Preventing Brown Recluse bites during the day
Brown Recluses are non-aggressive spiders that typically hide out during the day. Since nearly most all bites occur through accidental contact, where they choose to hide out can affect whether or not you are bitten by the spider.
A good way to avoid being bitten is to "think like the spider". Ask yourself, "Am I putting my hands in an area where a Brown Recluse spider might like to hide out during the day?" If it's an normally undisturbed area such as a box, a closet, a storage area, inside rarely used shoes, in a garage/barn/shed or in a woodpile the answer is probably yes. Wear gloves and long sleeved shirts if you are going to be working in one of these areas.
Many bites occur when putting on clothing that was either on the floor or inside a dresser drawer. If you live in a home that has a population of Brown Recluse spiders, always thoroughly shake out and inspect your clothes before putting them on.
They will bite because of the pressure exerted between the clothing and the skin. If you feel a spider inside your clothes, do not panic. Just carefully remove the clothing and be sure not to put any 'pinch pressure' on the spider. Also shake our your shoes before putting them on to avoid getting bit on your feet.
Also be sure to check your bed before getting into it, especially if it has been unused for a long time. Of course, the best way to avoid Brown Recluse bites is to eliminate the spider from your home. See http://www.brown-recluse.com/ for more information.
Thomas J. Martincic
Brown Recluse Response Team
www.Brown-Recluse.com
Progeny
Preventing Brown Recluse bites at night
Brown Recluse spiders are non-aggressive and prefer to
hide and run rather than attack humans. Most bites occur accidentally when
rolling over in bed, gathering wood, putting on clothing or shoes, emptying out
boxes, cleaning out closets and other undisturbed areas and when taking a bath
or shower.
Brown Recluses cannot negotiate the smooth surfaces of
sinks, bathtubs and shower surfaces. This is because have pinchers at the end
of their feet to grab things as they walk. If there is nothing to grab onto,
they have no way to move.
This is helpful knowledge in preventing Brown Recluse
bites. They cannot climb up the smooth surface of the feet of most bed framing.
However, if you have ruffles on your bed or if the bedding material is in any
way touching the floor during the day or at night, they can easily climb up and
you are more likely to suffer a bite when rolling over at night.
It is also
very important that you keep the bed away from the wall. They can climb some
walls if there is a rough enough surface area to them. Then they could get on
your bed via the wall and crawl into your bedcovers. Bites occur when people
move around in their bed at night and accidentally crush the spider.
Another consideration is that Brown Recluses tend to like
certain kinds of ceiling light fixtures. They can crawl inside the fixture
through the attic/ceiling, escape the fixture and then drop down below.
If your light fixture is directly above your bed, this is another possible way they
could enter your bedding area. You can check your light fixture to see if any
Brown Recluse spiders may have gotten caught inside the bulb cover. If so,
that's a sure sign that they are entering in this way. You can also try to seal
the area around the light fixture if possible.
Thomas J. Martincic
Brown Recluse Response Team
www.Brown-Recluse.com
Progeny
