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HOW TO IDENTIFY BROWN RECLUSE SPIDERS AND AVOID BEING BITTEN | THE WICHITA EAGLE

Tuesday, June 7, 2022

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LIVING


AS MORE BROWN RECLUSES START TO APPEAR, HERE’S HOW TO RECOGNIZE THEM AND STAY
SAFE

By Nicole Klevanskaya

Updated June 06, 2022 1:20 PM
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FEAR OF THE BROWN-RECLUSE SPIDER

Mike Patton of Patton Termite & Pest explains the pest he's most fearful of is
the brown-recluse spider. By McClatchy
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Fear of the brown-recluse spider
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Mike Patton of Patton Termite & Pest explains the pest he's most fearful of is
the brown-recluse spider. By McClatchy



You could be seeing one of two venomous spiders native to Kansas more often in
your living space as it gets warmer this summer — and it could be the most
prevalent spider living in your home.

“In my opinion, after 40 years of doing pest control and household pests, I
think the brown recluse spider is probably our most common household spider,”
said Jeff Whitworth, entomologist and extension specialist in entomology at
Kansas State University.

The brown recluse spider, whose bite can cause tissue loss, scarring and
infection for humans if left untreated, will be in its most active phase from
now until October. Brown recluse activity typically increases in the summer as
the spiders move into people’s living spaces to escape the heat from outside and
from attics, said Gerry Marsh, an associate certified entomologist and the
president of Patton Termite and Pest Control.



“As it warms up, we might get 10 or 20 calls a day” for brown recluses,” Marsh
said.

Here’s a guide on how to stay safe, recognize the spider and prevent yourself
from being bitten this summer and beyond.




WHERE BROWN RECLUSE SPIDERS LIVE

As their name implies, brown recluse spiders are reclusive — Whitworth describes
them as shy — and often go unnoticed as they spend their time in places where
there is not a lot of human activity, such as attics, closets and basements,
according to Kansas State University Research and Extension.

Whitworth said the spiders spend their time in dark, warm and humid locations
where they can find other insects to prey on. Brown recluse spiders hunt for
food at night, so during the day they often hide in shoes and under clothes that
are left on the floor and crawl out at night to search for food, Whitworth said.

“We tell everybody, one of the proper ways of avoiding brown recluse spiders is
to make sure you don’t leave any of your clothes on the floor, or if you pick up
your shoes every morning, shake them out real good because that’s where they’re
hiding,” Whitworth said.


HOW TO IDENTIFY A BROWN RECLUSE AND WHEN THEY BITE



There are several distinct characteristics of the brown recluse spider,
including the following, according to K-State Research and Extension:

 * General brown color

 * Slender legs with defined structure and pattern

 * A violin-shaped marking on the back

 * Three sets of two eyes each (most spiders have eight eyes rather than six)

Whitworth said the brown recluse usually has a dark violin shape on the front
part of its body, and the back part is usually a little bit darker. They are not
hairy spiders, and the largest that they can get is about the size of a quarter,
he said.

The brown recluse spider does not search for humans to bite. Rather, it usually
only bites when it feels threatened, Whitworth said. Whitworth, who was bitten
by the brown recluse, said the spider bit him when he tried to hit one off from
his chin.

“I think a lot of times, when they feel threatened, their natural reaction is to
rear up and bite, or if you crush them, lots of times you may just push the fang
into your skin,” Whitworth said. “You’re putting on your shoe, or your shirt or
your pants or something and there’s one in there, or you hit it and you actually
push one of the fangs or both of the fangs into your skin.”




WHAT TO DO IF YOU SEE A BROWN RECLUSE

If you see a brown recluse spider, the best thing to do is to leave it alone,
Whitworth said. However, if you are seeing many brown recluse spiders and
believe it is a persistent problem, he recommends setting spider traps around
your area.

“Remember, a brown recluse spider is probably more scared of you than you are of
it,” Whitworth said. “They’ll leave you alone if you leave them alone or contact
pest control.”


HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF, PEST CONTROL

There are several precautions that can be taken to protect yourself from the
bite of a brown recluse, in addition to shaking out your clothes and shoes
before putting them on.



Craig Betts, pest control technician and vice president of Betts Pest Control,
said he finds that brown recluse spiders particularly like cardboard boxes and
other storage areas. To prevent the spiders from getting into storage, Betts
said he recommends keeping storage items in sealed containers and plastic totes.
Clothes in storage that are unsealed are more likely to have brown recluses
hiding in them, Betts said.

