brown recluses

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

I will never shut my eyes when I wash my face ever again

[featherB 1]

Mags... that's just what I was coming on here to post. I've never been scared of spiders, at all, and the idea of squashing a spider horrifies me - flies and wasps are there to be squished, spiders are there to be carefully picked up and let outside, or just to be left to live happily in the corner where they're not bothering me. But maybe that's growing up in a country where the spiders mind their own business and rid your house of insects for you... this thread has freaked me out a bit. I'd never even heard of brown recluses 'til I opened this thread. Must remember... spiders bad. Spiders no longer my friends... eeek!

Black widow on hand towel....

Well, I WASN'T scared until I read this thread.....

Edited February 10, 2007 by featherB

[Mags 112]

I will never shut my eyes when I wash my face ever again

I've actually just washed my face and guess what...I checked the towel first!

Incidentally, I live in a really old house that we are renovating. Just think 200 year old plaster and lath walls that haven't been touched since they were put up and we have to rip it all down. We have half ripped down walls, gaps in all sorts of places...just how many of these buggars do you think are in there??????????

Tell ya what, I'm gonna check the bed before I get in there tonight which, may I add, has the covers touching the floor....

Mags... that's just what I was coming on here to post. I've never been scared of spiders, at all, and the idea of squashing a spider horrifies me - flies and wasps are there to be squished, spiders are there to be carefully picked up and let outside, or just to be left to live happily in the corner where they're not bothering me. But maybe that's growing up in a country where the spiders mind their own business and rid your house of insects for you... this thread has freaked me out a bit. I'd never even heard of brown recluses 'til I opened this thread. Must remember... spiders bad. Spiders no longer my friends... eeek!

Black widow on hand towel....

Tell me about it! Spiders are supposed to be good little things to have around....aren't they???

Edited February 10, 2007 by mags

[Peggy 1]

I havent seen to many big spiders here yet, and have only seen one big snake.

I freak when I see those big black ####### roaches. I dont want to see those spiders, I would probley have a heart attack for sure.

[wissooner 0]

I grew up and lived in Oklahoma most of my life. Some of that time on a cattle ranch working in dark dusty barns. Oklahoma is thick with recluses and black widows and I have never been bitten. A little extra caution and common sense and you will be fine...

[Chris-n-Veronica 0]

I will never shut my eyes when I wash my face ever again

I've actually just washed my face and guess what...I checked the towel first!

Incidentally, I live in a really old house that we are renovating. Just think 200 year old plaster and lath walls that haven't been touched since they were put up and we have to rip it all down. We have half ripped down walls, gaps in all sorts of places...just how many of these buggars do you think are in there??????????

Tell ya what, I'm gonna check the bed before I get in there tonight which, may I add, has the covers touching the floor....

Mags... that's just what I was coming on here to post. I've never been scared of spiders, at all, and the idea of squashing a spider horrifies me - flies and wasps are there to be squished, spiders are there to be carefully picked up and let outside, or just to be left to live happily in the corner where they're not bothering me. But maybe that's growing up in a country where the spiders mind their own business and rid your house of insects for you... this thread has freaked me out a bit. I'd never even heard of brown recluses 'til I opened this thread. Must remember... spiders bad. Spiders no longer my friends... eeek!

Black widow on hand towel....

Tell me about it! Spiders are supposed to be good little things to have around....aren't they???

NOw you did it...Covers touching the floor...

[JayJay 4]

Oooooh you guysss.... Just gather the little creatures up and make a nice stir-fry out of them. *giggles*

*runs away to avoid being slapped...teeehehhehe! Protein*

[Aymerlu 3]

I've lived in Missouri all my life and almost everyone I know says they have been bitten by those little critters. Maybe they have. I've also been told that if you live in Missouri...you have brown recluses in your home. Everyone reacts to the bites differently....some minor like a mosquito bite and others are pretty ugly. I did see a patient once that eventually had to have a skin graft due to a brown recluse bite. On another note, brown recluse do not spin webs so I tend to like seeing cob webs once in a while.

[Sharon 1]

I grew up and lived in Oklahoma most of my life. Some of that time on a cattle ranch working in dark dusty barns. Oklahoma is thick with recluses and black widows and I have never been bitten. A little extra caution and common sense and you will be fine...

Which is exactly where I got bitten by a black widow when I first moved to Virginia. I was cleaning the barn out and that b!tch got me. Mannn....was I ever sick for several days and on MEGA doses of anti-biotics.

I lived to tell about it tho...lol...and learned from my mistake.

[Reba 2]

apparently brown recluses and black widows have made their way as far north as Ontario. Spider bites have been reported, but I'm not sure if they're confirmed brown recluse or other types of recluse.

They probably wouldn't survive the metre of snow on them though!

We've got brown recluse and black widows here in NC, and I think 10 different types of poisonous snake. So far I haven't seen any.

[Kathryn41 3,205]

Yeah, I've only seen one poisonous snake that wasn't in some sort of a zoo or an exhibition at a state park - and that was a coral snake right on the front door step at my sister in law's home in the Houston area. My brother in law killed it because it was just too close to the house and they have young grandchildren who play in the yard. My husband had water moccasins on the farm he used to have, though. Poisonous snakes don't worry me as much as spiders - you can generally see those suckers coming!

Edited February 12, 2007 by Kathryn41

[drpepper1109 0]

This has made me paranoid! I'll just buy some cats! They'll kill any intruders!

[Ban Hammer 12,901]

This has made me paranoid! I'll just buy some cats! They'll kill any intruders!

exactly what i was gonna suggest. cats are a great defense against spiders. look a new toy. bat bat bat bat bat

[Mags 112]

This has made me paranoid! I'll just buy some cats! They'll kill any intruders!

exactly what i was gonna suggest. cats are a great defense against spiders. look a new toy. bat bat bat bat bat

But surely, if a cat is bitten by a brown recluse (highly likely if they are tormenting it) they will die?

[Kathryn41 3,205]

That is why I take spiders away from the cats - the bites of brown recluse and black widows can have very serious repercussions for cats and I don't want anything to happen to them.