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thosedarnsqurls

Brown Recluse Spiders~WARNING!!!

Yes. They DO live in NY State.

Have for quite some time.

I was bitten, my signifigant other has been bitten.

I've been talking to many people lo0cally, and virtually EVERYone knows someone, locally, who has been bitten by one of them.

I have healed as well as I'm going to heal, through herbal poultices and finally antibiotics to clear up the infection that always results from these wounds.(Traditional medicine has NOTHING to treat their flesh eating venom.)

Joe isn't so lucky.

He gets to have a hunk of flesh the size of a baseball surgically removed from his leg tomorrow to stop the necrosis, or "rotting of flesh".

Why am I writing here?

Gardeners,...residents of NY have no idea these things are even a threat to us.

"Oh, Those Fiddleback Spiders live way down South of us. We don't have to worry about them."

YES, we DO!

PLEASE take great caution when working outdoors.

They hide under rocks, woodpiles, rubbish heaps, piles of dry leaves.

I hate working with gloves and hate wearing long sleaves, (Especially when it's 90 degrees out), but they can not bite through clothing.Protect yourself.

They love the house.

Dark dry, undisturbed corners.

Never enter a dark room and fuss around looking for something. Turn the lights on and leave them on for a few minutes before you enter the room.

Shake your garden clogs hard before slipping your feet into them.

Shake your coat before putting it on.

Shake your sheets before going to bed.

Those of you who know me, know I am not a crazy Arachnaphobe(sp.), Just a crazy plantaholic, who used to love being outdoors and playing in the dirt.

I beg you all to research these horrible creatures. Know them! Know what they look like. KNOW where they hide. Protect yourselves.

In most cases they will not kill you, but they will mutilate, cripple, change your life forever.

Dawn

Comments (49)

  • gottagarden
    15 years ago

    Thanks for the warning, I understand they are not normally living here in WNY - would you care to let us know what big city you live near?

    Here are google images of what they look like:

    Here is a link that might be useful: brown recluse images

  • PRO
    WildThings Rescue Nursery
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    Hi gottagarden.

    The biggest major city I live near is Albany.
    Although, I don't think it's all that important, as the 3 cities I do Farmer's Markets in ALSO have these spiders according to locals I spoken with, (Salem, Cambridge & Greenwich)
    Joe's Brother-In-Law has a barn full of 'em in Rochester,
    One of Joe's buddies knows 2 people in their home town of Amsterdam that have been bitten, a Father/Son logging team.

    They are litterally evrywhere. They've been hitchiking rides in people's campers,...mail order boxes, etc. for many years.

    Get some spider traps/sticky traps and set them in the corners of your shed or garage and see what you catch.
    It's one way of either setting your mind at ease,.....
    or knowing that you need to buy lots more traps.

  • gottagarden
    15 years ago

    They are not normally in this area, I see lots of brown spiders, but not brown recluse. You have the terribly unfortunate experience of encountering them, but that appears to be rare. That's what our local CCE says, and I don't know anyone who has ever encountered them, despite living in the country and in the woods all the time.

    Still, thanks for the reminder, I always like to identify the different critters I see in the garden.

    Here is a map of their distribution.

    Here is a link that might be useful: distribution of brown recluse spiders

  • PRO
    WildThings Rescue Nursery
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    The distribution maps are wrong. Way out of date. Same as the threatened and endangered species maps of native plants are.

    Try calling the forestry dept. of ENCON. They know they're here.
    Its SO darn aggrivating talking to local officials and experts.
    Yes. I've spoken to NYS Entemologists(sp) and get the same run-a-round. "No such thing in NY. Never seen one in NY.Not a Brown Recluse. They're not here."
    Well, of course if THEY'VE never seen one personally, they couldn't POSSIBLY exist, right?!

    Whatever they want to beleive, what ever you want to believe. I've talked to many who've shared my experience with these things. I KNOW what I've seen and what happened to me and what happened to Joe, who BTW is through the surgery from the spider bite and doing well.

    Please, if you, yourself, wish to disregard my warnings from my own up close & personal experience,....
    you are welcome. It is your right.
    Please do not make light of it to others, or you are perpetuating the "ostrich-with-it's-head-in-the-sand" mentality. People just need to be cautious, aware.

