Spider bites?

[porch]

I live in eastern Canada. As far as I know, with the exception of imports stowed away in boxes of produce, we don't have any spiders that are dangerous to humans. For some reason, this is a typical exchange that comes up fairly often:

"I woke up today and found a little red dot on my skin. A spider must have bit me when I was sleeping."

"Oh, I know, spider bites are bad, they hurt."

I suppose it's possible that a spider was walking across the bed, the victim started rolling over in their sleep, and the spider chomped down in a last ditch attempt to save its own life. But when I think about it, spiders seem pretty good at avoiding humans. I've seen other bugs on beds, but never a spider. I've been pincered by ants and earwigs, stung by bees, hornets and wasps, and fed upon by mosquitoes and horseflies, but never, to my knowledge, been bitten by a spider. Even with all the anecdotes of spider bites, I've never heard one where the bitten party actually saw a spider bite them.

Am I merely lucky when it comes to spiders, and insensitive to the trials others are forced to endure? Or maybe I live in a Pollyanna world, head stuck in the clouds, unaware that every seemingly innocent blemish that appears on my skin is proof of abuse by the spider's maw? Not to be too politically correct, here, but I call arachnophobia.

Discuss?

[RecoveringYuppy]

Not likely according to this link:

http://www.spiderzrule.com/dangerous.htm

[Modified]

I live in eastern Canada. As far as I know, with the exception of imports stowed away in boxes of produce, we don't have any spiders that are dangerous to humans. For some reason, this is a typical exchange that comes up fairly often:

"I woke up today and found a little red dot on my skin. A spider must have bit me when I was sleeping."

"Oh, I know, spider bites are bad, they hurt."

I suppose it's possible that a spider was walking across the bed, the victim started rolling over in their sleep, and the spider chomped down in a last ditch attempt to save its own life. But when I think about it, spiders seem pretty good at avoiding humans. I've seen other bugs on beds, but never a spider. I've been pincered by ants and earwigs, stung by bees, hornets and wasps, and fed upon by mosquitoes and horseflies, but never, to my knowledge, been bitten by a spider. Even with all the anecdotes of spider bites, I've never heard one where the bitten party actually saw a spider bite them.

Am I merely lucky when it comes to spiders, and insensitive to the trials others are forced to endure? Or maybe I live in a Pollyanna world, head stuck in the clouds, unaware that every seemingly innocent blemish that appears on my skin is proof of abuse by the spider's maw? Not to be too politically correct, here, but I call arachnophobia.

Discuss?

When cleaning my pool cage, if I don't hose the brush off every thirty seconds or so, all the spiders will crawl or "web" down the pole and I'll get lots of bites. The spiders are mostly spiny orb-weavers and various tiny little brown ones. The bites are painful and leave slightly itchy red bumps that lasts a few days. So spiders don't need to be in imminent danger of being crushed in order to bite.

The most ornery bugs I encounter here are fire ants. Generally, if a fire ant is on you, it's biting you. Plus the bites itch like crazy for four or five days, and usually blister/ulcerate.

[The Man]

Am I merely lucky when it comes to spiders, and insensitive to the trials others are forced to endure? Or maybe I live in a Pollyanna world, head stuck in the clouds, unaware that every seemingly innocent blemish that appears on my skin is proof of abuse by the spider's maw? Not to be too politically correct, here, but I call arachnophobia.

Discuss?

Spider bites usually have two perceptible penetration marks within the blemish (due to the fangs) that are often obvious (if you look for them), but a magnifying glass can help.

Watch out for that Brown Recluse (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_recluse_spider) thought, they can do some serious damage (http://search.live.com/images/results.aspx?q=brown+recluse&mkt=en-us#
) (it should not be in your area porch)

[Old Bob]

Australian red back spider is bad news but, if bitten rub a cut onion on the bite. Some areas the poison in the spider can very. Clearing of land picking up sticks behind a dozer the workers contact a lot spiders and they usually carry a cut onion.

[porch]

When cleaning my pool cage, if I don't hose the brush off every thirty seconds or so, all the spiders will crawl or "web" down the pole and I'll get lots of bites. The spiders are mostly spiny orb-weavers and various tiny little brown ones. The bites are painful and leave slightly itchy red bumps that lasts a few days. So spiders don't need to be in imminent danger of being crushed in order to bite.



