Spiders Can Kill - Fortunately Brown Recluse Not Normally Found in Seattle Area

At least two people have died in the US in 2014 from the bites of brown recluse spiders. One was reported from Mulberry Conty, Florida, where a 62-year-old man, Ronald Reese, was renovating a home and got bitten on the back of his neck. His father, 89, reported that Ron thought it would heal on it's own but that, instead, it "rotted to the vertbrae." Brown Recluse spider bites often do heal, but because they break down red blood cells and can become systemic they should always be checked by medical professionals. Obviously, some can cause death. The most recent death attributed to brown recluse spiders occured in Michigan--a rare case for that area. The woman was 58 years old and was bitten on her foot. Similarly, she rsisted seeing a doctor until it was too late. Usually, a brown recluse bite on a foot woiuldn't be fatal but the bite ocurred directly into a blood vessel, allowing the venum to ciculate into the blood stream. By the time an ambulence came she was non-responsive. She died shortly thereafter. While we have no resident brown recluse spider population in the Puget Sound region, they can conceivably be shipped from the south central part of the United States. Also, while a spider bite here shouldn't be from a brown recluse, we do have the aggressive house spider and the hobo spider--both of which can cause severe symptoms, apparently including auditory hallucinations in some cases. For more information about local spiders and their control contact Cascade Pest Control.