There are tons of spiders out in this world, and many times people get bitten and don’t know what to do. Whether you’re at home, camping, hiking, working on your car, or washing your car there is a possibility of being bitten by a spider. Here in the U.S. there are two spider bites that need to be taken very seriously, as they are the most dangerous of all spiders

The bites of the black widow and the brown recluse spider are the most threatening and dangerous to people. There are cases where people are allergic to spider venom and might not be aware of it until they are bitten. That is why all spider bites need to be taken seriously.

Keeping in mind that no matter what kind of spider bites you, you need to act fast and aid the bite. If you are unaware of the type of spider or if you are allergic it would be best to go to a doctor after doing basic first aid, just in case. Here are the basic first aid steps to help your bite:

• Clean bite mark with soap and water.
• Apply a cold compress, on and off.
• Apply a bandage to the bite mark.
• Elevate the bitten area.
• Take acetaminophen for any pain.
• If a child or elderly person has been bitten, they should be taken to a hospital immediately.
• If you identify the spider as a black widow or a brown recluse seek medical attention immediately.
• If you feel extremely ill after being bitten there is a chance you are allergic, get to a hospital right away.
• If you can, catch the spider (dead or alive) that bit you and put it in a jar or container. This will help the doctor positively identify the spider in order to know more about your bite.

Every spider bite will have a slight variation in what symptoms will appear afterward, but it is good to know what the symptoms of a black widow and brown recluse bite are. Since the black widow and brown recluse spiders are the most dangerous to people, it is an excellent safety precaution to know what you’ll feel if bitten by a black widow or brown recluse spiders. Here are some of the symptoms that each spiders bite cause.

• Black Widow: pain and swelling of the bitten area, headache, dizziness, weakness usually in the legs, heavy sweating, nausea, muscle cramps, possible paralysis, itching, and vomiting.
• Brown recluse: pain, itching, burning, and redness of the bitten area, fever, headache, muscle ache, and nausea. Also the bite mark will turn into a black blister.

Remember that all spider bites can be harmful to people. Use these tips in any case of a spider bite. Also always try to catch the spider that bit you, just in case you are allergic to it, and if you can’t catch it hopefully you can tell the doctor what it looked like. In any case every spider bite needs to be taken seriously, and act fast to help aid the bite.

This entry was posted on Friday, October 2nd, 2009 at 1:20 pm and is filed under Arizona Pest Control, First Aid, Georgia Pest Control, Information, how-to, and things about pests, Pests. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.