I'd probably develop a healthy fear of spiders if I lived in Florida. Do you know what these spiders are called, or have any photos or anything?

Recovering Yuppy, I was interested to note in your link that the legendary Daddy Long Legs (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pholcidae#Misconceptions) received a special mention. I know several people who have a particular aversion to these ones. They're not my favourite spiders by any stretch, but I think they do have a kind of elegance, in their own way.

[Gene L]

A single red dot and itching indicates a chigger around here, a.k.a. "red bug" in other climes. It's a burrowing insect that gets under the skin and itches for a couple of days. It's very small, and is often mistaken for a bite by those unfamiliar with it.

I doubt they have them in Canada, but they could, I suppose, travel on imported vegetables.

[dahduh]

A while ago I listened to a podcast on exactly this subject. Conclusion: nearly all 'spider bites' exhibited to doctors are simply infected punctures caused by splinters or some sharp object. I'm afraid I can't find the reference, sorry.

[Skeptic Ginger]

Look for more spots. If you find them get treated or at least examined for a staph skin infection. It is very often mistaken for 'spider bites'.

If the patient says spider bite, think MRSA, says Assembly speaker (http://www.aafp.org/fpr/20041100/10.html)

[Mark Felt]

I know several people who have a particular aversion to these ones.

But why? They can't possibly hurt you; their bites are too small. Maybe you could swallow it, but they're completely harmless otherwise. They don't even feel wierd.

[porch]

A while ago I listened to a podcast on exactly this subject. Conclusion: nearly all 'spider bites' exhibited to doctors are simply infected punctures caused by splinters or some sharp object. I'm afraid I can't find the reference, sorry.


If I see a red dot or bump on my skin that isn't causing me much aggravation, I don't think about it much. If it remains, or gets worse, after 2 or 3 days, then I start looking for some type of critter or yeast to blame.

[Tiktaalik]

I've been bitten a number of times by spiders in my clothing or bedding (known witnessed bites - also some I suspect when I find a mark with two punctures and a squished spider in my bed). Generally they are just slightly painful red marks although once I got an infection from one that was in the leg of my pajamas.

I don't care much about spiders and often don't remove them from my house when I see them - they catch flies. One exception is that I will remove black widows. They aren't very aggressive, though - once I was moving a small table & felt something soft under my finger. I continued carrying the table and when I put it down I looked under the rim and found that my finger had been on a large black widow. She was okay, not squished - I must have just trapped her enough so she couldn't get away.

I've know people who've been bitten by both black widows and brown recluses. The brown recluse bite created a worse reaction with travelling streaks from a small ulcerated area.

When I lived in southeast Texas there were big yellow spiders everybody called "banana spiders" which I think were orb weavers of some type. They were a little creepy because so big.

There have been spiders everywhere I've lived, I can't really imagine a place where there aren't many, like the OP says.

[Modified]

One exception is that I will remove black widows. They aren't very aggressive, though - once I was moving a small table & felt something soft under my finger. I continued carrying the table and when I put it down I looked under the rim and found that my finger had been on a large black widow. She was okay, not squished - I must have just trapped her enough so she couldn't get away.

When I lived in Alabama, I twice found black widows under the cover of my water meter / shut-off valve. The cover has two finger-holes for removing it, but even before I found the spiders I was not dumb enough to stick my fingers in them.

[leonAzul]

Wholey crap!

Your parents were utterly clueless.

How did that happen?

[Modified]

I'd probably develop a healthy fear of spiders if I lived in Florida. Do you know what these spiders are called, or have any photos or anything?

The spiny orb-weavers are called spiny orb-weavers. They look exactly like the top picture here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gasteracantha, so I suspect G. cancriformis. They are quite evil-looking. The rest just look like the regular assortment of skinny little brown spiders you find in the corners of homes anywhere in the US.

I don't think the concentration of spiders is significantly higher here than anywhere else, but a pool cage is a magnet for them. It would seem that the screen keeps out almost all of the flying bugs, but apparently enough get through to feed a few hundred spiders.