  • christine1950
    15 years ago

    Thank you so much for the warning, I had no idea they were in NY, YIKES one more thing to worry about in the garden

  • crunchpa
    15 years ago

    Better check the wikipedia entry for brown recluse spiders before you panic.

  • of1faith
    13 years ago

    I did look up wikipedia for brown recluse and found a more dangerous species which I clicked on .... a chilean recluse .... and funny thing it is in Massachusetts... so if that isnt close enough for ya........ I live in upstate NY.... and Im concerned too....

  • heykat
    13 years ago

    Apparently they are pretty common in the Adirondack region.

  • rosesstink
    13 years ago

    LOL Heycat. Brown recluse spiders, wolves, mountain lions. Heard of any recent Bigfoot sightings?

  • dualkubota_yahoo_com
    13 years ago

    You people are not being bitten by brown recluse spiders. The ones that live in NY that do all the biting are yellow sac spiders. Their bite is necrotic but much less severe, and it can cause infection and tissue damage, but never death like the brown recluse does. Yellow sac spiders are lighter in color and don't have the dark brown violin (fiddle) on their upper backs. I live near the Adirondacks and hate these things but am glad there are no actual brown recluse around here. If you don't see an upside down fiddle on the back it's not a brown recluse.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Yellow Sac Spider

  • in ny zone5
    13 years ago

    The map at the link shows that there is no danger for NY state to have the recluse spiders. Click on "Check the map".

    Here is a link that might be useful: Click on 1. 'Check the Map'

  • PRO
    WildThings Rescue Nursery
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    You are all welcomed to believe whatever you want to believe. I live in NY State. And I know what I and my signif. other were bitten by. HE had to have flesh surgically removed, I cured mine with herbs and later antibiotics.

    If any of you are plant people....especially NATIVE plant enthusiasts...I am sure you are well aquainted with the severely outdated distributuion maps.
    The entomology distribution maps are ALSO severely outdated.
    Brown Recluse spiders have been here for YEARS!
    They overwinter in our sheds, barns, garages and houses.
    Whatever..You want to believe they don't exist past the borders of outdated distribution maps..be my guest.
    I am very happy that this post was brought back up to the top again, though..as the season is nearly opon us again, when gardeners and anyone working outdoors, needs to be intelligently cautious. Be aware when turning over rocks, piles of wood/rubbish, leaves, etc. And always watch for scurrying from under pots when you water them. That is how I had gotten bitten. AND..BTW....I have received several emails and calls since I originally posted this....by people who have also been bitten by the Brown Recluse, in NY and NJ.
    Those that choose to believe...please be careful this year when outside playin' in the dirt!

  • sandra_marrin_gmail_com
    13 years ago

    I live in upstate ny closer to border of Nj, and being from Nj my whole life I have never seen spiders as big and ugly as up here in ny. I am continuously finding these huge hitious black spiders in basement and garage and on my deck which they build this funnel like cocoon that they hide in. My main concern is the yellow sac spider which someone on here mentioned. I see yellow sac spiders all the time on my deck and a few times in house, never a brown recluse but after now reading how dangerous the yellow sac spider is I'm really freaked out because they are everywhere up here and I'm so scared my 2 year old is gonna get bit. I vacuum everyday and in every corner. But I'm sure if people in upstate ny are getting bit it must be that spider because I see them a lot and its defiantly the yellow sac one its exactly same as the pictures.

  • kbear0677_yahoo_com
    12 years ago

    I live in Wi. and as a young man in 1972, attended a summer party, later sleeping inside a tarp in the yard..yeah, I know. Anyway, the next day, my shoulder blade itched and became inflamed. Within 2 days the site had grown to the size of a golf ball with a nail hole running down the middle oozing liquid. The doctor prescribed pain killers and steroids, you-name-it, but nothing helped. It was driving me crazy, I could'nt sleep and it was getting worse. Later, while taking a hot shower, I noticed the area around the bite felt cool-to-cold with the hot water running on it. I gradually turned off the cold water supply until the shower was scalding hot concentrating the spray on this area. The site still felt cool under the hot spray and after a lengthy shower, the bite area felt better and the entire thing healed later. I don't advise this as a treatment for a bite like this, as its scalded and flaked surrounding skin tissue but it must have pulled-out the venom and I was fine after that. To anyone bitten by this bad-boy or girl, you have my complete sympathy.

