Just my luck

[Tarhunt]

35 minutes ago, mike033089 said:

I hope you’re right.  A guy I worked with spent a couple days in the hospital a day or two after going some landscaping at his house.  They seemed pretty confident it was a brown recluse bite. 

Most medical doctors are not entomologists. So, they only guessing what the bite came from. So, they blame the Brown Recluse because, that's what they're told to say. They need to do research. 

[jerseyboy32]

8 hours ago, Tarhunt said:

There are no Brown Recluse Spiders here in NJ. 

They are here my friend works for Viking pest control and seen them first hand 

[jerseyboy32]

[Bonefreak]

Yikes!!  Feel better V and hope your trip pans out!!

[Nomad]

They ride in on the backs of mountain lions.

[hammer4reel]

14 minutes ago, jerseyboy32 said:

Try and find a state certified document . All links showing they are here are pesticide companies 

[Merkel]

Feel better quickly VDEP

[JHbowhunter]

keep in mind, the WOLF spider is VERY common in NJ, and ranked as the 10th most venimous spider in the world on many lists, where the Brown recluses usually shows as 6 or 7...  So - it could have been a WOLF.

 

Good luck - hopefully you don't get any necrosis

 

[Gman]

4 hours ago, Tarhunt said:

Most medical doctors are not entomologists. So, they only guessing what the bite came from

Hey Tarhunt, I had a really bad spider bite, I just assumed it was from a brown recluse, do you know what NJ spiders are venomous? 

Thanks

[cantw82start]

Be thankful it was only on your thigh!

[jumpthestring]

If its not too late, have your wife/girlfriend suck the Venmon out.

[Zone50BugNerd]

2 hours ago, Gman said:

do you know what NJ spiders are venomous? 

In the entire US the only spiders that are considered “medically important,” are widows and recluse.  There are no established populations of recluse in NJ.  I identify and catalogue around 100 arthropod specimens a week, and in my 20 years as an entomologist I have only identified recluse spiders 4 times.  All of which were the result of introduction, they were hitchhikers from native states.  @Tarhunt is 100% correct about doctors.  When they are unable to diagnose they almost always claim “spider bite.”  
 

A better, yet less specific diagnosis is “arthropod bite/sting.”  So, not saying that “something” didn’t bite or sting in this instance, but not likely a recluse.  An organism does not have to be venomous to be dangerous.  An individual’s own biology and chemistry will dictate their immune response (I.e., histamine production).  So, anyone can have a response or “allergic” reaction to a bite or sting from an arthropod.  

Edited March 26 by Zone50BugNerd

[Tarhunt]

39 minutes ago, Zone50BugNerd said:

In the entire US the only spiders that are considered “medically important,” are widows and recluse.  There are no established populations of recluse in NJ.  I identify and catalogue around 100 arthropod specimens a week, and in my 20 years as an entomologist I have only identified recluse spiders 4 times.  All of which were the result of introduction, they were hitchhikers from native states.  @Tarhunt is 100% correct about doctors.  When they are unable to diagnose they almost always claim “spider bite.”  
 

A better, yet less specific diagnosis is “arthropod bite/sting.”  So, not saying that “something” didn’t bite or sting in this instance, but not likely a recluse.  An organism does not have to be venomous to be dangerous.  An individual’s own biology and chemistry will dictate their immune response (I.e., histamine production).  So, anyone can have a response or “allergic” reaction to a bite or sting from an arthropod.  

There was research done many years ago on a house in Missouri where this lady lived in a 800 square foot house with a dirt floor crawlspace for many decades. The entomologists collected over 2400 Brown Recluse Spiders from her house and she never had a spider bite. Very interesting. 

[MGHunter66]

Doesn’t have to be some kind of crazy spider to cause a serious reaction in some people. Years back doing construction I got bit by some small spider in the corner of my nose. By 11pm my face swelled up like the elephant man and pain was ridiculous. Lasted 3 days before it started to get better. I feel your pain man, hang in there

[mike033089]

2 hours ago, Zone50BugNerd said:

In the entire US the only spiders that are considered “medically important,” are widows and recluse.  There are no established populations of recluse in NJ.  I identify and catalogue around 100 arthropod specimens a week, and in my 20 years as an entomologist I have only identified recluse spiders 4 times.  All of which were the result of introduction, they were hitchhikers from native states.  @Tarhunt is 100% correct about doctors.  When they are unable to diagnose they almost always claim “spider bite.”  
 

A better, yet less specific diagnosis is “arthropod bite/sting.”  So, not saying that “something” didn’t bite or sting in this instance, but not likely a recluse.  An organism does not have to be venomous to be dangerous.  An individual’s own biology and chemistry will dictate their immune response (I.e., histamine production).  So, anyone can have a response or “allergic” reaction to a bite or sting from an arthropod.  

Very interesting and good to know!  Thanks.  Totally makes sense how everyone can react different.