[Damien Evans]

Australian red back spider is bad news but, if bitten rub a cut onion on the bite. Some areas the poison in the spider can very. Clearing of land picking up sticks behind a dozer the workers contact a lot spiders and they usually carry a cut onion.

Do you have a source for that?

[Old Bob]

Do you have a source for that?

Yes, my old neighour and myself.

[lionking]

Yes, my old neighour and myself.
As usual you have nothing. Note to all members, do not take any notice of Old Bob whatsoever, particularly when that advice could very well be harmful.

[Ivor the Engineer]

As usual you have nothing. Note to all members, do not take any notice of Old Bob whatsoever, particularly when that advice could very well be harmful.

That's not quite true. If you come across someone in need of medical attention and they are grasping half an onion, it at least gives some idea as to what happened to them.:)

[abkaiser]

A while ago I listened to a podcast on exactly this subject. Conclusion: nearly all 'spider bites' exhibited to doctors are simply infected punctures caused by splinters or some sharp object. I'm afraid I can't find the reference, sorry.

It may have been this article/podcast:

http://www.dbskeptic.com/2008/02/03/spider-bites-are-an-overrated-menace/

[Dancing David]

Spider bites usually have two perceptible penetration marks within the blemish (due to the fangs) that are often obvious (if you look for them), but a magnifying glass can help.

Watch out for that Brown Recluse (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_recluse_spider) thought, they can do some serious damage (http://search.live.com/images/results.aspx?q=brown+recluse&mkt=en-us#
) (it should not be in your area porch)


All over Illinois, all over my house when I was painting. Response to the bite varies from painful and swollen to necrotic tissue.

Yup, they is real bad durin tornaders too, good thing about ice storms, no spiders or ticks...

[The Man]

I was driving my car one day with the window open, my arm outside and my hand gripping the roof. All of the sudden, bawang, a pain shot up my arm, I was not sure what it was at the time, but when I got home it was apparent. I could see the mark and the two penetrations of the fangs in my elbow. Apparently some spider had made its home in my driver’s side door window slot and for some reason did not like where I was going or what I was doing. The pain only lasted for a couple of moments after the bite but it was intense enough for me to take serious notice. Perhaps it was just the vicinity of the toxin injection to a nerve bundle like my “funny bone”, which is what it felt like so that made sense to me. In fact I had thought that I just positioned my elbow in such a way that I must have accidentally tripped my “funny bone” until I got home and saw the tell tale mark of the spider bite, fortunately the brown recluse should not be in my area.

[Highly Selassie]

The only spiders considered dangerous we have here are the western black widow and the hobo spider (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hobo_spider). The hobo spider is particularly curious as they are rarely seen by humans here, and bites are even more rare. Not only that, but there seems to be a controversy over whether their bite actually poses a danger. Some claim that a hobo spider's bite is almost as dangerous as the famed brown recluse, but this doesn't seem to be backed up by any scientific study.

[Old Bob]

As usual you have nothing. Note to all members, do not take any notice of Old Bob whatsoever, particularly when that advice could very well be harmful.

Lionking what would you know, I could say the same. Onion juice will releive a spider bite.

[Mikeuk]

On holiday in Scotland this year I counted over 40 bites on each arm from midges - how do such tiny insects manage to bite so effectively?

Talking to another guest in the hotel bar about the attacks, he said he and his wife always take a vitamin supplement - B1, Benerva. They take one tablet each day for the week before their holiday - and they never have a single bite.

Is this reasoinable? Has anyone else heard of this?

[PixyMisa]

Lionking what would you know, I could say the same. Onion juice will releive a spider bite.
Yes, so you won't be sore, just dead.

No that much of an improvement, I'd say.

[madurobob]

A single red dot and itching indicates a chigger around here, a.k.a. "red bug" in other climes. It's a burrowing insect that gets under the skin and itches for a couple of days. It's very small, and is often mistaken for a bite by those unfamiliar with it.

I doubt they have them in Canada, but they could, I suppose, travel on imported vegetables.
(bolding mine)

This is a common misconception - one I held for nearly 40 years. Chiggers in fact do not burrow into your skin, they are parasitic and simply bite and inject enzymes that help them feed on fluids in your skin. The incredibly itchy red dot is your body's reaction to the injected enzyme.