  • VismondIcepick
    12 years ago

    HmmHmm. Yes, brown recluse spiders DO exist in Upstate, NY. They do not LIVE there, but my cousin who lives near Syracuse was severly bitten by one (with necrosis lasting longer than a month) when family friends from "down south" drove thier car to visit my cousin (she still has a sizeable scar to prove it). So, yes, they can appear. However, if you have necrotic lesions, and you live that far North, it is more likely a yellow sac spider. These bites are commonly mistaken for brown recluse bites but rarely last longer than 2 weeks. And yes, it would stink to get bitten by one. I have a question for any "expert" willing to answer. I have a large colony of brown recluses that live near my house (in Southwest Florida). About a year ago I got bitten by something. The bite made my skin very sensitive to touch and was quite painful. The red blotch eventually left a bullseye marking at the bite site (my elbow). the pain lasted 2-3 weeks. I initially ruled out brown recluses because there was no surface necrosis of the skin. Could this have possibly been a mostly "dry" bite or a bite from a smaller juvenille? I would greatly appreciate feedback so I can finally solve this "mytstery"... one last thing... don't kill out of fear. Capture and release the spiders into an area where they can not harm humans. Do you really want to be the worst thing that ever happened to a living creature?

    Here is a link that might be useful: youtube of one of

  • mysikduk_yahoo_com
    12 years ago

    It's called a Yellow Sac Spider". Not a brown recluse. The winters here in upstate NY are far too long and the summer are way to short to support any southern species of spider long enough to mate, egg gestation, etc. I have been studying venomous entomology and herpetology for many, many years. I am a Cornell grad in these areas. I would bet my entire collection of inverts and snakes on the the fact that the person that started this, is 100 percent wrong, and is jumping to conclusions without any type of education in this field. The person who started this post, themselves even admits that they have called different state agencies to no avail. So, the next time you feel the need to post something like this, make sure that you are basing your words on fact and not your uneducated opinion.
    All spiders are venomous. All of them are. To what extent on humans is the question. Different factors come into play such as allergic reactions, i.e. respiratory, dermal, hemotoxical, etc. But allergies that cause any type of necrosis are all but impossible, and happen only about 1 in a couple of million. Once again, please base your postings on fact, not a guess or opinion.

  • cmweb74_yahoo_com
    12 years ago

    A women from our small town just showed me what a recent spider bite left her after surgery.... (LARGE nasty hole in her leg, about the size of an orange)...the doctor told her that it was a Brown Recluse Spider bite, and a professor from the University of Buffalo confirmed it. We live in Akron, NY just outside of Buffalo NY. I do believe they are here, but if these professionals are wrong...and it was a Yellow Sac Spider...it did some pretty nasty damage to her leg.

  • mikenappy_hotmail_com
    12 years ago

    The brown recluse spider is native to the United States from the southern Midwest south to the Gulf of Mexico. The native range lies roughly south of a line from southeastern Nebraska through southern Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana to southwestern Ohio. In the southern states, it is native from central Texas to west-central South Carolina and north to Kentucky.[3][4]
    Despite rumors to the contrary, the brown recluse spider has not established itself in California or anywhere outside its native range.[5] Occasional spiders have been intercepted in various states where they have no known established populations; these spiders may indeed be transported fairly easily, though the lack of established populations well outside the natural range also indicates that such movement has not led to colonization of new areas.[6][7]
    There are other species of the genus Loxosceles native to the southwestern part of the United States, including California, that may resemble the brown recluse, but these species have never been documented as medically significant. The number of "false positive" reports based on misidentifications is considerable; in a nationwide study where people submitted spiders that they thought were brown recluses, of 581 from California only 1 was a brown recluse�submitted by a family that moved from Missouri and brought it with them (compared to specimens submitted from Missouri, Kansas, and Oklahoma, where between 75% and 90% were recluses).[8] From this study, the most common spider submitted from California as a brown recluse was in the genus Titiotus, whose bite is deemed harmless. A similar study documented that various arachnids were routinely misidentified by physicians, pest control operators, and other non-expert authorities, who told their patients or clients that the spider they had was a brown recluse when in fact it was not.[9] Despite the absence of brown recluses from the Western US, physicians in the region commonly diagnose "brown recluse bites", leading to the popular misperception that the spiders occur there.[10]

  • Klippenwald
    12 years ago

    As a soon to be NY resident, this info is a concern.

