Poisionous spiders in Virginia (Fredericksburg: home, university, live in)

[janiejane025]

Originally Posted by Count Arioch the 28th

I find that very hard to believe, considering that they can't survive in Virginia for very long, and the fact that brown recluse bites have an extremely low fatality rate even when untreated. Bees kill a higher percentage of people than brown recluse spiders.

But if you can show me a news story where someone was bitten, the offending spider caught, and the spider was verified by an arachnologist to be a Loxosceles reclusa, then I will believe it. Until then, I'm going to agree with the scientists over two vague personal accounts from some random person on the internet.

If you need proof talk to either Jonathan Coddington from the Smithsonian or Greta Binford who studies Loxosceles in her lab in Oregon. Both came out to my house this spring and did some collecting of Brown Recluse spiders and can verify that they are indeed found in Virginia in a few circumstances. (Although they are not native and you would not find them outside here).

[sarkfollower]

I found a brown very bulbous spider that I have never seen before under my child's sand table. The female and male were hiding underneath and I am worried it was a brown recluse. We have a major black widow issue on the property (to the point I want to move) and now this. We have killed 8 black widows in three years and live on about 3 acres. Three of the black widows were in the garage, two in the rail road ties of our garden steps and the rest in or around a wood pile we have on the wood's edge. Aside from killing each one as we find them- is there a way to ward them off? Also, what kind of bulbous brown spiders are in Virginia that possibly could have been in the sand pit? Can someone link me to some pictures of possibilities? I know we have the black widows- they are unmistakable- but the recluse, I am not so sure. I am hoping I am wrong. Hope someone can help! Is there a spider that looks similar to the recluse? I'd like to see if anyone can find some pics for me!

[Kreutz]

Found a black widow (complete with red abdominal hourglass symbol) right in the open, it had built a web over my hose spout. Had to torch it to get to the spout. Never seen one before (from NY); it was shiny and evil looking.

[Spider bitten]

I have been bitten by that wolf spider, although not deadly poisionous; it did bite me 12 times on the leg while I was alseep. My leg turned black and purple and swelled to double the size. I couldnt even get my britches on, I had to buy a bigger size. I kept it clean with alcholol and about a week later in the shower the "Blisters" burst open with green puss. I still have scars from the bites. So go ahead and be sarcastic if you want, but as for me the exterminator is my friend! htlong I hope your bubble wrap will hold up to this.

[sissy77]

Poison spiders are in most states and so are snakes .You just have to be careful .

[arachnophobe1990]

Okay, so in case you didn't know by reading my username - I'm arachnophobic, like terribly; I freeze up around spiders of every species, even the nonvenomous ones. My problem is a spider I found in my room a couple of days ago; I lost track of it 'cause I was getting ready to leave & didn't have time to look for it but I didn't see it at all in 2 days. And then today ... I go to the kitchen to get a small snack/lunch (I consider it lunch) & not long after I get back to my room I feel this tickling sensation on my right leg, close to my ankle. I don't know what made me do it, but rather than rub my leg I jiggled my pants leg & out dropped the spider! It's a pretty big size (compared to most other spiders, I guess), it's all black, & has this fuzzy little body with these fuzzy little legs & ... my point is, I'm scared to death to get up off my bed now 'cause even after looking up "spider species in southwest virginia" on Google search I couldn't find a single thing that related to that spider! I'm just curious, is it venomous or not? If I had a camera, I'd take a picture of it if I see it again & use it as my default but sadly I don't. I'll keep looking, but I could really use a little more information on spiders that fit that description (other than black widows; I know what they look like well enough already).

[ersatz]

arachnophobe - Might be a Daring Jumping Spider. They fit that description and are common across the U.S. Type that into google images if you can stand to look at lots of pictures of spiders.

[PJ1252]

I don't mind spiders if they are bald but if they are hairy they must die !! The hairy ones in Connecticut would go crunch when you stepped on them. Oh Yuck !!

[arachnophobe1990]

Actually, I'd never heard of that type of jumping spider but after looking at one picture I knew that wasn't it; the spider I saw was definitely not that large. Thanks for the answer, though. It's actually not a problem anymore; I asked my dad to perform a favor for me & squish it. Believe it or not, as terrified of spiders as I am I can't stand to kill them myself; it's not just getting close enough, but actually taking a life....I can't see myself doing that, but my father was in the military back in the '80s. He's pretty much trained to kill.
In case anyone else might have an answer, the spider I saw was probably only an inch long ... give or take a centimeter. So, fairly small for a spider with a black body (maybe not completely black, it might've had a touch of brown).

[Icequake1]

Count Arioch,

Brown Recluse spiders have been in Virginia since at least the 1980s by the recollection of myself and many others and their eggs do indeed survive the winter outside even in Northern Virginia. In fact I know a lady that had to have her leg reconstructed with fat injections after being bitten by one because it did not look right after she had healed from the necrosis. You can doubt all you want but ANY arachnologist will tell you they exist in Virginia.


I would also like to point out that seriously anyone can identify a loxoceles so your comment about mistaking them for any spider with a fiddle marking is absolutely wrong. The violin marking on the head is identifiable to no other genus. Wolf spiders do not have that marking.