# spider bite



## kartracer (Aug 11, 2010)

My son was bitten twice tonight by a black widow.The wood pile is under my lean to on my detached garage.I've warned him before about the dangers.I just don't want to see any on else go thru the same thing.Wear gloves and shoes,it ain't fun watching the suffering.especially after waiting 6hrs in an emergency room.

I'm sure it's worse on a 12 yr old than an adult but,either way it could be bad news.If anyone knows of a good way to get rid of them,I'm all ears.An exterminator had sprayed about a month before.


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## Bobbin (Aug 11, 2010)

He's 12 and you don't know anything, Kart..  Good advice, do you think this "got his attention"?  Good that he's OK, bet you're relieved, too.! 

What happens when a Black Widow bites you... swelling, intense pain at the site of the bite?  Do they deliver an anti-venom, or what?  (I'm still picturing the shots of the Copperhead bite posted last year... yikes!).


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## Adios Pantalones (Aug 11, 2010)

Watch out for the brown recluse spider as well- open sores and tissue death for years.  Yikes!


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## Singed Eyebrows (Aug 12, 2010)

Adios Pantalones said:
			
		

> Watch out for the brown recluse spider as well- open sores and tissue death for years.  Yikes!


 Yeah, We got those up here too. Very nasty as you say, Randy


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## Singed Eyebrows (Aug 12, 2010)

kartracer said:
			
		

> My son was bitten twice tonight by a black widow.The wood pile is under my lean to on my detached garage.I've warned him before about the dangers.I just don't want to see any on else go thru the same thing.Wear gloves and shoes,it ain't fun watching the suffering.especially after waiting 6hrs in an emergency room.
> 
> I'm sure it's worse on a 12 yr old than an adult but,either way it could be bad news.If anyone knows of a good way to get rid of them,I'm all ears.An exterminator had sprayed about a month before.


 I would go to Home Depot & get some spider spray. If this is anything like lawn sprays etc commercial co's are forced to use watered down stuff, Randy


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## Delta-T (Aug 12, 2010)

I'm not sure you can "get rid of" them so to speak. A good dousing of the wood pile with spray will probably make them move somewheres else though. They can frequently be found in barns and garages because they are crafty. Like with most tiny little poisonous  thingies, diligence is about the best thing you can do. On the plus side, those little buggers are super territorial so there aren't likely to be too many of them around the same location. If you have access to a flame thrower, I'd give that a go.

Hope all is ok with your son. He'll have a great story to tell when he heals up.
Now I'm recalling pics from the copperhead bite too, gosh that was nasty. Hope vicious spider bites aren't that nasty....even though they are vicious.


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## FLINT (Aug 12, 2010)

Sorry about your son! 

I've read that mud-dobbers are natural predators of black widows.  Apparently, after they build a mud tunnel, they catch a black widow and trap it inside, and then lay an egg (s?) and when the egg hatches, the larvae eats the widow before transforming into an adult dobber.  I'm not sure which species of dobber specializes on black widows - i guess each species specializes on a different spider species or something like that.


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## red450 (Aug 12, 2010)

Bobbin said:
			
		

> What happens when a Black Widow bites you... swelling, intense pain at the site of the bite?  Do they deliver an anti-venom, or what?  (I'm still picturing the shots of the Copperhead bite posted last year... yikes!).



I got bit back in '02.  Minimal swelling but it can cause minor diaphragm paralysis, chest pain and a whole host of other crappy symptoms.  Hope he's doing well, all my symptoms cleared up in about 10-12 hours.


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## Danno77 (Aug 12, 2010)

I dislike spiders, but I like to let them live wherever I find them. I'd rather they take care of the annoying little bugs everywhere.


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## woodsmaster (Aug 12, 2010)

I've heard ugly fruit helps repel spiders.


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## jlasserton (Aug 12, 2010)

Black widows are a dangerous spider. I am glad your son is alright. I have heard of people having to go to the doctor or hospital because of bad spider bites. Did you have do this? This should definitely be a lesson for everyone. Spiders are bad!