    I'd be curious if there really were BR spiders in numbers living in NY. Until hard evidence (Photos, expert article) is presented here I'm afraid the evidence is anecdotal. I do not deny the possibility that they have moved further north. With the warming climate (anybody see how far we are behind in snowfall this year? Almost 10'! St. Louis is 25F above average, in January!) the creepy crawlies, the biters, parasites and diseases that we think only belong in the warmer regions of the planet will march north. Fire ants anyone? West Nile? How about some Yellow Fever or Malaria?

  • Mparker2013
    11 years ago

    I would really like to know if they ARE present in New York for sure to this day. I live near Elmira, and around my mothers house there's woods, everywhere. I have a 1 1/2 year old son who LOVES playing outside. I'm not an overly cautious mother. But I do worry about things like this in our area seeing as we've seen rattle snakes near my moms. I'm also constantly helping my mom with her large flower and vegetable garden. So are they to this day present in the NY area?

  • lovetogarden
    10 years ago

    Mparker, I lived in the Adirondacks and have often seen these spiders, in particular, in a big old barn on my former property. They look exactly like the google images of them but what no one has describe is how fast they are. But, I made sure I chased them down because there was no way I was going to allow them to multiply in a barn where I stored all my garden tools and impliments. Believe me, when you see one you will know it. Be prepared to hunt it down to kill it, especially if you see it in your house or somewhere you frequent.

  • tracywag
    10 years ago

    Mparker, I'm not too far from you. We are in the known range for Timber Rattlesnakes. It wouldn't be paranoid to inform yourself about where and when they are more likely to be found. That being said, I have lived here most of my 44 yrs, and have only seen one once, during a particularly hot and dry summer in the 70's. For my kids, I am more concerned about tick borne illnesses. Basic precautions go a long way!

  • lori_ny
    10 years ago

    I'm from Canandaigua in the Finger Lakes. A friend of mine gave me a huge pot with a fern in it last November. I started seeing these spiders immediately afterwards.

    They looked identical to the google pictures. Their overall size, including legs, was the size of a silver dollar. Their bodies were 1/2 inch long.They ran faster then hell! My husband squished them and I tried to capture them to take them outside. We had five of them in the house altogether.

    Is there any other native spider this could have been? They had no colors on them but brown.

    Lori

  • msvonhuff
    10 years ago

    The Yellow Sac Spider lives all over US - pain when they bite and has neurotoxic effects also. (recluse's initial bite is not painful). They probably account for more spider bites than any other spider and their bites are sometimes misdiagnosed as brown recluse bites by health care providers.
    It prefers to live and hunt outdoors, but when the weather starts turning colder, it move indoors, where it will construct its sac in a corner, usually near the ceiling.
    http://www.wikihow.com/Identify-a-Yellow-Sac-Spider
    If you still think they are brown recluse - need to send specimens to the state for confirmation.

  • moose13357
    10 years ago

    So I read many of these posts and I have to say I have been bitten by one if these spiders and it was confirmed that it was a brown recluse. I had to have extensive very painfull surgery. Well once again I have been bitten and am on meds again trying to stay away from surgery but don't think that's gonna happen. My first bite still isn't completely healed and that happened in March of this year. I live in Rome NY

  • PRO
    WildThings Rescue Nursery
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Hi Moose.
    So very sorry that you've had to go through this horror, (twice!)
    And also very sorry that so many people that have never experienced the pain and fear of losing one's flesh and muscle, seem to think they know better than we do what we've been bitten by.
    I hope that you heal quickly and can avoid the surgery.
    Mine took about 2 years to completely heal, as did Joe's (My signif. other who also got a bite.)
    At least the Doctors in NY admit that the Brown Recluse are here and know what to do.
    Best wishes to you for speedy and complete recovery.

