To the other two of you who emailed me- more follow up aftermath from Shawn and to you Karen, I'm basically just running out of room to post too much more here. Hope you understand. Thanks for the pics of your bite, Shawn. And I hope your recovery is going well, along with all of the rest of you.- "Survivor"
MORE LETTERS FROM OTHERS:
From: "keith_earla" <keith_earla@email.msn.com
SUBJECT: daughter bitten
Please tell me anything that might help her with the bite???
First of all, I am so sorry! I am figuring you have been to
www.oocities.org/recluse_spider_bite/necrosis.html and have read the information there.
(This reply to Keith continued below)--
to treat the bite use the clay powder that draws impurities up and out as it dries, mixed with brown apple cider vinegar. Then apply the tea tree oil. Make sure you have some antibiotics, whether you have them on hand or have to get a prescription, and make sure she takes them for the right duration of time. There are some other suggestions on the website listed above, but these are the basics. You can wrap the bite in something that "breathes" but not in plastic. Just watch it very closely. It should form a circle with white pus in center (like a "bullseye"), and the white part will expand some. Just leave that alone for several days and let it run it's course. There isn't much more a doctor or you can do, really. Also, get something with a lemony and eucalypsus strong smell and put that around her bed, etc.-- not only shoud that keep her from being bitten again, but it could give her peace of mind.It's awfully hard to sleep at night if that's where you were bitten. (I don't know if she was bitten in bed or not.) I wish you all the best! --"Survivor" ----------------------
From: "Tony Jeanson" urthe1@lantic.net Subject: ???
Hi,
My name is Tony and I'm from south africa. I would like to know is this spider world wide or is it located in one country only.
We have alot of black widows. Is the recluse spider related at all to the black widow and would your treatment apply to there bites as well
Regards Tony
My reply to Tony: To: "Tony Jeanson" <urthe1@lantic.net>
Hello, Tony- to be honest, I have not researched the
answers to your questions! I do know that the brown
recluse spider is located in all 48 states in the USA
below Canada, with the probable exception of Maine.
They are more rare in the northeastern states that
border the ocean. However, I really don't know about
in Africa. They don't exist in Alaska, or most of
Canada. But since Africa tends to be warmer than
there- tell ya what, I bet you can find the answer
somewhere online. And yours is a VERY interesting and
intelligent question. So if I decide to put your email
onto my site, I will try to find the answer first, and
will let you know. Thank you for writing, and I wish I
knew the answer for you. As far as the black widow,
they aren't really that related, and I don't know if
the same methods of cure for brown recluse bites work
for them- that's something else both you and I could
research. However, I do know that the same repellents
that keep the brown recluse away are offensive to all
spiders, so we found some common ground between the
two. -- "Survivor"
And HERE is the result of my searches:
Brown Recluse Spider, common name for a brownish spider found mainly in the central and southern United States. (I have seen in other online searches that it goes all throughout the southern, midwestern and western United States) Also known as the violin spider, it is characterized by a distinct violin-shaped patch on its cephalothorax (head and midregion). Except for the black widow spider and certain related species, the brown recluse spider is the only United States spider whose bite can be dangerous to humans. The brown recluse spider has six eyes. It spins a web that may be found in secluded areas among rocks or in houses. The bite causes a long-lasting sore that involves tissue death, and severe reactions to it may become life-threatening. The spider may live more than ten years. Other species related to the brown recluse spider occur in the Mediterranean area, in Africa, and in most countries of the Americas. ----(So, Tony, your "brown recluse" may not be the same as our "brown recluse" spiders, but apparently they are closely related and equally as toxic when they bite.) Here is something about the one you do have:
Violin spiders (Here is YOUR BROWN RECLUSE SPIDER in Africa)
The savanna violin spider, Loxosceles spiniceps, is named because the carapace (shield) on its head carries a violin-shaped pattern. The common species in Zimbabwe has a golden body with a black chevron pattern on its abdomen. This is a delicate spider with a body length of 8 mm to 10 mm, and a leg span of up to 50 mm. It hides in cracks and crevices in logs and rocks during the day, and at night wanders about in search of prey.
In Southern Africa over 70% of bites occur during the night. The bite is cytotoxic, usually taking weeks to heal, but it is not fatal, and is rare in Zimbabwe. Pain is not felt at the time of the bite - this occurs several hours later when a painful lesion and swelling appears. Loxosceles can be confused with the web-bound daddy long legs. However, violin spiders do not live in webs, but wander free.
Scientific classification: The brown recluse spider belongs to the family Loxocelidae of the order Araneae. It is classified as Loxosceles reclusa. ----------------
Also, there is ANOTHER dangerous spider in Africa:
Most venomous spider
Everyone knows about button and violin spiders being poisonous, but not many people have heard of the most venomous spider in Southern Africa and, possibly, the world. This is the genus Sicarius, the six-eyed crab spider found in southern Zimbabwe, South Africa, Botswana and Namibia.
Avoid handling it at all costs as no anti-venom is available. It has a virulent cytotoxic poison which destroys not only the tissue around the site of the bite, but also tissue throughout the body, causing massive internal bleeding. Fortunately, it is a very shy spider which lives in sand, hunting by covering itself with sand and then leaping out as prey walks over or near it.
Sicarius is a medium-sized spider with a body length up to 15 mm; the width across the legs is 50 mm. Most species are reddish brown to yellow without any distinct pattern, but with a carunculated texture. It camouflages itself with sand particles wedged between body hairs, taking on the exact colour and texture of its environment. It spends most of its life lying motionless in the sand. It may eat only three or four times a year, and can live for as long as fifteen years.
Also, Tony, I won't "dealve"- but you have some OTHER spiders in Africa that are toxic to humans- not as dangerous as that horrible one mentioned above, and you have some spiders there that are not dangerous to humans, but are great for killing off other bugs. And I thought the BROWN RECLUSE was bad! Bet you're REAL HAPPY you asked me now, huh, Tony?
Now to your question about whether to treat the black widow bite with the same remedies I found for the brown recluse bite-- Tony, I did a google search, and I will admit not real thorough, but it appears that the same natural treatments should be applied to black widow spider bites, and to perhaps all insect bites and stings! I know, it surprises me, too.
--"Survivor"
For Great Health and Healing Information, check messages