It seems that most people are afraid of being bitten by a pest and for good reason. No one wants to have the pain or discomfort of this kind of thing and especially if they've heard horrible stories from those who have been bitten. One pest in particular brings out the most fear in people and that is the brown recluse spider. Only snakes and black widows seem to rival the folk lore associated with a bite but in the end I think the recluse is the most dreaded. The stories that have been told of deep wounds and limbs needing to be cut off because of a bite fuel this fear but in reality the recluse is limited to a small region of the United States so it seems unlikely that all of the reports could be true. The recluse however enjoys a legend that spreads all across the states and all it wants to do is live a quiet and peaceful life.

Recluse spiders have been found outside of their range but this is attributed to its habit of hiding in things like furniture or clothing. If these items are moved so is the spider. So when something is shipped or taken on vacation it takes with it a recluse and indeed the spider has been found in places it is not normally known to be. However the spider doesn't fair very well at all in these areas and it is very rare that it becomes established. It is far more likely to find a dead recluse in the states its not known for than a live one. The range of the recluse includes states from north Texas and Oklahoma across to western Georgia and up to parts of Kentucky and as far up as parts of Iowa down to the Florida border. The states in between have healthy stands of the spider and that is where you'll find them most.

The recluse gets its name because it is reclusive. They shy away from anything that can't be eaten so people and pets are avoided. They do live in homes but only venture out at night to hunt and hide during the day and most folks are none the wiser. Recluse use webbing around their nests and for the precious egg sacs but not to catch food. This web is not like an orb spider and is usually irregular around the entry. If the spider can't make its way back to the nest before morning it will find a quiet place to hide and wait for the next night to move out again.

The recluse is a hearty spider in that it can go for up to six months without food or drink. They also can withstand the blazing heat of an attic in the summer or the frigid cold basements in winter which may kill other species of spiders or bugs. The recluse is a very patient non aggressive creature and goes to great lengths to stay away from the homes occupants. Its fangs are not powerful or big enough to penetrate clothing so its main defense is its ability to hide. Bites occur when a human unknowingly rolls on the spider in bed or puts an an article of clothing with the recluse in it. The 'pressure' from the contact triggers the recluse to bite and so often the bitten person does not feel it. Three to eight hours later the wound begins to fester and that is when symptoms come about. While most bite wounds heal on there own in about three weeks with no medical attention some indeed go further and bring about necrotic flesh eating sores that you find written about all to much on the intranet.

This durable spider then really has no desire to search out humans or pets and stays clear from their activity as much as possible. The main cause of interaction and folks being bitten is when the spider is either rolled on by accident when it crawls onto your bed or perhaps if it were hiding in an article of clothing. Once the human rolls on the spider or puts pressure on it their instinct is to bite. Even so, the bite must be directly on the skin as their fangs are not powerful enough to even go through clothing. The wound of a recluse bite can get ugly and quite large and some last for months but in most cases the site heals up in about three weeks and no medical attention is required. It is the few bites that turn bad that get the most press and even Doctors assume that every spider bite is a recluse when classic signs begin to appear. Actually, the yellow sac spider also delivers a necrotic venom and is far more likely the spider in question. It is virtually impossible to identify a bite from the wound itself and without the captured spider not even a medical professional can know for sure.
In the end this tiny little spider gets all the blame when all he wants to do is live a quiet life tucked away in a corner never wanting so much as a friendly smile from anyone else who lives in the house.

The fears based on misleading reports of the brown recluse have spread across the land. No other spider can strike such fear of people being bit, even though the brown recluse might not even live in their area.