The brown recluse spider, more popularly known as the “violin spider”, is one of the most terrifying pests in households. A person can experience really bad skin ulcers, extreme pain, and sometimes complications that can endanger one’s life. The name “violin spider” comes from their violin-shaped patch on the broad, almost heart-shaped cephalothorax. Their overall color is grayish-yellow-brown while the oblong abdomen is covered with gray hairs. Its legs are darker than the body and are long and slim.

Identification

These violin spiders are not that large. They have 20-40 mm leg span and a body length of 10mm. They have a tan to brown color and have a unique violin shape that is marked on the spider’s upper surface or cephalatorax. This spider has no obvious coloration patterns on the abdomen or legs like the black widow, and the legs lack spines, but it has short hair on the abdomen that gives the appearance of a soft brown fur. This spider is also a haunting, wandering spider and does not has to use its web to be able to capture its prey.

To know whether the spider you have at home is a brown recluse, you need to examine the eyes very well. The recluse spider has six eyes compared to most spiders which have eight. These eyes are arranged by pairs, with two pairs placed laterally and one pair in the center of both pairs.

Habitat

The brown recluse spider commonly builds their webs in places that are not usually in plain sight, which is why they earned their name well. This spider ceases its wanderings at first light and often lives in solitude. They will be at home in undisturbed and dry places like attics, basements, closets, sheds, barns, rotting bark, woodpiles, cardboard boxes, etc. People are most commonly bitten in bed, while changing clothes, or clearing storage places. They also like to hide in cracks and crevices at homes, and may often climb into clothing or shoes that someone may wear after.

Feeding

The brown recluse prefers food such as Firebrats, crickets, cockroaches, other spiders, and other soft bodied insects. As a running spider, this spider chases their prey like a wolf without using their web. They will use their venom to subdue and catch their prey.

Venomous Bite

Their venom is especially poisonous to people and those that are bitten often become ill. The wound does not heal quickly and may even grow bigger. Both the male and female brown recluse spiders together with their spiderlings can inject venom that can result in serious wound formation or systematic reactions. The bite reaction also varies from mild to severe. However, these spiders cannot easily bite humans unless they are pressed against our skin, such as when they get trapped between a garment and our bodies, when they are exploring the bed sheets and you roll on top of them, or they got trapped inside a shoe and you put it on.

Usually, the brown recluse spider bite is not felt and the pain sets in after six to eight hours. The bite area may look like a pimple or a blister at first, accompanied by mild to severe pain. The surrounding tissue will begin to darken and will create an irregular shape that will result in a sunken area that is several centimeters in diameters in size. A day or around 36 hours after the person is bitten by the this spider, he or she might feel some pain in the joints, high body temperature, and restlessness. Some weakness, nausea, and chills can also be expected as well.

Spider Control

The seriousness of the effect of a bite from a brown recluse spider should not be taken for granted. If you suspect that your home has a brown recluse spider, call a professional pest control company. To effectively control these spiders, your pest control company and you will need to use some integrated approach such as vigorous sanitation, residual sprays, residual dusts, and aerosol sprays to eliminate these pests. And, with the continuous effort of your professional spider control company and your own initiative, you may be able to control these spiders.