There are thousands of species of spiders in the United States. However, most of these species have fangs that are either too short or too weak to penetrate human skin. In fact, when you are bitten by a spider, the chances of a fatal reaction are very small. In the United States, in one year only one in three people die from a spider bite. However, spider bites can cause pain and, sometimes, systemic reactions caused by spider venom. In the United States, the two most dangerous spider species are the Black Widow spider and the Brown Recluse spider. By recognizing the differences between the bites of certain spiders and other types of insects, you can gauge the seriousness of the injury and determine whether or not medical assistance is needed.
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Part 1 of 2: Recognizing Common Spider Bites
Step 1. Look for puncture wounds from the two fangs on the skin surface
Black Widow spider bites are often painful and can be distinguished from bites by other types of spiders or other insects. The Black Widow spider's bite leaves a stab wound of two fangs on the skin's surface. Although the wound may not feel so painful, usually the bite of the Black Widow spider is quite painful because the spider has long and sharp fangs. The puncture wound of the two fangs will then turn red and swell. The sensitivity of the skin to pain at the site of the bite tends to increase and spread to other parts within an hour.
- Be aware of more serious side effects such as more severe muscle cramps (especially in the abdomen), excessive sweating around the bite area, nausea, headache, fever and delirium, chills, and high blood pressure. These things are a reaction to the neurotoxin toxins released by spiders.
- Antivenom can be given if the bite of the Black Widow spider causes pain and serious symptoms. The antitoxin is injected into the thigh or given through an IV by the medical team. However, the Antivenom can cause serious allergic reactions that may be worse than the symptoms caused by spider venom.
- To make it easier for you to identify the Black Widow spider, this type of spider has a shiny skin surface, is round in shape and has a red diamond (or hourglass) pattern on the underside of its belly. In the United States, this type of spider is more common in the southern and western states.
Step 2. Look for any bull's eye sores
Brown Recluse spider bites are usually painless or cause only a mild stinging sensation, much like mosquito bites. However, within 30 to 60 minutes, the area around the bite will redden and swell, with a sore or a bull's eye shaped central lump. The red rash and intense pain usually appear within 8 hours, as the bite wound enlarges. The wound will fill with blood, then burst and leave a kind of ulcer. At this stage, the area around the bite often becomes bluish or purplish. In addition, there is a red circle surrounding the area around the bite wound. Medical treatment is usually only needed if the ulcers or boils have been present for more than a few weeks.
- Often, ulcers that appear will heal on their own. The ulcers dry out and become scabs, then fall off within a few weeks. However, for children and the elderly, the process of drying the wound until it is completely healed sometimes takes months due to the weakened immune system of the person who was bitten.
- There is no Antitoxin that helps control the effects of the Brown Recluse spider bite. The spider's venom is classified as a necrosis-inducing venom. This means that the venom damages or kills the tissues around the bite wound and makes it blackish or bluish.
- To treat and treat the wound, clean the bite area with water and soap (not harsh soap). Cool the bite area with ice or cold packs and lift the affected body part to reduce pain and swelling. Take painkillers such as acetaminophen or swelling reliever (ibuprofen) as needed.
- To make it easier for you to identify the type of Brown Recluse spider, the spider has a brown or yellowish body. In addition, the spider has long, slender legs, and a body with an oval head and abdomen. Usually, these spiders are found in dark and quiet places in the Southern and Central states of the United States.
Step 3. Watch for sharp, needle-like hairs sticking to your skin
Although the tarantula is considered the most terrifying type of spider, this type of spider native to North and South America is non-venomous and rarely bites. However, newer species of tarantulas can shoot or prickle their sharp black hairs when they feel anxious or threatened. These hairs can stick to the skin and trigger an allergic reaction (anaphylaxis), such as itching, swelling and difficulty in breathing, especially for people who are sensitive to allergy triggers. The initial pain usually feels like a sting.
- People who are sensitive to allergies are usually pet owners who often touch or hold their pet tarantulas.
- Tarantula originating from Africa and the Middle East do not have sharp hair or fur, but are more aggressive and can produce poison.
Step 4. Identify other types of spider bites
Black Widow and Brown Recluse spider bites are the most easily recognized bites, often because of their venom and the symptoms they cause. However, there are other types of spider bites that are more common and can still cause pain and swelling. For example, the Hobo spider is a large runner spider, with yellow markings or patterns on its brown back. When biting, the spider can inject a neurotoxin that kills skin cells around the bitten area. However, the pain or injury caused by the spider venom is not as serious as the wound or pain caused by the Brown Recluse spider venom.
- Hobo or Sac spider bites cause skin discomfort (eg itching) and leave sores that resemble bee or wasp stings. However, the initial wound that appears is not so painful because the fangs of both spider species are not nearly as big or strong as the fangs of a bee or wasp.
