FORT SILL, Oklahoma (June 2, 2021) -- (Editor’s note: The following article ran in the May 12, 2011, edition of the Fort Sill Cannoneer. Because ticks, scorpions, black widow spiders and the like live here, this information is just as pertinent today.) As spring moves toward summer, now is the time many Soldiers and their families are packing up household items for their next permanent change of station move.
In doing so, keep a lookout for brown recluse spiders, one of Oklahoma’s creepy critters that may living in post housing and other facilities.
Because this spider may be found anywhere inside or outside homes or work centers, it can be a dangerous year-round concern. Most often it’s not the movements and habits of the spider that lead to contact.
Sgt. 1st Class Scott Paul found this out the hard way, during a little manual labor in 2010. A near imperceptible bite that started as a nuisance, led to days of increasing pain and ultimately more than a week of recovery.
While disassembling cubicle walls to move their office, a co-worker noticed a spider on Paul’s face. Without a thought or concern, Paul brushed it off where it sat below his left eye and proceeded with the job at hand. Though he said he never felt the actual bite, 45 minutes later his eye began to itch real badly.
Over the next couple days the bite site progressed from a pimple to noticeable swelling to the point he could hardly see out of the eye. He then went to the emergency room for medical care and received antibiotics to treat it.
Throughout this time he said the pain wasn’t too bad, but four days after the bite Paul realized he no longer could see out of his left eye and he estimated the pain to be a full-scale 10 out of 10.
Returning to the hospital, Paul was admitted and given a strong antibiotic treatment over the next three days. The left side of his body felt numb to the touch while in the hospital, and, though the symptoms improved, his pain still held at a 7 of 10 when he returned home.
Fortunately, there were no long-term effects of the ordeal. Still, for Paul it was a nightmare he doesn’t care to experience again. Since being bitten, he learned to recognize a brown recluse spider and takes the time to check his surroundings.
Should professional help be necessary to control these less desirable creatures, pest management on post is handled by Corvias Military Housing for military family housing residents.
For single Soldiers living in dormitories and office workers, Professional Contract Services, Inc., (PCSI) manages pest control.
PCSI also works with preventive medicine personnel from Reynolds Army Health Clinic to survey facilities to determine if spraying is needed or housekeeping alone can control pests. Monitor boards, or sticky traps, may be used for a period of time to assess the prevalence of pests. Surveys are always conducted before any chemical is used.
Spider specifics
The brown recluse is light tan to dark brown in color, and as an adult, about 0.5 inches in length with long, delicate legs. Also known as the fiddleback spider, its main distinguishing feature is a violin-shaped dark marking immediately behind the head.
Recluse spiders prefer warm, dry locations. During the day they usually hide out in quiet, undisturbed locations. In homes, spiders may be found in any room and under furniture.
They may hide in old clothes, shoes, storage boxes, stacks of paper, corners and crevices as well as behind pictures and on the undersides of tables and chairs. This spider also lives outdoors under rocks and bark and is frequently found in barns, storage sheds and garages.
About an hour or two after dark, recluses will leave their hiding places in search of food, however, bites can happen any time day or night. The recluse is not an aggressive spider and normally bites only when pressure is applied to it.
People are often bitten when they put on clothing or shoes where a spider is hiding, when in bed they roll over on a spider or when they clean a storage area that the spider is inhabiting.
When the spider bites, it injects venom into the wound. This venom varies from almost none to a full dose depending on the bite site, the length of time the fangs are in the wound, and the quantity of venom injected.
Individuals react differently to the bite; some people may not be aware of it for two or three hours, while others may have an immediate painful reaction. A stinging sensation is usually followed by intense pain.
Within eight hours, a small puss-filled blister usually rises, and a large area around the bite becomes red and swollen. The victim may become restless and feverish and have difficulty sleeping. The local pain is frequently quite intense, and the skin area surrounding the bite remains red and hard to the touch for some time. The tissue affected locally by the venom is killed and gradually sloughs away, exposing underlying muscle. Skin grafts are often necessary to repair severe damage.
Although deaths by spider bites are rare, consequences range from minor to severe depending on the victim. Healing takes place slowly and may take six to eight weeks. Without prompt medical attention the result of a bite can be a sunken scar ranging from the size of a penny to a half-dollar.
In case of a bite, the victim should see a physician immediately, and, if possible, catch the spider in a pill bottle for identification.
Specific antivenin is not available for treatment. Sticky traps provide the added benefit of being able to see the spider and so identify it. In Oklahoma, only the recluse and black widow are considered dangerous to most people.
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