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## Arlo (Aug 12, 2010)

Got bit by a Brown Recluse about 10 years ago on the top of my foot (wearing sandles). I was getting my bike out of a bike rack that was in sand and wammo, felt like somone poked me with a hot poker. I ended up with my foot turning black up to my calve and a hole on top of my foot down to the bone that oozed puss and blood for a week. It took about three years for the "meat" to grow back. I now have a 3 inch round dark maroon scar. you definetely dont want to get bit by one of those.


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## kartracer (Aug 13, 2010)

waited almost 6 hrs at the emergency room.never got to see the doctor.went to the family doctor the next day.He could not verify it was a black widow although there were red streaks up his leg and swelling.His throat felt funny,but never like he couldn't get his breath.My wife was going out of town to a funeral and it was kinda of trying with work,but you know what cones first.

He is feeling okay now,but a little lethargic,the swelling is down and no signs of serious damage.I showed a neighbor last winter all the black widows inthe middle of a snow storm.they were very lethargic,but alive.He didn't believe they would live through the winter in those conditions.I probably killed a 100+.The bite almost looked like a fire ant bite,it had a little pus at the top and made a ring,but didn't advance much more.I think he has learned about the seriousness of bugs,snakes etc....


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## midwestcoast (Aug 13, 2010)

Glad to hear your son is okay. Not a good problem to have, especially if you have any younger kids around.
Have you tried Diatomaceous Earth?  It's basically like sand made of tiny bits of diatome shell.  It's supposed to kill anything with an exo-skeleton by piercing it & dehydrating.  Best part is no chemicals & it's completely safe & cheap. It's even given in feed to livestock to for de-worming (look in feed or garden stores).   So you can spread it all around & through the pile as often as needed.  I don't see it killing the spiders too efficiently if they don't move out of the stacks much, but it may kill off the other bugs that they're living off.
I'd also keep any wood with ants... in it totally out of the pile. With that # of spiders there must be a crapload of bugs around for them to eat.
I suppose the 'nuclear option' would be to tarp & fumigate the woodpile, but they'll just come back if it's good habitat for them.


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## Bootlegger (Aug 13, 2010)

I find one about every other time I handle wood.  I've learned to give each piece a quick look as I'm moving it.  Day before yesterday I was splitting some rounds I had stacked.  They were pretty big rounds so it took a few bites of the splitter on each one and I tossed the pieces in my cart.  I pushed the cart up to my stacks and started unloading and had a piece in each hand when I looked down and saw a huge Black Widow clinging to one of the pieces, inches from my abdomen.  I shouted "h*$y f@#$k!" and dropped the piece.  I kill 'em whenever I find them (but let all other spiders live) and I did this one in too.  It shook me up pretty bad to realize I'd handled that round, maneuvered it on the splitter and was stacking the pieces before I saw the Black Widow.  I always wear gloves but one of these days I know I'm going to get bit.  I hear some lizards eat them and I encourage reptile and amphibian life around my house by NOT spraying spider spray everywhere.  Spider spray only works on direct spray contact, it has no barrier effect or residual effect.


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## Adios Pantalones (Aug 13, 2010)

Arlo said:
			
		

> Got bit by a Brown Recluse about 10 years ago on the top of my foot (wearing sandles). I was getting my bike out of a bike rack that was in sand and wammo, felt like somone poked me with a hot poker. I ended up with my foot turning black up to my calve and a hole on top of my foot down to the bone that oozed puss and blood for a week. It took about three years for the "meat" to grow back. I now have a 3 inch round dark maroon scar. you definetely dont want to get bit by one of those.



Holy wow!  Just like that.  Scary


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## ChrisNJ (Aug 13, 2010)

Arlo said:
			
		

> Got bit by a Brown Recluse about 10 years ago on the top of my foot (wearing sandles). I was getting my bike out of a bike rack that was in sand and wammo, felt like somone poked me with a hot poker. I ended up with my foot turning black up to my calve and a hole on top of my foot down to the bone that oozed puss and blood for a week. It took about three years for the "meat" to grow back. I now have a 3 inch round dark maroon scar. you definetely dont want to get bit by one of those.