  • sillysallies
    10 years ago

    yes if you read through these post's and your from ny natively(been here all your life) than you know whats here honestly some of those post make me quite angry. Like that lady "i went to cornell, your all uneducated" well miss genius why dont you do a little research and youll find just what your saying is not only naive but just plain dumb. I have seen them on a few occasions, here in the hudson valley. If ms. cornell was truly an entomologist/herpetologist she would know about a man named charlie DARWIN who told us about how all creatures adapt to survive in theyre desired environment.

  • nyvalleygirl
    10 years ago

    I live west if Albany NY and they are here. I know of a man who was bitten on the calf and was in severe pain along with flesh being eaten up by this bite. Went to hospital and had intravenous drip and took antibiotics. Thank goodness he went right away. ($2000 bill) There was someone there that needed his toes amputated for brown recluse bite not taken care of quickly. This is not a joke The spiders hide in clothing left on the floor, shoes, showers, under blankets, etc. I say don't panic, but be really really aware that they are there.

  • church_secretary
    10 years ago

    Back in the 1980's an article appeared in the Buffalo News warning that the brown recluse spider had been identified in our local area and what to watch out for--how to identify them and what the bite would do and what to do if bitten. I cut out the article and saved it on my bulletin board. Less than a week later, my husband was sitting on an old wooden bench watching our son's soccer game in Delaware Park in the city of Buffalo, NY, when he was bitten on the leg. I immediately applied ice and got him to a doctor within a few hours. Despite that it took almost two years for the resulting wound to heal completely and he still bears the bulls-eye mark to this day. It is the only one we have actually seen, but that was enough! Yes, they are here. I am so very thankful that the news article made me aware.

  • Tnichols
    10 years ago

    My family and I Just moved to the Saugerties area and I have seen a few recluse in my barn that was closed off for a few years without use. I can also say I have a unique wealth of knowledge when it comes to these spiders. I can also say the so called experts are idiots when it comes to the extent of these spiders territory and skills. I lived in Illinois and owned a restaurant in a 110 year old train station. I discovered after 3 months of operation that the building was infested with these spiders. I consulted all the experts from pest control all the way to the University of Illinois. Both said I was crazy. (The winters are to cold). They both changed there tyune when I mailed them a few of my friends sprayed with aquanet hair spray(works great). I had about 200 glue traps in my building and I would catch an average of 30 to 50 every night. You cannot spray for these spiders unless you get direct contact with the spray. Powders dont work very well either since they tend to walk on the hairs on their legs. They hunt at night in the dark then hide ie: recluse. I had 2 employees and myself bitten and the skinner you are the better. Heavier people react the worst to the bites. These things travel on trains, trucks ,barges and ships from the south to the north. They can survive cold winters. My building was closed for 8 years with no heat. They are agressive and fast as can be. I would spray them with hair spray and let them harden. They seemed to know I was coming for them. So all the experts can say that they are not here and that they cannot survive cold winters but I know better. If you dont believe me call the University of Illinois and ask them about brown recluse in Peoria Illinois.

  • robertscibran
    10 years ago

    I was checking online for pics about spiders of NYS. I feel like I have seen several varieties that aren't listed. I have had a problem with an infestation of the yellow-sac spider in my apt for several years. I looked online to see what they were as I was killing up to 20 a day. They like to bite my scalp, and leave itchy, painful blisters that I sometimes at first confuse for a bad ingrown hair or whatnot. They last for several days and are bothersome. They have never cause large lesions or anything like others have suggested on this page. -Almost like a hornet bite or sting. Raid spider killer has proven an effective deterent. I bought some cheaper Ace hardware brand that doesn't seem to work as well, as it needs to be applied more frequently (along wall ceiling and floor). These spiders are aggresive too! Read online about them infesting Toyota vehicles and clogging air filters etc.... I will be more aware concerning the recluse, as globalization has spread and displaced all sorts of creatures!-Sorry for those that have been injured!-I go to Delaware Park here in Buffalo, and hope I don't run into any. As a person who spends as much time as possible outdoors, with a strong dislike for scary spiders, the sac spiders are the only problem I have encountered. As soon as the spray apparently wears off, they immediately move back into the corners and crevices of the apt. at an alarming rate!-Good luck to all in their gardening and nature adventures!-Bob, from Buffalo NY.

