Missouri: The Belt of the Brown Recluse Spider

Phobias and other fears are fairly common with over 10% of the human population experiencing a phobia at some time in their life or another. However, I had never perceived myself as one of these elect few. Arachnophobia or the fear of spiders was not a word in my personal vocabulary for most of my adult life. I had always lived in harmony with these eight legged creatures. My motto had been, if they don't bother me I will not bother them. I must confess that the thought of spiders laying eggs in my bouffant hairdo (alright I have never sported a bouffant) in urban legend fashion does make my skin crawl, overall spiders have never caused any adverse reaction akin to a phobia. Although I will squeal like a stuffed pig if a bee was to invade my personal space, or better yet, dive bomb my face, the sight of a spider would cause nary a twitch.

All of this changed when I moved to Springfield Missouri from Huntington West Virginia in July of this year. When I took my granddaughter to the doctor for what I knew to be a boil, since she had experienced several before, the physician was quick to suspect a spider bite and treated the boil accordingly.

To add fuel to the fire my husband's nephew was actually bitten by a Brown Recluse Spider. He developed a necrotic wound which invaded a large portion of his upper arm. My sister-in- law proceeded to enlighten me on the danger of this so called Brown Recluse. Did I not realize that I had moved into the spider belt of the Brown Recluse? At that moment the view I had always held of these eight legged creatures as harmless changed dramatically. In a matter of minutes I acquired my first phobia. Arachnophobia struck and has yet to loosen its grip.

As soon as humanly possible I popped on the computer to find out as much as I could about the Brown Recluse. I came to discover that most of what my sister-in-law stated was true. The highest concentrations of Brown Recluse spiders are found in Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas and Oklahoma. It has even been recorded that in a 75 minute search of a barn in Missouri 40 Brown Recluse spiders were captured. In my research I also learned that in one study in Missouri this spider was discovered in 70% of the homes sampled.

Brown Recluse are not your cute Charlotte's Web variety spider. They do not spin webs to catch their prey but instead hunt at night since they are primarily nocturnal creatures. When a tasty morsel comes in close proximity the Brown Recluse strikes. The harmless prey are held down with the bite as the venom seals their doom. The same venom that acts to paralyze and liquefy the prey's innards can also cause necrosis of the flesh of humans if bitten.

The reaction to the bite of a Brown Recluse depends on the amount of venom injected and one's sensitivity to it. Some are not affected by a bite, while others experience immediate or delayed effects as the venom kills the tissues at the site of the bite. Many Brown Recluse bites cause little more than a red mark and heal without fanfare. Most Brown Recluse spider bites heal without major scarring. In a few cases a bite may cause general systemic reactions that may include and are not limited to restlessness, fever, nausea, vomiting, generalized itching, or shock.

Initially a small blister forms around the site of the bite surrounded by a swollen area. Afterward the area enlarges, becomes red, with the surrounding tissue becoming hard to the touch. The bite of the Brown Recluse spider can result in a painful, deep wound that takes a long time to heal. These deep wounds (necrosis) can range in size from an adult's thumbnail to the width and length of an adult hand. Although fatalities are extremely rare the bite of the Brown Recluse are most dangerous to young children, the elderly, and those in poor health.

The Brown Recluse are experts at hiding. They did not earn the name "Recluse" for making their presence known. Some of their favorite hideaways include the inside of a shoe or dresser, underneath couches, tables and chairs, in bed sheets and piles of clothing, and in boxes and storage sheds to name just a few.

Due to ol' Fiddleback (nicknamed as such due to the violin pattern on the spider's cephalothorax or the first body part where the legs are attached) I'm extremely cautious when putting on shoes, dressing, getting into bed at night and gathering firewood for the fireplace. Some helpful hints to avoid a spider bite are to shake all clothing and check shoes before wearing, putting on gloves when going to the storage shed or getting wood, and inspecting sheets before "hitting the hay". As the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

There may be some who would proclaim that the Brown Recluse are just misunderstood creatures. Afterall they are non-aggressive to humans and only bite if trapped in a shoe, rolled over in bed, pressed against the skin when residing in one's clothing, etc. However, if I see one of these beady six eyed creatures (yes, they have six eyes instead of eight like most spiders) the last vision it will have is the bottom of my hard sole shoe. Coming from an Arachnophob newbie I must protect me and my own right?