Holy crap that sounds hellatious :-O gland there are none of them around me


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## gibson (Aug 14, 2010)

kartracer said:
			
		

> My son was bitten twice tonight by a black widow.The wood pile is under my lean to on my detached garage.I've warned him before about the dangers.I just don't want to see any on else go thru the same thing.Wear gloves and shoes,it ain't fun watching the suffering.especially after waiting 6hrs in an emergency room.
> 
> I'm sure it's worse on a 12 yr old than an adult but,either way it could be bad news.If anyone knows of a good way to get rid of them,I'm all ears.An exterminator had sprayed about a month before.



Best wishes to your boy, who I am sure will be "up and at 'em" tomorrow morning.  I don't think he'll go near the wood pile without gloves and shoes for the rest of his life.  We learn a lot of our lessons the hard way!


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## Tony H (Aug 14, 2010)

I think some exterminators kill them and look for the nest as the spray only kills on direct contact. With the brown recluse had a buddy get bit while on a job in another area and didn't know by what. The Dr.s had a hard time figuring it out as  the spiders are not in this area and he didn't know for sure where he was when bit . The bottom line is the damage was so extensive by the time they figured it out he disabled and died a few months later.


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## closedknuckle (Aug 14, 2010)

Adios Pantalones
 In your header it says mass's smoking section
would this be center of mass?


been there, he is quite the extraordinary teacher


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## Intheswamp (Aug 14, 2010)

kartracer, I'm glad, also, that your son is doing well.  It depends on the spider and the individual as to what the outcome can be.  Some people have a little discomfort, some people go into shock.  The black widow's poison is a neuro-toxin which travels via the nervous system...brown recluse's poison is a hemo-toxin and travels via the bloodstream.  Neuro toxins tend to cause more "instantaneous" pain whereas the hemo-toxins tend to produce little/less pain.  

With a black widow bite a person pretty well knows instantly that they've been bitten, but it seems that once a person is over the initial effects of the bite that they recuperate well.   With the brown recluse, though, there is a difference...a victim is many times unaware that they've been bitten by a brown recluse and do not realize it until the flesh starts to die and a sore begins to form.  As for long lasting health problems it seems the brown recluse is the most injurious...but for immediate, serious health issues the black widow appears to be more guilty.

There are anti-venoms(?) for black widow bites.  Something I read a couple of years ago is that in some countries in south America they have such a large population of black widow that when a person is bitten by one of them the doctors will withhold the anti-venom until the patient is right at death's door.  The reason that was given is that the anti-venom can only be given once in a person's lifetime and that they figure that the person may get bitten again later in life and have a greater need for the anti-venom then...so they will watch the patient and only give the anti-venom as a last option.

Bootlegger is correct in stating that a poison has to have direct (sprayed) on contact with spiders to kill them...spiders do not preen themselves like roaches and some other bugs do so they will seldom pick up any poisons from their feet/legs.

DE/diatomaceous earth is good for soft-skinned critters...especially worms and caterpillars and will work on some thicker skinned bugs.  But, from what I understand, once it gets wet it loses it's usefulness.

Many times it's easier to spot the black widow web rather than the spider herself.  Being predators, the black widows do not build pretty webs.  Mostly what they have is just sloppy web material that they've spun in a crevice or under an object (piece of wood).  This is only used as the spiders "den" and not to trap anything with.  So if you look pick up a something (piece of wood?) and see some web material that looks like a spider didn't know what they were doing when they built it....start looking around 'cause there's probably a shiny patent-leather looking spider with a (small to large) splash of bright red paint on their *stomach*.  Anything that's been laying on the ground for a few days in spider territory is suspect!