“You pull out a blanket and you pull out a winter coat hanging down in the
basement,” Betts said. “What’s the likelihood of having a brown recluse in those
items? It’s pretty darn high, if the place isn’t treated on a regular basis.
There’s literally thousands and thousands of people that aren’t aware of this
and put themselves at risk by moving winter clothes and such down in the
basement.”

Marsh said decluttering the home, using a shoe rack that does not touch the
floor and not using bed skirts are all ways to help avoid encountering and
getting bitten by a brown recluse.

In addition, Marsh said it is important to take care of the exterior of your
home to avoid a brown recluse infestation. Ways to do this include not having
bushes or shrubs against your home’s foundation or ivy growing at the side of
your home, and to ensure that you have good drainage away from the home.

“By attracting other insects to the home, you will also attract spiders to feed
on them,” Marsh said. “It’s kind of a food chain you’re trying to break there as
well.”



Emily Davis, director of educational programs at the Great Plains Nature Center,
said she recommends cleaning and picking up around your area to reduce the
amount of places for the spiders to hide. In addition, she said another method
that has worked for her is sprinkling Diatomaceous Earth on the ground, which
can be purchased at home improvement stores.

“It’s a very safe powder that’s a chemical-free way you can treat for spiders,”
Davis said.

Pest control services provide other options to get rid of brown recluse spiders.

Marsh said seeing one brown recluse a day or several times a week could be an
indication of a brown recluse infestation, which would need to be addressed by a
pest control service.

“They are reclusive,” Marsh said. “They really don’t like to be out in the
middle of the day when people can see them. That’s a little unusual.”



Betts said because brown recluse spiders have non-absorbent legs that go through
lots of different chemicals without getting poisoned, he recommends using a
“microcap” chemical, a contact capsule in microscopic form applied with a water
carrier.

When it dries, the microcap leaves microscopic particles that stick onto the
hairs on the brown recluse spiders’ legs once they walk on it. When the spiders
ingest the particles while cleaning themselves, it kills them. The microcap
differs from less-expensive chemicals that can be bought at the store, and is
more effective, Betts said.

He said his company reapplies the chemical once every 60 days, for an average
cost of approximately $70.

“In the number of doctor visits and time off of work, what’s the price of that,
as opposed to paying a professional to come in and spray your house once every
two months?” Betts said. “$60-70 seems to me [awfully] cheap to keep spiders out
of your house that may cause you to lose a great big hunk of your skin.”


HOW TO IDENTIFY A BITE & WHAT TO DO IF YOU GET BIT



People react differently to the bite of a brown recluse, and according to an
Occupational Safety and Health Administration fact sheet, the severity of a bite
can differ.

Within several hours, the bite usually reddens and within 24-36, people often
experience restlessness, fever, chills, nausea, weakness and joint pain,
according to the OSHA. Tissue and the surrounding area at the site of the bite
dies and eventually sheds.

The OSHA says to clean the bite area with soap and water and apply ice to the
bite area to “slow absorption of the venom.” In addition, the OSHA says to
“elevate and immobilize the bitten extremity,” capture the spider for
identification purposes if possible, and to seek medical attention.

This story was originally published June 5, 2022 7:11 AM.




NICOLE KLEVANSKAYA

twitter facebook email phone ‪(316) 268-6291‬
Nicole Klevanskaya is an intern reporter at The Wichita Eagle. She is currently
studying Journalism and Russian at the University of Kansas, and was the Kansas
Scholastic Press Association’s 2019 Kansas Student Journalist of the Year and
National Runner-Up. Originally from Pittsburg, Kansas, she has covered student
politics for KU’s student newspaper the University Daily Kansan. Her article on
the Kansas Foster Care System that she wrote for her high school newspaper the
Booster Redux was named the 2019 “Feature Story of the Year” by the National
Scholastic Press Association. In her free time, Nicole likes to play the piano,
hike and spend time with her family.




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THIS SHOE BRAND GETS KUDOS FOR CLIMATE CONSCIOUSNESS

SCOTT GREENSTONE The Seattle Times

Updated June 07, 2022 3:09 AM
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Like most reports about the climate and global warming, The Business of
Fashion's report recently wasn't good. The online magazine's sustainability
index found the top 30 fashion firms in the world were "wildly underperforming"
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contribute to 2 to 4% of global emissions, and trends like fast fashion are
causing that to grow.

One bright spot: The company scoring highest on sustainability, according to The
Business of Fashion's analysis of publicly available documents and reports, is
German sportswear brand Puma. That's great news for Seattle Puma fans (like me)
because this summer, superstar Seattle Storm forward Breanna Stewart will be
releasing her first signature shoe with Puma — "Stewie 1."

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