  • Hamlin_Gardener
    9 years ago

    Well,
    Now that the news and news papers have stated that the brown recluse spiders are in and around Rochester (Hamlin), I bet people feel stupid on here. They have been here for a number of years. Just like the Japanese Wasps.... that by the way are bigger than my thumb. I would heed all warnings about brown recluse spiders because their bites are serious.

  • joyfulflowers
    9 years ago

    My brother in Orlando, Florida was bitten by a Brown Recluse some years ago. Lucky for him they happened upon the right antibiotic after several others failed. He would have needed his arm amputated if the last antibiotic failed. I live on Long Island in New York and have never seen one, but if I did, I would kill it if I had the chance. That is one spider you don't let walk free.

  • Abigayle
    9 years ago

    I was bitten by a brown recluse spider two nights ago. I live near Kingston, NY. I had received a bite when living in North Carolina so knew exactly what it was.

    Treated immediately with ice, triple antibiotic ointment, benadryl gel, and aloe. (I think aloe is the best thing)

    Went to Dr. who confirmed; had intrvenous antibiotic and issued prescription for same, as well as prescription strength benadryl.

    My ankle is swollen to twice its size and I have two large ulcerations and about twelve small circular bites. This occurred overnight while sleeping. The bite itself was not painful enough to awaken me, it is the aftermath that is of concern.

    Be aware that they are here. I looked at their "range" and consider it totally inaccurate. My Dr. has treated other cases.

    Be careful, even when not outside.

  • Oedhel Setren
    9 years ago

    I don't know why this is news? I grew up knowing that recluse were in NY. The official state pages say that we have them. I'm not sure where you people get your information from.

  • hagaryanay
    7 years ago

    I got tired of reading this whole thread but figured I'd add even more in support of more evidence in NY. I'm about an hour South of Albany, near the Hudson River. Just one more way these 8 leggeds are hitching rides. I've lived in this particular area for 3 years now but grew up on the Western side of the Catskills. Never in my life have I seen so many spiders, wolf, yellow sac, etc. I can personally vouch for a close encounter with a recluse. I am an arachnophobe. My neighbors know by now that a few screams from across the road after dark during the Spring time is no major alarm. I had heard of the recluse before moving here and was well aware of its form, having scoured the Internet for pictures, size comparisons, and variations. One day, during my first year here, I went to grab my dog's leash near the door before going out. I had moved a fabric bag, in the process, that was hanging behind it when I noticed a spider hiding there on the wall. I looked closely and noticed the upturned violin shape on its back. Smack! That was my next reaction. Still doesn't bring any comfort since I wonder if there are more. I live in an old cottage with wide plank wooden floor boards with big gaps in between. I worry about myself and my floor prone dog. When I lived near NorthWest NJ, I had a friend with a yellow sac infestation. Good thing I didn't know then what i had discovered later, because they love to drop from the ceiling, especially when there's lots of activity going on below them. Not sure why they do that. They're so good at hiding, usually under kitchen cabinets, along the border. As was mentioned earlier, hit your shoes before putting them on, check your sheets before bed, walls near where you rest your head. Shake clothes before putting them on. I found they are impervious to peppermint spray. Even with repeated treatments. If it's really bad, you might want to fog your house and car (if you really get freaked out of control).

  • Gail Dalmat
    7 years ago

    My husband was bitten on the back of his leg, basically his buttocks, in Ithaca NY maybe 15 years ago now. We were emptying a garage after a tenant defaulted and disappeared, leaving all his junk behind. The doctor surgically removed the necrotic tissue, it left a hole about the size of an index finger, which he packed with gauze. Eventually it healed, from the inside out, leaving a round scar. So yes, they may not be invasive, per se, but they definitely hitchhike all over the country.