One thing that is good at getting rid of spiders....chickens  Yelp, them wonderful yard birds...they love spiders!  If you can stand the noise, guineas work and will take care of your tick problem, too. 

Best wishes and watch where you put your hands, 
Ed


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## Arlo (Aug 23, 2010)

Glad your boy is ok. Hopefully chalk it up as a learning experience. I know I was paranoid for years after my run in. I now live on the east coast and I don't think there are brown recluse here, but I know I still freak out when I walk into a web in the dark. It is truly amazing how much damage a little spider can do to a "big" human. 

When I was in the gulf, there were these spiders called "camel spiders" I don't know if that is there true name but the were freakin scary looking and would give a mean bite. Not as toxic as the the recluse or widow. LOL thinking back now....we used to break in the green troops who rotate into the sandbox for their first time by tensioning a rubber band around a small clothespin and putting it in the greens combat boots next to his cot so when he woke up and pulled on his boot he would think he got stung because the rubber band would unravel and snap. We would all make sure we were up before the victim and then wake him up real quick and tell him to get dressed fast and meet the CO outside. Sometime the person would fall over his cot with the oot half on, screaming like a little girl! It was tooo funny! I wonder if the tradition carried on?


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## MishMouse (Oct 6, 2011)

I have some type of spider living in my unsplit wood pile. The reason why it is unsplit is because when I was splitting it I found it.  It is a big brownish spider with big thick hairy legs with well defined body segments resting legs not fully extended it was about as round as a typical coffee cup.  It was relaxing in a gnot of a chuck I was splitting.  Since I cut the tree down, put into a trailer, hauled it to the wood pile, then split it.  I am very creeped out. Which is the reason why I haven't been splitting the wood lately. Hopefully it wasn't a mommy, if so and the eggs hatch they might just carry away my wood pile.


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## Coach B (Oct 6, 2011)

I find some black widows every winter in the back compartment of my Hardy OWB.  I guess they leave the woodpile when it gets cold and find the dry and warm temps of the compartment to their liking.  Have found some brown recluse in the house just in the last couple of weeks.  Four year old came down the other evening and said very non-chalant, "mommy there is a spider on my pillow."  Wife vacumed the entire upstairs the next day and found three or four more.  From the research I did spraying sounds pointless, best thing to do for recluse is keep things as clean as possible(tough with four little kids) and get rid of all the old cardboard boxes in our attic and storage spaces.  Also shake out the bedspreads/sheets before climbing in and not leaving clothes on the floor then putting them back on in the morning.


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## Bspring (Oct 6, 2011)

Intheswamp said:
			
		

> kartracer, I'm glad, also, that your son is doing well.  It depends on the spider and the individual as to what the outcome can be.  Some people have a little discomfort, some people go into shock.  The black widow's poison is a neuro-toxin which travels via the nervous system...brown recluse's poison is a hemo-toxin and travels via the bloodstream.  Neuro toxins tend to cause more "instantaneous" pain whereas the hemo-toxins tend to produce little/less pain.
> 
> With a black widow bite a person pretty well knows instantly that they've been bitten, but it seems that once a person is over the initial effects of the bite that they recuperate well.   With the brown recluse, though, there is a difference...a victim is many times unaware that they've been bitten by a brown recluse and do not realize it until the flesh starts to die and a sore begins to form.  As for long lasting health problems it seems the brown recluse is the most injurious...but for immediate, serious health issues the black widow appears to be more guilty.
> 
> ...



100% correct on everything. I was going to mention the sloppy web and not cleaning themselves and guineas. I did not know about neuro vs the hemo toxin so thanks for the post.


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## Waulie (Oct 6, 2011)

> It is a big brownish spider with big thick hairy legs with well defined body segments resting legs not fully extended it was about as round as a typical coffee cup.



This sounds like a wolf spider.  I grew up calling them wood spiders because the love the stacks.  I've been moving my stacks into my wood room and shed the last few days and have seen dozens of these spiders.  They will bite but only if you really piss them off.  It stings a little but is harmless (unless you happen to have an extremely rare allergy).  They can get absolutely huge and are definately freaky looking.  They move really fast too.  I had one in the kitchen yesterday that was just trucking across the tile.

