Types of Spider Bites

• Black Widow Spider Bite
  • A shiny, jet-black spider with long legs (total size 1 inch).
  • A red (or orange) hourglass-shaped marking on its under-side.
  • Causes immediate local mild pain, swelling and occasionally 2 fang marks.
  • Severe muscle cramps (especially abdominal wall cramps) are present by 1 to 6 hours, and last 24 to 48 hours.
  • Rarely causes death (EXCEPTION: bitten by several spiders or small child is bitten)
  • Note: Many are dry bites because the fangs are small.
• Brown Recluse Spider Bite
  • A brown spider with long legs (total size 1/2 inch).
  • A dark violin shaped marking on top of its head
  • Causes local pain and delayed blister formation in 4 to 8 hours
  • The center becomes bluish and depressed (crater-like) over 2 to 3 days
  • Skin damage may require skin grafting in 10% of cases.
  • Systemic symptoms such as fever, vomiting, muscle pain can occur (but no life-threatening symptoms).
  • Since brown recluse spiders are hard to identify, bring the spider along in a jar.
• Non-dangerous Spider Bites
  • More than 50 spiders in the U.S. have venom and can cause local, nonserious reactions.
  • The bites are painful and mildly swollen for 1 or 2 days (much like a bee sting).
  • Many single, unexplained, tender bites that occur during the night are due to spiders.