  • Darlene Kotvis
    7 years ago

    ust now

    I have been bitten live WNY New York ended up out work two months with hole on top my foot put this silver God is on top of it and then wrapped it every week go to the doctor to have them I just burned hope I can put a picture here for you

    Like

  • Brad Goewey
    7 years ago

    For everyone on here who wants to bet their life on these brown recluses not living in upstate or in New York in general is 100% wrong. I live in central New York and within 20 minutes of Syracuse and yes they are here. It's not mistaken identity when I know multiple people including close family who was bit and actually trapped the spider that bit them. I myself here in minetto New York between Oswego and Fulton have had my mother catch one in a jar. Both of these spiders that my mom and cousin both caught were found to be brown recluse and yes they were tested and identified. My cousin still and will always have an enormous scar on her thigh from her bite and was nearly close to death even. You can bet whatever you want on them not being in New York but they indeed are.

  • subtropix
    7 years ago

    I am an avid gardener, so outside my yard a LOT (on the ground, in the woods, etc.). A while back I got bitten by something (did not feel a thing), I was sitting on the ground in long pants. Well, eventually, I developed a nasty, large hemorrhagic blister. I know, I should have gone to the doctor or hospital, but never had a bit that progressed to this extent. I looked up insect bits and the closest match I could find was Brown Recluse. I am also out of the zone of this insect as I am in NJ. Lesson learned I never sit on the ground anymore without some protection.

  • lordofbugs
    6 years ago

    Hello all,

    I am very interested in reports of recluse spiders in the Hudson Valley / Capital Region of NYS. I am an expert in arachnid toxinology and the identification of significantly venomous spiders, scorpions, etc. I do consulting work on spider ID's and identifying bites. Recently I have been sent a photo / narrative of a bite that is necrotic, does not correlate with an infectious agent, and does not match the symptoms and progression of yellow sac spider. (I actually invented the protocol for distinguishing between yellow sac spider and recluse spider envenomations based on symptoms alone, so I know what I'm looking for). This bite does not present itself to me as being from a yellow sac spider, so I am looking for another cause.

    What I know, that perhaps others do not, is that the Mediterranean recluse (Loxosceles rufescens) is established in New York *county* / Manhattan. I am open to the possibility that L. rufescens from NYC (which looks just like the native L. reclusa) has wandered up the Hudson Valley and extended its territory. L. rufescens is somewhat more cold tolerant than L. reclusa, and has adapted to environments worldwide to form established micro-populations.

    Please, if anyone can send me, by PM or email, photos of what you suspect is a recluse spider in NYS, especially in the Hudson Valley, I would greatly appreciate it. With one clear photo I can give expert identification. This will help me to establish whether the species has advanced its territory up from NYC, and thus might have caused the bite I am trying to ID for a patient. Thank you!

    You can email me at LordArachnius@protonmail.ch

  • lordofbugs
    6 years ago

    Also, FYI, I will respond to NYS suspected brown recluse identification requests for FREE.

    I realized after posting that the line "I do consulting work on spider ID's" made it sound like I was soliciting business. I AM NOT.

    I simply am requesting some grassroots data from interested gardeners (to help my distribution map on L. rufescens), and in return I will happily, for free, ID your spiders as harmless or toxic, as the case may be. I hope to hear from as many Hudson Valley/ Capital Region gardeners as possible.


    Thank you!

  • Kyle Warner
    2 years ago

    I'm not sure but is this a brown recluse? I live like 10 minutes from albany


  • Kyle Warner
    2 years ago

    I'm not sure but is this a brown recluse? I live like 10 minutes from albany


  • lovetogarden
    2 years ago

    Yes, it it a brown recluse.

  • Russell Graham
    2 years ago
    last modified: 2 years ago

    I worked for and I know people that work for terminix. There are no proven lasting colonies of brown recluse spiders in ny. If you should find one it’s a hitch hiker. Yes that dosen’t mean the place you found one there isn’ t more of them. So far they haven’t been able to colonize in the northern cold climate. If you find what you truely believe is a brown recluse catch one and call your local DEC or DEP, they will properly identify it, and will let you know who to get in touch with to see if it’s a one and done or a problem. Just because theres no proven adaptation dosen’t mean there wont be one in the future. That’s why it’s so imimportant to contact the DEC so they can monitor them.

  • HU-506301163
    5 months ago

    This was my Brown recluce bite from 7/23 in Chenango County NY.


  • HU-506301163
    5 months ago



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