BEWARE OF THE FIDDLEBACK SPIDER

[Lynn]

Kind of a public service announcement.
If you live in the Southwest, there is a very good chance you have fiddleback spiders. Also known as the Brown Recluse. They love dark dry hot places.

Apparently, they are worse than usual this year.

They are not aggressive, and normally have no incentive to bite a human. But, if you leave your lounge clothes on the floor, then put them on in the morning after a fiddleback has settled in, you could get bit.

That is what we believe happened to Sherri almost four weeks ago. She discovered the bite within a couple hours one Sunday morning. I immediately took her to the ER, thinking there might be some kind of anit venom. There is not. Treatment: meds for pain and wait for the area to quit rotting, then cut it out.

In some cases, surgery isn't necessary. It will scab over and heal from the inside out. However, if you are bitten in an area where there isn't a lot of blood flow, the affected area gets pretty big.

Had to take Sherri to the hospital this morning to have the top scab like substance removed and the wound cleaned out. She may need one more surgery. The last pic I am posting is from 11 days ago. That large black area is about 7 inches long. Felt like a turtle shell, and kept getting harder and thicker. It cratered in about an inch and they were afraid there was a second round of necrosis.

Surgery went well. She is an angel and never complains.

First pic is of one of the little buggers known as Brown Recluse or Fiddleback.

Next pic is after just two days. That water blister covered the entire area by day 3. Doc lanced it.

Best way to eradicate the fiddleback is by scented glue traps. Traditional extermination is not very effective. Their natural predators are cats (not getting one of those) birds (not letting any of them in the house) and other spiders. Because they are so reclusive, most extermination efforts end up helping them out, as it wipes out the predators. Also, the wettable powder solution is virtually useless, as it relies on the spider to walk through it and ingest while cleaning themselves. Apparently the Brown Recluse doesn't routinely clean itself. Anyway, we have the traps out all over the house. In three weeks we have captured or killed close to 20.

We both used to throw lounge clothes on the floor before heading to bed. No more. Everything gets hung up.