If you were to take a survey of which pest you would least like to be bitten by the brown recluse spider would be in the top three and perhaps number one. Only snakes and black widows give this tiny non aggressive spider a run for its money in this department. Folk lore of the brown recluse seems to be spread far and wide and almost everybody you meet has either been bitten or knows someone who has been. This is hard to believe since the recluse region of infestation is only about 13 states wide and only in sections of some. Still it seems the worst fear of the average person when it comes to bites is this misunderstood spider that is no bigger than a quarter.
Indeed recluse spiders can be found in areas that are not on their known regional boundaries but they can barely thrive in those areas so it is very rare for them to even become established before dying out. They are transported to these other states often by delivery or moving truck when a hiding recluse is carted along with a family moving or things such as furniture are shipped across the country. The known range of the recluse starts from western Georgia and parts of Kentucky and goes as far west as Oklahoma. Many states in the middle are only partly infested such as Iowa or Texas. Florida would seem a likely candidate but there have only been six confirmed recluse bites in that state over the last one hundred years. Although the legend of the recluse and the supposed reports of bites far exceed this normal range, the recluse lives as peaceable life in only about thirteen states.
The recluse gets its name because it is reclusive. They shy away from anything that can't be eaten so people and pets are avoided. They do live in homes but only venture out at night to hunt and hide during the day and most folks are none the wiser. Recluse use webbing around their nests and for the precious egg sacs but not to catch food. This web is not like an orb spider and is usually irregular around the entry. If the spider can't make its way back to the nest before morning it will find a quiet place to hide and wait for the next night to move out again.
Populations in untreated homes can get quite high and many exterminators report killing hundreds in occupied homes. One such house in Oklahoma had three thousand recluse spiders taken from it and no occupants were ever bitten and rarely saw a spider in the three years they lived there. As spiders go recluse females do not produce a lot of young. She may have two or three egg sacs at a time with fifty to sixty brood in each one. This spider often goes long periods without food or water ( about six months) and it can withstand the cold basements in the winter as well as the brutal heat of the attic in the hot summer months.
This durable spider then really has no desire to search out humans or pets and stays clear from their activity as much as possible. The main cause of interaction and folks being bitten is when the spider is either rolled on by accident when it crawls onto your bed or perhaps if it were hiding in an article of clothing. Once the human rolls on the spider or puts pressure on it their instinct is to bite. Even so, the bite must be directly on the skin as their fangs are not powerful enough to even go through clothing. The wound of a recluse bite can get ugly and quite large and some last for months but in most cases the site heals up in about three weeks and no medical attention is required. It is the few bites that turn bad that get the most press and even Doctors assume that every spider bite is a recluse when classic signs begin to appear. Actually, the yellow sac spider also delivers a necrotic venom and is far more likely the spider in question. It is virtually impossible to identify a bite from the wound itself and without the captured spider not even a medical professional can know for sure. In the end this tiny little spider gets all the blame when all he wants to do is live a quiet life tucked away in a corner never wanting so much as a friendly smile from anyone else who lives in the house.
Indeed recluse spiders can be found in areas that are not on their known regional boundaries but they can barely thrive in those areas so it is very rare for them to even become established before dying out. They are transported to these other states often by delivery or moving truck when a hiding recluse is carted along with a family moving or things such as furniture are shipped across the country. The known range of the recluse starts from western Georgia and parts of Kentucky and goes as far west as Oklahoma. Many states in the middle are only partly infested such as Iowa or Texas. Florida would seem a likely candidate but there have only been six confirmed recluse bites in that state over the last one hundred years. Although the legend of the recluse and the supposed reports of bites far exceed this normal range, the recluse lives as peaceable life in only about thirteen states.
The recluse gets its name because it is reclusive. They shy away from anything that can't be eaten so people and pets are avoided. They do live in homes but only venture out at night to hunt and hide during the day and most folks are none the wiser. Recluse use webbing around their nests and for the precious egg sacs but not to catch food. This web is not like an orb spider and is usually irregular around the entry. If the spider can't make its way back to the nest before morning it will find a quiet place to hide and wait for the next night to move out again.
Populations in untreated homes can get quite high and many exterminators report killing hundreds in occupied homes. One such house in Oklahoma had three thousand recluse spiders taken from it and no occupants were ever bitten and rarely saw a spider in the three years they lived there. As spiders go recluse females do not produce a lot of young. She may have two or three egg sacs at a time with fifty to sixty brood in each one. This spider often goes long periods without food or water ( about six months) and it can withstand the cold basements in the winter as well as the brutal heat of the attic in the hot summer months.
This durable spider then really has no desire to search out humans or pets and stays clear from their activity as much as possible. The main cause of interaction and folks being bitten is when the spider is either rolled on by accident when it crawls onto your bed or perhaps if it were hiding in an article of clothing. Once the human rolls on the spider or puts pressure on it their instinct is to bite. Even so, the bite must be directly on the skin as their fangs are not powerful enough to even go through clothing. The wound of a recluse bite can get ugly and quite large and some last for months but in most cases the site heals up in about three weeks and no medical attention is required. It is the few bites that turn bad that get the most press and even Doctors assume that every spider bite is a recluse when classic signs begin to appear. Actually, the yellow sac spider also delivers a necrotic venom and is far more likely the spider in question. It is virtually impossible to identify a bite from the wound itself and without the captured spider not even a medical professional can know for sure. In the end this tiny little spider gets all the blame when all he wants to do is live a quiet life tucked away in a corner never wanting so much as a friendly smile from anyone else who lives in the house.
About the Author:
The fears based on misleading reports of the brown recluse have spread across the land. No other spider can strike such fear of people being bit, even though the brown recluse might not even live in their area.
Postingan
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar