Spiders

Most spiders are harmless, but still, we really don't want them in our homes. Other spiders are quite dangerous like the brown recluse, the Mediterranean recluse, and the Chilean recluse.

The brown recluse has been found in Alachua, Bay, Duval, Jefferson and Leon counties. It typically has a dark violin-shaped mark, although the color is variable. The Mediterranean recluse has been found in Dade, Escambia, Orange and Osceola counties. It is very similar in appearance to the brown recluse, but the violin mark tends to be lighter in color and has parallel sides. The Chilean recluse has only recently been found in Florida, in Polk County. It is the largest and most dangerous of the recluse species. The violin mark of this species is dark and wider in front than behind.

Bites from recluse spiders occur either when sleeping and a person rolls onto the spider, or put on clothes into which the spider has crawled. Recluse bites range in intensity from no noticeable effect to severe necrosis. Typical symptoms are as follows: Symptoms start 2-6 hours after the bite. Blisters frequently appear at the bite site, accompanies by severe pain and pronounced swelling. A common expression is the formation of a reddish blister, surrounded by a bluish area, with a narrow whitish separation between the red and blue, giving a "bull's eye" pattern. By 12-24 hours, it is usually apparent if a recluse wound is going to become necrotic because it turns purple in color. If necrotic symptoms do not express by 48-96 hours, then they will not develop. If the skin turns purple, it will then turn black as cells die. Eventually the necrotic core falls away, leaving a deep pit that gradually fills with scar tissue.

Did you know:

Spiders are not insects. Insects have 6 legs and 2 antennae.

Many insects are beneficial and there are at least a million species of insects.