Recluse spiders, anyone?

Question

are all species of the recluse spider dangerous? are recluse spiders deadly? are they nocturnal? i've seen little brown baby spiders around my house, and i was just wondering if i should be scared! is there any way i could do away with all the spiders in my house without having to call over professionals or use chemicals? i've heard of citronella, but does that really work? i'm a serious arachnophobe (or however you spell it), so your help will be greatly appreciated!! thanks!

Answer 1

Relax. From the link given below:

"The most common non-brown recluse spiders are the desert recluse found in Texas, Arizona, and California, and the Arizona recluse. No deaths have ever been reported from non-brown recluse spiders. Bites from these cousins produce mild to moderate local skin disease."

Read the entire online article for more information.

Answer 2

do you know for-sure that it is  a recluse? because we had a major spider problem for a while they were big and brown, but it turns out that they were harmless wood spiders.

Answer 3

If you see them around your house I can assure you that they are common house spiders and completely harmless.The brown recluse prefer dark places and you will not see one unless you are in the backyard shed,woodpile,under the house, or in the attic.The chances of you running across one are very slim in your house.

Answer 4

Recluse spiders are painful if they sting you, like scorpions it's a pain you won't understand how it emerged and it goes up the arm.  

Answer 5

they are venomous but they aren't aggressive and they won't bite you without any contact with them.

They aren't very dangerous they mostly just keep to themselves. They have a tissue destroying venom, which can lead to sores and stuff. It will take a long time to heal but other then that nothign else. It will hospitalize you though. A death is rare but it could happen. People are saying they are deadly but they arent! Its a really rare chance to get killed.

I would get rid of them because i am freakishly afraid of spiders!! I wouldn't set foot in your house. i have aracnophobia badly.

Answer 6

Yes if you get bit by one you could probably die.My aunt got bit by a brown recluse on her leg and they had to take a chunk of it out.

Answer 7

Interesting read:

http://hobospider.org/recluse.html

Turns out there are 11 native recluse spiders and two imports.  

No way of knowing what is crawling around your home.  If out in open, probably not recluse as they tend to hide.  One way to rid your home is to suck them up in a vacuum and then give the vacuum a final spritz from an aerosol bug killer.....just a spritz, nothing long.  Trapped in the bag or cup with the spray, they are goners.  Of course you could empty the cup outside or discard the bag.  

Answer 8

i've never seen a recluse. but they're "reclusive" so they aren't something you'll just see. they stay in hiding most of the time and have an hourglass on their belly. they typically like wood piles and i don't think you should be too scared. here's a picture of one:

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=h...

Answer 9

Hi, do you live in AZ! I do and I have seen many brown recluses this year, or I thought they were recluses until I had 2 exterminators tell me they were wolf spiders! Very common in the southwest! If they are recluse, the beware that they have been very aggressive the past three years! Death? Not so much. Infection and flesh eating bacteria..? Yes. Companies that use the extract of the Chrysanthemum flower have been the most successful at eliminating the spider! Proven ecological can provide service in the southwest, guaranteed to rid you of the species! I am so afraid of anything with more than four limbs and understand how difficult it is to be rid of them in your home!

Answer 10

Be careful, but don't freak until you can confirm that they are recluses.  And yes, they are very venomous.  A bite will most likely land you in the hospital

Answer 11

well you should be scared they like to live in houses and would rather not be outside. YES they are deadly and will bite anything that moves.

Answer 12

I understand your fear of spiders.

I myself was greatly upset by them for quite some time.

However i had a run in with the Brown Recluse while living in the deep wooded mountains off the coast of Central California a few years ago.

I was living by myself in this little shack and it was at night.

I saw a medium brownish spider on the wall and figured since it wasn't an ugly black one it would be "okay" to do the cup an cardboard thing and get it outside because no way could i smash this thing in a tissue and i had no one around to get it out any other way!

I had no vacuum either.

Well i slowly crept up to it with a shaky hand to put the cup over it and ZOOOOM the thing moved quick as the Alien did in the movie across the floor before it reached the Momma stage!!

I FREAKED!!!

It was gone! A total disappearing act!! VANISHED!!

I didn't even touch it!

I ran outside and did not go in there until that place was EXTERMINATED!!!

I never heard of the Brown Recluse until after that and was told all about them and read up.

I was very fortunate i did NOT get nearer to it with my hands or it was not in my bed because YES they are very dangerous and can be deadly if you get bit and do not get medical help right away!

The two most dangerous spiders here in the United States are the Brown Recluse and the Black Widow.

Rest assured however they like to hide in dark and dirty places that are generally uninhabited.

This shack i had moved into was definitely DARK AND DIRTY!!

It had lots of cracks in it as well and was in a cool and dry place.

They like that. Shade.

They love sheds!

This place was made of wood and i lived in the woods.

What did i learn from the Brown Recluse "run in"?

I don't fear spiders anymore.

In fact? I like them.

NOTHING will ever compare to that.

I also realized that i wouldn't know one if i seen one even after that experience and seeing pictures of them over and over on line!

You can bet those little brown spiders running around are simply house spiders.

The brown recluse either will sit still or dart my luv.

I would like to compare them to the Scorpion myself only they are not so forgiving.

I encourage you if you are afraid of spiders to the point you are in a tizzy to PLEASE just contact the pest control because you will thank yourself.

If anything you can call them out to have them check for the brown recluse to be sure you are safe and to let you know what pests you do have.

Many will do this free of charge or maybe a small fee and then you can decide if you can live with what you have or not.

Most of the chemicals they use today are relatively safe for you and your pets compared to what they sell in the stores and they are very clean with their work and there is no odors.

They only go around the outside of your windows and in the garage if you have one depending on the pest they are after.

You can choose if you want them out there one time or more times.

I had an exterminator out to my house only once per year and that seemed to do the trick every time to keep my ants or spiders away.

Take care and realize the chances of you running into the brown recluse are very slim.

If the brown recluse wants you it will get you and if it does?

Call 911 ASAP!! =]

Answer 13

they get deadly as they get bigger.

Answer 14

Yeah they are pretty deadly! I don't know how to get rid of them though..