How Do You Know if You’ve Been Bitten by a Spider?

Apart from being locked in a room full of wolf spiders, it’s the arachnophobe’s worst nightmare: discovering a potential spider bite. As if the symptoms aren’t bad enough to deal with, there’s the knowledge that one of those things has been touching you!!! But even if you’re not scared of spiders per se, a bite can be something to worry about.

While there are only two truly dangerous species of spider in North Carolina, other spider bites can be painful and produce unpleasant side effects. And, of course, it’s important to know which spider has had a nibble before you dismiss it as a minor concern. And that can be difficult, unless you actually see the creature. So, how do you know if you’ve been bitten by a spider, and how do you know if you should be worried?

North Carolina spiders and their bite symptoms

Black Widow

Even if you’ve never seen one. Even if you live overseas, in a country that they do not inhabit. You know what a black widow looks like. And you know that you don’t want to be getting up close and personal with it. Its PR campaign has been very successful! Identifiable by its shiny black body and bright red hourglass on its underside, the black widow can give a nasty bite. It initially feels like a pinprick but quickly becomes more painful. The good news is that black widow bites are very rarely fatal. But the bite site will swell, your muscles become stiff, you may experience weakness or tremors, and in extreme cases, vomiting, abdominal cramping and difficulty breathing will occur.

Children are at high risk of severe reaction. So, if you think your child has been bitten, take them to the emergency room immediately.

Jumping Spider

Black or green and hairy, with a body up to about 35mm long, jumping spiders will usually only bite if they are threatened – or if you sit on them. For most people, the symptoms will be pain, swelling and itching of the bite site. But it’s not unheard of for those bitten by jumping spiders to experience nausea, headache and chills. If you are allergic to the jumping spider venom, these symptoms can become severe and medical attention will become essential.

Brown Recluse Spider

As the name suggests, the brown recluse spider keeps to itself, so bites are pretty rare. But when they do happen, they can be very dangerous to humans. They’re particularly troublesome because the bites can easily go unnoticed to begin with; they don’t always hurt, and they leave no marks. But once the venom works its way into your blood stream, victims will experience fever, chills, nausea, headaches, weakness and joint pain. The bite site will also become ulcerated and extremely tender to the touch. In some cases, particularly in the very young, seizures and coma may also occur.

Wolf Spider

Although poisonous, wolf spiders are not aggressive. As they are ground-dwellers, the most likely reason they will bite you, is if you disturb their home. Growing up to 50mm in size, they are North Carolina’s largest arachnids. Their bites are extremely painful and fang marks will be evident almost immediately afterwards. For most people, pain, swelling, itchiness and blistering, which can last up to 10 days, will be the limit of their symptoms. However, if you are allergic to the wolf spider’s venom, you may also experience breathing difficulties.

Finally, let’s just make one thing clear:

If you think that you’ve been bitten by a spider, seek medical help immediately.

Bravery is all well and good, but it’s not always sensible. So, if you’re worried that you may have a spider bite, don’t take risks.

How to prevent spider bites

The easiest way to get yourself bitten by a spider is trying to catch one for removal. You may think a glass and a piece of cardboard will do the trick, or a hurled shoe and a vacuum cleaner. But where poisonous creatures are concerned, caution is always the best option.

A professional pest control company will have the equipment to quickly, easily and safely remove venomous spiders from your home. And the skills to detect potential nests.Keepinh you and your family safe.

If you are concerned about spiders in your home, please contact Noosa Pest Management today. We’ll find the best solution for your problem. Quickly. Efficiently. Safely.