the covers, Im real paranoid now, think things are crawling all over me.

kathy

VGMKY, that's so sad. They have found also that the litter left by heavy infestations of cockroaches are responsible for respiratory problems in children in ghettos.
Pati

Back to Recluse...I have known of limbs amputated from their bites...this is not a light subject! Get on it!

Pattischell,

I heard of this, also heard of a guy working in a store stocking shelves died from the dust of rat droppings. It was on some tv special. I can understand cockroach droppings causing respiratory problems too.

I guess it all depends on the bite how bad or how deep the rotting gets.

kathy