- To make it easier for you to identify the type of spider bite that is present, catch the spider that bit you or take a photo of the spider using your cellphone camera, then take the spider (or its photo) to the nearest clinic. There may be medical personnel who can identify the spider. Alternatively, you can also do an internet search yourself. Most of the time, common spider bites are harmless and cause only mild itching that will go away in a few days.
- Usually, to treat or treat a spider bite wound, you can simply use an antiseptic gel, ice (to cool the wound) and medicines available in the medicine cabinet.
- In general, a spider's bite is a way of defending itself against danger (for example, when it's caught between your fingers or your hand, or something like that).
Part 2 of 2: Distinguishing Spider Bites from Other Insect Bites
Step 1. Keep in mind that many other insect bites are more painful than spider bites
Often times, spider bites are mistaken for dangerous bites because many people assume that spiders can cause bigger injuries than they actually do. For example, insects such as bees and wasps injure the skin through their powerful stings. The initial wound from the sting is more serious than the wound caused by a spider bite (the spider's fangs are small). After stinging, the bee flies off and leaves the stinger still attached to the human skin, and soon dies. Meanwhile, wasps (including wasps and yellow jacket wasps) can sting multiple times.
- Reactions to bee and wasp stings vary, from mild swelling and a red rash (eg minor bruising) to a serious allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) in people who are sensitive to allergy triggers. If this happens, the person who has been stung by a bee needs medical attention. Although they do not secrete venom, bees and wasps kill far more people per year than spiders due to untreated anaphylactic reactions.
- Anaphylaxis can usually be treated with injections of epinephrine (adrenaline) which reduces the body's response to allergies. These injections can be given by a doctor or done at home if you have had an epinephrine shot.
- The type of spider bite most often mistaken for a bee or wasp sting is the Hobo or Sac spider bite. A Black Widow spider's bite can cause similar serious symptoms, but the two-toothed bite it leaves does not resemble a bee or wasp sting.
Step 2. Be careful with scorpion stings
Although scorpions have claws that resemble crab claws, they sting using their tails (not by pinching or biting). Scorpion stings are usually very painful and cause a red rash and swelling of the sting area. The stings are almost never severe and do not require medical attention. However, bark scorpions can cause serious stings because they produce a very strong neurotoxin.
- Although a scorpion bite or wound is very different from a Black Widow spider bite, the pain and other symptoms are quite similar because both animal species produce neurotoxins.
- To treat a scorpion sting wound, you can use a product such as antivenin (Anascorp). However, the product is not widely used in the United States due to the low mortality rate of the population in the United States.
- Like spider bites, most scorpion bites can be treated with antiseptic gels, ice and other medicines available in the medicine cabinet.
- The bark scorpion species lives in the Arizona, New Mexico and some areas in California.
Step 3. Don't mistake a flea bite for a spider bite
Many people often mistake flea bites for Brown Recluse spider bites (and vice versa) because both types of bites cause a skin reaction that results in eye sores. Some types of ticks (such as deer ticks) can carry the bacteria that causes Lyme disease. Therefore, a tick bite wound (or what is considered a flea bite) should not be left alone. Symptoms of Lyme disease caused by tick bites include a red rash in the form of concentric rings on the skin (appearing one month later), as well as fever, fatigue, headache and muscle and joint pain.
- The main difference between a Brown Recluse spider bite and a tick bite is that a tick bite is initially painless and never causes ulcers or scabs (necrosis) on the skin around the bite area.
- Another difference is that lice usually enter or lodge in the skin before transmitting the bacteria to humans or the 'hosts' they live in so, sometimes, you can see the tick beneath the top layer of skin. In contrast, spiders do not nest or live in the human body.
Tips
- To avoid spider bites, wear a long-sleeved shirt, hat, gloves and boots when you tidy or clean garden sheds, garages, basements, attics and other dark and cramped rooms. Don't forget to tuck the ends of your socks/shirts and pants into your gloves and socks to reduce the chances of insects getting into the gaps in your clothes.
- Always check for gardening gloves, boots and unused clothing. Shake the clothes before you put them on.
- Spraying insect repellent spray on clothes and shoes can repel spiders.
- If you get a painful spider bite and are far from the hospital (or difficult to reach for medical help), immediately cool the wound with ice. After that, treat the wound using an anti-bacterial gel and other first aid drugs so that the wound does not become infected.
- Since there are thousands of species of spiders in the world, be careful when you travel abroad, especially to countries like South America, Africa, Southeast Asia and Australia. Other dangerous spider species in the world that you should watch out for are the Brazilian wandering spider, funnel-web spider, mouse spider, and red black spider.
