Danger in the woodpile.

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
Status
Not open for further replies.
B

Burning Questions

New Member
Dec 6, 2011
19
Southwest MO
This morning I went out to bring in some wood from the woodpile. As I was rebuilding the fire, a spider climbed up over the log I had just placed in the fireplace. On closer inspection, it was a Brown Recluse. I had brought the wood inside in a large plastic tote, and inside it were 5 more live ones and a bunch of dead ones. Fortunately they were all extremely sluggish and slow moving due to the cold.

Having been bitten by one several years ago, it is NOT an experience I want to repeat.
 
In the fireplace is a wonderful place to keep them! Welcome to the forum.
 
I had one climbimg up my leg yesterday when we were putting up snow fence in a freshly cut corn field. Made me jump then he jumped.
 
A guy I know got bit by one of those once. Did a nasty job on him. He actually looked it up after a Nurse Practitioner told him it was just a spider bite and he would be okay. Needless to say, he went somewhere else the next time. :)
 
Well you can keep them bloody things around your neck of the woods. I'm not scared of nuthin, but you get a spider around me, and I'd jump in the damn stove. :-/
 
Backwoods said:
Well you can keep them bloody things around your neck of the woods. I'm not scared of nuthin, but you get a spider around me, and I'd jump in the damn stove. :-/
Click to expand...

LOL, yes indeed, no offense, but keep'em down south. We got some monster sized spider up here that I believe are some kind of wolf spider. Saw one on my wood pile a few years ago. Including the legs, it was probably almost 6" in diameter ! Spiders don't generally bother me, but that one did. That thing was creepy, and when I went to smack it it disappeared in a flash. I ususally see 2-3 a year and kill every damn one of them if I can. They can cause a painful bite, but nothing to worry about unless your allergic to the venom.

Supposedly there are brown recluse spiders in Michigan, but I've never heard of any in the U.P. ?
 
Backwoods said:
I'm not scared of nuthin, but you get a spider around me, and I'd jump in the damn stove. :-/
Click to expand...

I think being scared of spiders is something! :lol:

My wife spent a good part of her life in Kentucky and they were pretty normal to deal with. Her mom had one bite her(was treated promptly) and she knows many folks "from the hills" that had major issues from their bites. A couple Christmases ago her brother caught one in his barn on a hay bail he was reaching for, it was cold and slow so he "caught" it for us. My wife was very "excited" when he "surprised" her with it in a jar with no lid! :lol: "It's cold and she's moving slow you don't need a lid!" :)
 
Oh, we got spiders up here, no recluses, but those big wolf spiders like the previous post, get close to the 5" radius. Probably a couple get into the house, in the middle of the night in the bathroom. When you go to kill them, you have to stratagize. :roll:
 
I actually generally like spiders. Strange I know, especially for a woman, but I think happily of all the mosquitoes and biting flies they eat. Recluses are another matter though. Three years ago I was cleaning out a pile of siding out in the shed. I left the job to go get the mail and and I felt a burn on my right shoulder blade. I reached up and swatted it through my shirt, but it was too late. Despite prompt medical treatment I also ended up with a dime sized dead area. At the worst I had redness and swelling in area extending from my right ear down to my waist. Sick and draggy for a couple of weeks too. They are nothing to mess with, I smash them on sight.
 
Backwoods said:
Oh, we got spiders up here, no recluses, but those big wolf spiders like the previous post, get close to the 5" radius. Probably a couple get into the house, in the middle of the night in the bathroom. When you go to kill them, you have to stratagize. :roll:
Click to expand...

Yikes, if those things are getting into your house you got some serious weatherproofing to do. My wife would have a heart attack if she found one of those in the house.....and so would I probably !

When I kill one it actually "crunches" like they have bones ! They are big enough to take small mammals, frogs and even small birds I guess !
 
we have the Hobo spiders out here. they are aggresive - they actually come at you. i keep the wood away from the house and bring it around once a week or so. always wear gloves and clean the wood before bringing it around. they make a crunch sound when smacked too, but the chickens love to eat them!
 