Also, they don't build webs.  They hunt.  Hence the name wolf spider.  They really freak people out because they look downright nasty, but I like them as they keep bugs out of my stacks and scurry right away as I move the wood.


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## Waulie (Oct 6, 2011)

> Hopefully it wasnâ€™t a mommy, if so and the eggs hatch they might just carry away my wood pile.



Oh yeah, I was also going to mention that the mommies carry huge, white egg sacks that you can't miss.  When the eggs hatch the babies live on their mom for awhile until their ready to fend for themselves.  I have seen big moms just covered with little tiny spiders.  It's kinda cute


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## MishMouse (Oct 6, 2011)

Waulie said:
			
		

> This sounds like a wolf spider.  I grew up calling them wood spiders because the love the stacks.  I've been moving my stacks into my wood room and shed the last few days and have seen dozens of these spiders.  They will bite but only if you really piss them off.  It stings a little but is harmless (unless you happen to have an extremely rare allergy).  They can get absolutely huge and are defiantly freaky looking.  They move really fast too.  I had one in the kitchen yesterday that was just trucking across the tile.
> 
> Also, they don't build webs.  They hunt.  Hence the name wolf spider.  They really freak people out because they look downright nasty, but I like them as they keep bugs out of my stacks and scurry right away as I move the wood.


From some if the pictures I have seen it does look very similar to a wolf spider. Myself I have a fear of spiders, been that way since I was young (4-5) when a big black one decided to take a nap on the pillow with me.  Was sick with pneumonia and I woke up to it.  Been afraid ever since.  Though looking back at it, if this wolf spider was around then it could have crushed the black one by stomping on it.  Needless to say after I saw it and since I was splitting by myself all I could picture is it hanging out on my back.  :bug:   Yes I probably screamed like a little girl, but thinking about it my 2 year old would have not been afraid and would have wanted to keep it as a pet.

Speaking of spider bites, my wife got bit last year by something that caused her body aches and very high fevers, it took her around a month to get over it and still has some muscle aches that could be related to the bite.


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## Pagey (Oct 6, 2011)

I've found that the black widows love the pine stacks in the old hay barn you've seen me post here frequently.  I always try to remember to wear gloves, pants, and long sleeves when working in there, even when it is hot.  Having endured a copperhead bite, I want no part of a ferocious spider bite!


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## stephiedoll (Oct 7, 2011)

Hedge apples should help repell them, at least that's what I've been told. Stores around here sell them for a buck apeace.


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## GatorDL55 (Oct 7, 2011)

Delta-T said:
			
		

> I'm not sure you can "get rid of" them so to speak. A good dousing of the wood pile with spray will probably make them move somewheres else though. They can frequently be found in barns and garages because they are crafty. Like with most tiny little poisonous  thingies, diligence is about the best thing you can do. On the plus side, those little buggers are super territorial so there aren't likely to be too many of them around the same location. If you have access to a flame thrower, I'd give that a go.
> .



Good Old Flame thrower on the woodpile.  I want to watch that one!


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## andybaker (Oct 10, 2011)

All this talk about spider bites got me thinking about an article I read several years ago.  This doctor in Texas found a way to cure Brown Recluse spider bites.  Even the one where the person has been suffering for years with break outs.  I think he was going to try his method out on snake bites too.  What he found was that by taking and running an electrical current through the infected area, the electricity will bust apart whatever it is that causes the problem.  I saw a picture of a guy that had been suffering for like 13 years and in about 2 weeks he had this guy on his way to being healed.  What the doctor was using was some sort of taser, much like what the police use, only much weaker.  He would set the two probes to run the current from one probe to the other through the bite area.  He would move the probes around the area and keep hitting it.  That's it.  Sounded like success all the time.  I wonder if this could help with these Black Widow spiders.