I must admit the thought of bugs under my skin was a bit disconcerting as a child. The story I heard was that they went through their larval stage under your skin and hatched out several days later. I believed this for years in spite of zillions of chigger bites and never once seeing anything crawl out of them.

[PixyMisa]

Ah, that's just the normal chiggers. You don't have the alien death chiggers where you live. Not only do they burrow under your skin, but the larva are the size of a schoolbus.

It's true. My old neighbour says so.

But just wear a slice of lemon on your head and you'll be fine. I always do, and the alien death chiggers have never once bothered me.

[PixyMisa]

On holiday in Scotland this year I counted over 40 bites on each arm from midges - how do such tiny insects manage to bite so effectively?They're made of depleted uranium.

[Damien Evans]

Yes, my old neighour and myself.

You could have just said no. it would have been more true and taken up less space.

[madurobob]

Well, to be fair, we do have examples in nature of this alien death chigger behavior. Mud daubers (a form of wasp for those not familiar) sting spiders to immobilize them then pack them in mud with their eggs. The mud dauber eggs hatch and feast on the living but paralyzed spider - yummy!

[N.Texas]

--What is the treatment for spider bites? (http://dermnetnz.org/arthropods/spider-bites.html)

One of the most important aspects in treating spider bites it to try and identify the offending spider. The venom of spider bites is quite variable hence identification of the spider can be of value in determining the management of the condition.

General measures that should occur after a spider bite include:

* Wash the area well with soap and water
* Apply a cold flannel or ice pack wrapped in cloth to the site
* Give paracetamol for pain
* Seek immediate emergency care for further treatment

Depending on identification of the offending spider and the severity of the bite treatment may include:

* Muscle relaxants
* Stronger pain relievers
* Antibiotics to prevent infections and antihistamines to reduce swelling
* Supportive care
* Antivenin

Specific treatment for bites from certain spiders include:

* Intravenous calcium gluconate alternating with methocarbamol to relieve muscle cramps caused by spiders belonging to the Latrodectus genus (e.g. black widow).
* Antivenin is available for bites by spiders of the Latrodectus and Loxosceles genera and is very effective if given soon after the bite.
* Hydroxyzine (antihistamine) may be given to alter the necrotic lesion of bites from spiders of the Loxosceles genus.
* It is possible that systemic steroids may be of benefit.

http://dermnetnz.org/arthropods/spider-bites.html

[PixyMisa]

They're made of depleted uranium.
Or, given the location, deep-fried Mars Bars and Irn Bru.

Much the same thing, really.

[quarky]

The brown recluse is quite common where I live. The bites usually happen when you roll on one accidently, or put on a shirt that's been hanging in a closet for a long time.

There is some evidence that there range has been expanding. Their bite is painless, which is creepy, because one doesn't usually notice it until days later, when the flesh begins to rot.

[Akhenaten]

Two of my mates were out camping once and one of them was bitten on the backside by a Redback spider. Fortunately they had a mobile phone with them so the unbitten mate was able to call for medical assistance, being duly advised that the only way to save the patient's life was to suck out the poison.

"What did they say?" asks the bitten one.

"You're gonna die, Mate." says the other.

[Mikeuk]

yummmmm deep-fried Mars Bars and Irn Bru.

[stup_id]

Well, i hope i don't get warned by Admins hahah because this is not directly related to topic.. but i've been wondering about a particularly str4ange kind of spider i've often found in my first door bathroom, it seems like an crab spider, but it has 2 antenna (or legs) mesauring up to 25 cm each!, it is brown and its body should be about only 4 cm width, it really looks as a crab except for that antenna weird thing... it scares the hell out of me everytime it surprises me.. but as some people pointed out, i think they are way more useful than harmful so I let them live... did I just discovered a new species? :D

By the way, i'm from Monterrey MExico, leaving in a hill with dry forest...

[Dancing David]

So it has eight legs and not six?

