Clinton Residents Meet With Spider Expert About Growing Recluse Problem

After one of the driest Mays on record, more Brown Recluse spiders are moving into homes in Clinton.

So a spider expert met with residents Tuesday night to teach them about the poisonous spider.

Women brought in their traps full of brown spiders, asking the expert whether they were the brown recluses they've heard so much about.

"Most people can identify the spider by the fiddle shape on its back," said Dr. Jim Soloman, an entomologist.

Dr. Soloman positively identified the spiders to the woman, making them more concerned.

Then the lights went down and pictures of the creepy crawlers were splashed onto the wall.

The goal? To make all in attendance more aware.

"I understand they're dangerous," said Susan Vermeulen. "And I don't really know what they look like."

Dr. Soloman described the look of the spider and also gave suggestions for how to keep them out of your home.

An extremely dry May means more are coming indoors looking for damp, dark places to hide.

"They're doing what a spider does," said Robert Reed, "And we need to be careful so we don't get bit."

Reed's wife learned the hard way. He said she is fine now, but her getting bit was an unpleasant experience to say the least.

"It was a very long and painful recovery process," said Reed.

"We're going to talk about the symptoms and diagnosing the spider bite," said Dr. Soloman.

Learning what to look for is only half the problem, since it's easy to get bit and not notice an immediate reaction.

If left untreated, tissue around the bite can die, also known as necrosis.

"If a person is very sensitive and the spider is a big spider and injects a lot of venom," said Dr. Soloman, "You can get some pretty disastrous results."

Residents said they noticed an increase in bites and wanted to do something about it.

To become informed yourself follow the link for more information on the Brown Recluse Spider:
Venomous Spiders