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## Singed Eyebrows (Oct 10, 2011)

Sounds reasonable to me. I had read where disease is nothing more than blocked Chi or your electric power & firmly believe this now. The great Tesla would "recharge" himself on very high voltage metal plates when he felt lethargic, Randy


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## mhrischuk (Oct 10, 2011)

List of poisonous spiders...

http://www.brownreclusespider.org/poisonous-spiders/poisonous-spider.htm


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## zzr7ky (Oct 10, 2011)

Hi - 

I had spider problems and one son got bit a couple times... I did some research and have been using a product called Cynoff WP for several years with good results.   It workd so well my buddy, daughters, and parents chip in for the product so I'll spray their places.  I spray once in the Spring, once in the Mid-late Summer, and I have few problems.  It also keeps boats & docks pretty clear.  It's a micro encaplulated poison so it lasts a while.

I do still find the occasional large Wolf spider deep in the stacks.  I am a big believer in gloves and pants not dragging on the ground.

http://cs.infospace.com/ClickHandle...857.100&hash=D19584166996CA5C51B8A42911A18362

All the best, 
Mike


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## jeff_t (Oct 10, 2011)

Had an 'outbreak' of wolf spiders a few years ago. It was for about a week or so in the middle of the summer. Walked out the front door one night as some friends were leaving, and they were everywhere. So I grabbed a flashlight and walked around the house. There were hundreds, maybe more, all the way around on the block foundation and a few feet up the siding. Not too many in the house, but quite a few in the basement. Super creepy, like a scary movie.


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## MishMouse (Oct 10, 2011)

jeff_t said:
			
		

> Had an 'outbreak' of wolf spiders a few years ago. It was for about a week or so in the middle of the summer. Walked out the front door one night as some friends were leaving, and they were everywhere. So I grabbed a flashlight and walked around the house. There were hundreds, maybe more, all the way around on the block foundation and a few feet up the siding. Not too many in the house, but quite a few in the basement. Super creepy, like a scary movie.



If this happened to me I would have died of a heart attack!
The one monster spider I saw still has me not touching my unsplit wood pile, just in case it shows up again and says Hi!
Actually if I had a flame thrower I would have probably used it.


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## Mrs. Krabappel (Oct 11, 2011)

This thread is cracking me up.   Some guy slammed into the side of my truck.  If I hadn't seen him coming and changed lanes+sped up, he would have slammed into where my son was sitting.    I'm trying to decide if I should drive around with a flame thrower.    :lol: 

If you ever take the time to notice the tiny wildlife in your world you will be shocked by the sheer biomass of spiders.   Just trying to earn a living like the rest of us.


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## Singed Eyebrows (Oct 11, 2011)

Yes it is funny, like the little girl that was lost to a brown recluse, or the salesman that got bit down south & barely survived after many years of surgeries. Many of these posts are about people trying to protect their young kids, Randy


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## My Oslo heats my home (Oct 11, 2011)

Singed Eyebrows said:
			
		

> Yes it is funny, like the little girl that was lost to a brown recluse, or the salesman that got bit down south & barely survived after many years of surgeries. Many of these posts are about people trying to protect their young kids, Randy



I read this entire thread a couple days ago and was on the fence about jumping in. Now that Kathleen has spoken up and singed has responded I will say a few words.  I can relate to both of your thoughts. I'm not one to kill the spiders in my stacks just because they are spiders, they are a part of nature and they belong there. I also respect the fact that the most dangerous could potentially hurt me and make life miserable. This is why I handle every piece of wood one at a time and inspect each piece individually. I take my time moving the dried splits to the porch and when I do it I try to make sure most of the spiders don't come along. Knock on wood no serious bites, however I have rec'd small bites that have itched for a couple days. I say leave em alone unless you have a spider factory going on.


