Spiders in the home transcript

Richard Houseman
MU Extension Entomologist

Missouri is really one of the brown recluse capitols of the United States. They are very common here.

There have been homes where one study was done and it was documented that they collected over 2,000 spiders in just a one month period in this home.

They inject what’s called a hemotoxin. The hemotoxin actually produces a blister, which turns black and sloughs off, leaving an open ulcerous kind of wound that takes several weeks to heal and leaves a permanent scar.

Because they’re so reclusive, most of the bites occur accidentally, and occur when a human puts on a jacket or a piece of clothing that has a spider inside of it and that spider’s trapped against their skin. Or when they’re sleeping and a spider is walking across the bed and they roll over onto the spider, the spider will bite in defense.

When you do get a spider bite, there are three things we recommend. First you wash the site of the bite. Second you apply a cold compress of some sort and third, you apply a general antibiotic which will minimize the risk of secondary infection from the bite.

You need to be sure that you check clothing and shoes and bedding whenever they’re used, every day if possible so that you minimize the risk of being bitten by them.