How do you treat a bite from a brown recluse? I guess we all have our share of pests, we have a tick problem up here this year but no brown recluses.
 
Brown recluse :bug:
We have several types here, some say they've seen Brown recluse here but no definite proven reports.
Hopefully it stays that way.
No snakes either, that is even better ;)
 

Attachments

  • brown+recluse+spider+treatment.jpg
    brown+recluse+spider+treatment.jpg
    4.1 KB · Views: 1,170
Ive seen brown recluse spiders, and black widows inside my house. i leave em alone and they never bother me.
 
weatherguy said:
How do you treat a bite from a brown recluse? I guess we all have our share of pests, we have a tick problem up here this year but no brown recluses.
Click to expand...

Hospital. The bite turns necrotic real quick and starts killing tissue.
 
we see them on occasion
mostly dead
the cats like to "play" with them
I just let them be
like was mentioned
they kill bugs
 
Backwoods said:
Oh, we got spiders up here, no recluses, but those big wolf spiders like the previous post, get close to the 5" radius. Probably a couple get into the house, in the middle of the night in the bathroom. When you go to kill them, you have to stratagize. :roll:
Click to expand...

I was a teenage when one surprised me in my father's workshop. Had a hammer in my hand when I moved something and revealed him. Gut reaction took over and next thing you know there's a hole in the drywall with these two long legs sticking out from it. Normally I would have fixed it right then but for some reason I decided to show my father. He took one look and said something to the effect of, "Hammer, good choice. Get rid of the legs and I'll patch the hole." Come to find out he had done pretty much the same thing a few weeks earlier.

Ya'll can keep your necrotizing, flesh eating, zombie spiders, thank you.
 
Backwoods said:
Oh, we got spiders up here, no recluses, but those big wolf spiders like the previous post, get close to the 5" radius. Probably a couple get into the house, in the middle of the night in the bathroom. When you go to kill them, you have to stratagize. :roll:
Click to expand...

Not sure where you're at in Eastern Pa, I am near Pottsville. I had a good friend get bitten over the summer by a brown recluse. So yes, they are here.
 
Brown recluse can be found in cold climate states, but only if they are brought in during the summer which does happen. They cannot survive the winters. Occasionally, you might have a breeding population survive in an abandoned basement that is warm enough for them.

So, it is possible to find a brown recluse in Michigan, Alaska, etc., but it is very, very rare.
 
I'm originally from MI. I honestly thought our winters here in MO would be too cold for them as well. Last winter we had a couple of nights that dipped to -10. I had hopes it might kill them off. Apparently not. :-S
 
About the worse thing I find in my woodpile are splinters.
 
bluedogz said:
weatherguy said:
How do you treat a bite from a brown recluse? I guess we all have our share of pests, we have a tick problem up here this year but no brown recluses.
Click to expand...

Hospital. The bite turns necrotic real quick and starts killing tissue.
Click to expand...

Almost like when I ask my wife what shes watching and she says a movie ;-P

What treatment does the hospital administer?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

30WCF
Key Damper Theory
Replies
44
Views
2K
The Hearth Room - Wood Stoves and Fireplaces
T-Rav
T-Rav
Blazzinghot
Avalon 996 Project
Replies
2
Views
674
Classic Wood Stove Forums (prior to approx. 1993)
Blazzinghot
Blazzinghot
A
Wood Stove lack of comparison / operational demos
Replies
9
Views
858
The Hearth Room - Wood Stoves and Fireplaces
EbS-P
EbS-P
F
Wood Stove Chimney Fire?
Replies
24
Views
2K
The Hearth Room - Wood Stoves and Fireplaces
bholler
B
D
Chimney Fires White Paper - Read This!
Replies
14
Views
2K
The Hearth Room - Wood Stoves and Fireplaces
begreen
begreen
Top Bottom
Back