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## Mrs. Krabappel (Oct 12, 2011)

I should re-word my sentiments to say that I am surprised by how many people who responded to the OP are really spooked by the idea of a spider.   Life is a series of calculated risks.    If you factor in the sheer biomass of spiders you are exposed to across your lifetime and the probability that one will cause you harm, the number is so small you practically need an electron microscope to see it. Brown recluse are very common in many areas, yet people are rarely affected.   Black widows try very hard to be very obvious.     Yes it really sucks to be one of the minority that is affected.  wear gloves in the woodpile.    Anything else you spray often enough to make  a difference  will bioaccumulate in human bodies.    Cancer is a much greater threat than spiders.   

      kartracer, I wish your son speedy healing.


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## Brokenrod (Dec 21, 2011)

My apologies for waking this old thread, but i have a couple tips. I was in the extermination business from 2001- 2008. Spiders are not insects, they are arachnids. A spider will walk over most insecticides that you spray like its nothing. I would try sprinkling some food grade (not pool grade) diatomaceous earth throughout the stack, then hire an exterminator to spray some Demon WP (wettable Powder) along the outline of the stack and surrounding area. Always avoid treating your wood piles with insecticides! you run the risk of inhaling it yourself when its burning. Demon WP is appropriately named- its the bug killer from hell! Up here in No. Illinois, we have Hobo spiders- related to the recluse. Demon gives you an excellent kill rate vs other insecticides against Hobos.


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## Sisu (Dec 21, 2011)

I found this gal in the corner of my deck, two summers ago.  My wood pile is underneath.  I haven't found any in the wood pile, yet.  It is proof they are here north of the border too.


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## egclassic (Dec 21, 2011)

Waulie said:
			
		

> > It is a big brownish spider with big thick hairy legs with well defined body segments resting legs not fully extended it was about as round as a typical coffee cup.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Man I hate those things! They are all around my house too. I caught one last year in a jar, which is nervy for me cause spiders freak me out, it was the biggest one I had ever seen. One night when I was letting the dogs out, I saw one scurrying across the patio and was carrying all her newly hatched babies on her back. I had to kill it, didn't want all of them finding their way in my house.


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## Pat53 (Dec 21, 2011)

Sisu said:
			
		

> I found this gal in the corner of my deck, two summers ago.  My wood pile is underneath.  I haven't found any in the wood pile, yet.  It is proof they are here north of the border too.



Wow, I never heard of black widows anywhere near that far north. I've never heard of anyone around here seeing or being bitten by a widow or a recluse. That said, I ALWAYS wear good heavy gloves when handling my firewood, but mainly to keep from getting some nasty slivers.

Most spider love to hang out in wood stacks. When I first moved to where I live now, there was an old wood boiler in the basement and I had to bring wood inside every week or so. we were constantly killing spiders in the basement and other bugs too. The last straw was an infestation of black carpenter ants that started a colony in the drop ceiling downstairs. Took me 2 weeks to finally find and eliminate them. Everything outside now and no more bugs ! Bugs are a PIA, especially in your house.

Pat


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## weatherguy (Dec 21, 2011)

Brokenrod said:
			
		

> My apologies for waking this old thread, but i have a couple tips. I was in the extermination business from 2001- 2008. Spiders are not insects, they are arachnids. A spider will walk over most insecticides that you spray like its nothing. I would try sprinkling some food grade (not pool grade) diatomaceous earth throughout the stack, then hire an exterminator to spray some Demon WP (wettable Powder) along the outline of the stack and surrounding area. Always avoid treating your wood piles with insecticides! you run the risk of inhaling it yourself when its burning. Demon WP is appropriately named- its the bug killer from hell! Up here in No. Illinois, we have Hobo spiders- related to the recluse. Demon gives you an excellent kill rate vs other insecticides against Hobos.



Cant anyone buy Demon WP? I didnt think you needed a license or be an exterminator to buy it.


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## Brokenrod (Dec 21, 2011)

The label on Demon WP does say for " professional use only". There are some states that regulate the purchase to licensed individuals only, but most allow it to be purchased by home owners. You would have to do your own research to find out if its available in the state you're in.


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