Brown Recluse in my Home State?

One of the most common questions we receive are questions about whether the Brown Recluse Spider is found in a particular locale. Unlike other kinds of living things which are harmed by man's development and expansion, Brown Recluse spiders benefit from man's increased population and development because houses and other buildings are an ideal environment for the spider. Therefore, their population is only going to increase every year.

Due to the mobility of society and this spider's tendency to "recluse" themselves in boxes and shipping cartons, the spider can be found nearly anywhere. However, it is most commonly found in the states of Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia, Virginia, Texas, Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Louisiana.

Brown Recluse spiders are most abundant in Texas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Arkansas. One study showed that 70% of homes
in Missouri have the Brown Recluse spider.

One thing that is not commonly realized is that there are other Recluse species of spiders which are considered dangerous but are found in other states. Among them are the Desert Recluse and Arizona Recluse (both found in the southwestern United States). The Mediterranean Recluse is found in most states and Chilean Recluse spiders (the most dangerous of all) are sometimes found in large cities due to commerce and trade. Other spiders which can cause a necrotic wound are the Hobo spider (found in the the Pacific Northwest and Canada) and the Yellow Sac Spider (found in all 50 states). See http://www.brown-recluse.com/spiderinfo.html for a map.

Necrotic spider bite wounds from the Recluse and other species have occured in all 50 states. Our Brown Recluse First Aid Kit has a Lifetime Money Back Guarantee which will give you a full refund if you find it ineffective on any necrotic bite wound, regardless of the spider species. We are so confident, we'll even pay the shipping fees to return the kit. But in spite of the fact that 40% of those who purchase a kit report that they are suffering from a bite wound, in the last 4 years our return rate for ineffectiveness is only .001 !

Thomas J. Martincic
Brown Recluse Response Team
www.Brown-Recluse.com 
Progeny

Brown Recluse Spider Trap in Action

We recently added a video to this web site showing the incredible effectiveness of our Catchmaster Glue traps.

At a residence we placed a Brown Recluse Spider in front of one of our traps for the purposes of proving how effective these traps are at catching Brown Recluses.

We couldn't have asked for a better example.

The Brown Recluse Spider took off running and inadvertantly allowed one of his legs to enter the trap. Running at nearly full speed, the Brown Recluse Spider was literally stopped in his tracks.

We then picked up the trap slowly and allowed the spider to try and pull his leg away. He could not.

We allowed him to dangle there for a little while and even shook the trap back and forth as he was dangling there from one leg, but the powerful glue in our traps held onto his leg and would not let go.

We now have bondafide proof of what our customers have been saying for over 4 years now--these traps catch Brown Recluses and do not let go!

A customer in St. Louis, Missouri recently re-ordered 36 of our traps after having caught 60 Brown Recluse Spiders in his home. Catches of 60-100 Brown Recluse Spiders are not that uncommon. If you have one, it is almost a guarantee that there are a whole lot more due to the spider's aggressive breeding. 

To see the video, visit the traps information page at:

http://www.brown-recluse.com/traps.html

Thomas J. Martincic
Brown Recluse Response Team
www.Brown-Recluse.com 
Progeny

Pesticides for Brown Recluse Spiders

Many are under the impression that if they call a Pest Control company, they will come out and eliminate the Brown Recluse spider from their home. But almost no pest control company will guarantee they can eliminate the spider. Any company that does guarantee eradication of this spider is probably not telling the truth. 

The tenacity and mobility of Brown Recluse Spiders make them notoriously difficult to eradicate. Unlike insects, they do not clean themselves and are less likely to ingest any pesticide residue. And unlike other spiders, they don't spin webs to catch prey so that pesticide residue collects on the web which is later ingested. 

If insecticides are used, studies show that they tend to flee the home "en masse" when insecticides are being applied. And since they can safely eat insects that were killed by insecticides a mere 24 hours prior, and they actually prefer to eat dead insects over living ones (81% of the time in one study), applying insecticides may only add to their choices for food rather than helping to get rid of the spider. 

Spraying the pesticide directly on the spider will probably kill it, but so will stomping the spider with your shoe or spraying it with water. If you choose to use pesticides anyway, first apply the pesticide all around the outside of the house, then apply it behind the baseboards before doing the rest of the house. Getting inside the walls and behind the baseboards are essential. Female Brown Recluses rarely roam far from their hiding places inside walls and boxes. They will keep reproducing as long as there are some mobile male spiders available in the home.

For this reason, Pest Control companies typically use glue traps to help eradicate the spider. The glue traps (sticky traps) offered on this web site are the same brand used by thousands of Pest Control companies throughout the United States. However, even many Pest Control technicians don't know the best places to put the traps. We include an information sheet on all the best places to put the traps based on recommendations by Kansas University researchers. Click here for more information on traps.

Thomas J. Martincic
Brown Recluse Response Team
www.Brown-Recluse.com 
Progeny

Brown Recluse Spider Fangs

This rather intimidating looking photo, taken by Kansas University researchers, is actually a picture of a Brown Recluse spider attempting to bite a regular no. 10 staple. Notice that the fangs aren't even as long as the staple is thick. The fangs are smaller than a sewing needle and the edge of a dime. They are too short to bite through regular clothes so they typically need bare skin in order to successfully bite you.

Interestingly, their experiments demonstrated that the Brown Recluse wouldn't try to bite if something touched its legs, its underside or anywhere on its body unless there was pressure. Pressure meaning they feel like they are getting squashed by something such as getting caught inside clothes, shoes, or rolling over a Brown Recluse spider who happens to be crawling on your bed at night. Almost all Brown Recluse bites are from incidental contact like this rather than aggression.

Thomas J. Martincic
Brown Recluse Response Team
www.Brown-Recluse.com 
Progeny

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