[stup_id]

yes yes of course.. i've checked that... i actually instructed my family that if they run again into another of those spiders try to catch it and keep it somwhere... which they actually did.. but lost the jar.. :S

[stup_id]

oh.. i think i understand now what you meant... mmm those "antenna" i think are rather very thin and long legs, so adding those up, it makes 8 legs, it really has the body of a spider... with their little numeous eyes as well, and two tiny fangs

[dudalb]

Wow.I am surprised. 40 posts in a thread about spider bites and not one Spider Man joke.

[I Ratant]

Considering the possible effects of a real Brown Recluse Spider bite, levity might be withheld... :)
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/spider_bite_brown_recluse_spider_bite/page11_em.htm#Multimedia
.
Go to picture 14... Urp!

[Dancing David]

Well it is an arachnid of some sort , 'daddy long legs', spiders, crabs, lobsters and scorpions(I think).

maybe start here:
http://www.arachnology.be/pages/Identification.html

[quarky]

Brown recluses are voracious hunters of almost every other spider in their habitat. We can usually tell if they're having a comeback from the lack of all the other types. They don't make a web.

[leonAzul]

Are you rearing phil's pants again, mate?

[Robin]

Wow.I am surprised. 40 posts in a thread about spider bites and not one Spider Man joke.

Dammit! I hopped on here specifically to make a Spider Man joke.

[Soapy Sam]

25 CENTIMETRES?
Ten inches?
It's a lobster.

[Gene L]

I'm either so repulsive a chigger won't bite me or just plain lucky, but I laid out in the woods at Ft. Benning and Ft. Polk for a LONG time and never got chiggers or spider-bit. I think mosquitos keep them away.

I've known two people get bitten by a Brown Recluse...well, not by the SAME Brown Recluse, but you know what I mean.

The first was a long time ago, and treatment hadn't advanced much. The BR wasn't known much then. She said she got a bump which hurt, then formed a pus pocket (as I recall) and the flesh inside the pocket died, leaving it looking a bit like a tiny volcano. And it took months and months to heal.

The other guy was accident prone, nearly sawed off his thumb in a shop, and after he got well, he got spider bit in the same shop. I think they'd advanced treatment since then and while he had, IIRC, nerve issues, I don't think it took nearly as long to heal. I don't know of anyone who ever died from any spider bite.

When I was in Viet Nam, a major was sitting in a bunker, leaned forward with his back to the wall and a tarantula (as he described it) fell off the wall and on his neck. And bit him, terrified him, and generally ruined his day. It made him sick, not bad sick but feverish and with a headache, he said.

And while not relating to spiders, when I was there a guy in my company had a cobra spit in his eye! Dead accurate! I was there but didn't see it...his name was Blankenship.

He was evacuated, no loss of vision, but again, it hurt, he said.

[quixotecoyote]

I've got a bug lamp outside my door that I haven't turned on all summer. There are two funnel spiders who have seen fit to spin webs from the house to the power cord. Between them and some form of orb weaver that likes hanging 2 foot webs from a nearby tree, my porch has been so insect free I never turned on the bug lamp.

[Kittyclaws]

I must admit the thought of bugs under my skin was a bit disconcerting as a child. The story I heard was that they went through their larval stage under your skin and hatched out several days later.

I have a distinct childhood memory of perusing a book about insects that showed a photo of an earwig near a child's ear. Creeped me out completely. I was terrified that earwigs would crawl in my ears and eat my brain.

Working outside, sometimes under people's houses and usually wading through shrubbery to reach utility boxes, I encounter lots of 6- and 8-legged wildlife. Bugs don't bother me as long as they're outdoors. None of them belong in my house. I get bit and stung from time to time but I worry more about hantavirus exposure.

[CaveDave]

Well, i hope i don't get warned by Admins hahah because this is not directly related to topic.. but i've been wondering about a particularly str4ange kind of spider i've often found in my first door bathroom, it seems like an crab spider, but it has 2 antenna (or legs) mesauring up to 25 cm each!, it is brown and its body should be about only 4 cm width, it really looks as a crab except for that antenna weird thing... it scares the hell out of me everytime it surprises me.. but as some people pointed out, i think they are way more useful than harmful so I let them live... did I just discovered a new species? :D

By the way, i'm from Monterrey MExico, leaving in a hill with dry forest...

