Brown Recluse Spiders Bites and Treatments

Brown Recluse Spider Bites

A brown recluse bite is venomous and deserves care. It often goes unnoticed at first, because the bite itself is usually painless or feels like a light sting. Over the next several hours the area may turn red, swell and become painful, sometimes with itching. In more serious cases the venom causes whole-body symptoms such as fever, chills, nausea, body aches or a rash. If you think you were bitten, wash the area with soap and water, apply a cool compress or wrapped ice, and contact a doctor promptly.

Spider Bite or Something Else? What Florida Residents Should Know

Since brown recluses are not established in Florida, a wound blamed on one here usually has another cause. Many skin problems look like a “spider bite,” and bacterial skin infections, including MRSA, are among the most common. If you didn’t actually see a spider bite you, tell your doctor that rather than assuming it was a recluse.

Even where the spider is common, bites happen less often than people fear. Recluses are shy and usually bite only when pressed against skin, such as when someone puts on a shirt or shoe one is hiding in. Most confirmed bites stay mild and heal on their own. A smaller share form a sore with a pale or bluish center that breaks down into an open wound over several days and heals slowly. Rarely, and more often in children, the venom affects the whole body.

Beyond washing and ice:

• Keep the area raised and still, and don’t cut, squeeze or apply heat to it.
• If you can safely catch the spider, even crushed, keep it in a sealed container so it can be identified.
• Trace the edge of any redness with a pen so you can tell whether it spreads.

Get medical care promptly for spreading redness, a darkening center, fever or chills, dark urine, or a child with a suspected bite. For a pet with an unexplained wound, call your vet. To learn which spiders you’re more likely to meet in Florida, visit our spiders page.