She sent me an article on one of the most feared spiders that ever walked up the water spout - the brown recluse spider. Today s article will hopefully alleviate some of that fear, and arm with you with some facts about this well-known arachnid that you can use. Information for today s column comes from University of Florida Extension Specialist Phil Koehler and from University of California - Riverside s Entomologist Rick Vetter. Their bites can be mild to serious and occasionally fatal. However, to put it in perspective, there are a much greater number of people effected by bee stings than spiders bites.
Recluses are a common spider in Florida homes.
The brown recluse spider does not live in Florida. It s natural range in the U.S. is along the Mississippi River Valley, especially in northwestern Arkansas and southern Missouri. It can be found in an area that stretches from Nebraska south through Texas, east to the southernmost edge of Ohio and south to western Georgia. While there are many species of recluse spiders found in the U.S., the native brown recluse has never been found to set up permanent housekeeping in the Sunshine state. But I heard that they have been found in Florida.