Could it be one of these? (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solifugae)

The second photo is a human hand holding one by a leg.:jaw-dropp

Google "Wind Spider" for more info.

HTH

Dave

[I Ratant]

We had those Solifugae's in the office. I watched one saw its way right thru another, which was larger!
One of the guys would catch them and put them in clear epoxy bubbles. His yipping as they bit him during the hunt was hilarious!

[CaveDave]

Could it be one of these? (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solifugae)

The second photo is a human hand holding one by a leg.:jaw-dropp


After reexamining that photo, I realized I was mistaken: no hand in the photo, just a darker area. The upper left photo at the bottom of the page, however, shows one spanning a ping-pong (table tennis) paddle.

This photo (http://www.thefunnypage.com/camel-spiders/spider.jpg) shows a G.I. in Iraq holding two very large ones... monsters.

Dave

[PalMD]

In this part of the world (Michigan, USA) reports of spider bites are frequent, proven spider bites are rare. Recluse and widow spiders do live here but are very hard to find. We do have wolf spiders, but they are big enough that they are easy to avoid. I spend a lot of time convincing people that the bump they have is probably not a spider bite and they aren't going to lose a leg.

[N.Texas]

I had many wolf spiders in my back yard but they never really bothered me. They would crawl over my feet from time to time.

I just read that daddy long legs (cellar spiders not harvestmen) are good for redback control. I did spot a black widow in my crawl space but I have many cellar spiders as well.

[OnlyTellsTruths]

What is this hanging outside my window! (Could someone please identify this?)

Should I kill it? (Gross!)

http://img148.imageshack.us/img148/904/spdrbacklu0.jpg

It ran away and curled up before I could get a good shot of it's front:

http://img148.imageshack.us/img148/7392/spdrfrntyi9.jpg

ETA: It's about 1 inch long (including legs, as seen in top photo).

[OnlyTellsTruths]

It's still out there! Aaaieeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!

[tesscaline]

Never kill spiders :( They eat the bugs that are pests (mosquitos, flies, gnats, etc.). If you're afraid of it, just catch it in a jar and move it somewhere else.

[OnlyTellsTruths]

Never kill spiders :( They eat the bugs that are pests (mosquitos, flies, gnats, etc.). If you're afraid of it, just catch it in a jar and move it somewhere else.

I'm too scared to do either.

[tesscaline]

I'm too scared to do either.Arachnophobic?

Just leave it where it is, and avoid it until someone can move it for you :) Spiders really are your friends, if you treat them with respect :)

[arthwollipot]

Australian red back spider is bad news but, if bitten rub a cut onion on the bite. Some areas the poison in the spider can very. Clearing of land picking up sticks behind a dozer the workers contact a lot spiders and they usually carry a cut onion.Just let me be clear here. If you are bitten by an Australian redback spider, hie thee to a hospital immediately. If you do, you should survive. No-one who has received treatment for a redback bite has died.

Old Bob's onion juice may ease the stinging of a redback bite, but you'll still die unless you get treatment quickly.

The correct first aid for a redback bite is to splint and bind the limb with constrictive bandages. If the bite is on the hand, bind it to the shoulder. If the foot, bind it to the hip. Elevate the limb while you rush the victim to your nearest medical centre, where they will administer an antivenin.

If you do not do this, there is a very good chance that the victim will die! Not everyone who receives a redback bite dies (and as I said, none who receive proper treatment), but they're still horrbly venomous.

ETA: And let's not even mention the Sydney funnelweb or the white-tail.

[N.Texas]

What is this hanging outside my window! (Could someone please identify this?)

It kind of looks like mine.

http://forums.randi.org/imagehosting/thum_1574748d1c4afde763.jpg (http://forums.randi.org/vbimghost.php?do=displayimg&imgid=13817)

Is it an Orb Web spider?

[B.S]

They look like Orb Weaving spiders to me.


Here is one I took a shot of while camping this summer ( eastern Canada ). Some kind of wolf spider, about two inches long. I wonder what his bite would have felt like? Even though not dangerous, it would probably have hurt a bit.



http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b320/BJPS/Kejimkujik/0808240480.jpg


.