If you’re like most people, spiders creep you out. The good news is that spider bites are rarely fatal. Around 2 Americans die each year from Black Widow bites, though another 5,000 Americans are treated for spider bites in general. ON the whole, spiders are fall less dangerous to children than bees.
Two common types of poisonous spiders in the U.S.
There are two main species of poisonous spiders in the U.S. that can pose a significant threat to humans:
A Black Widow:
Picture courtesy from animalyou.blogspot.com
A Brown Recluse:
Picture courtesy Tatt0o pictures; tattoopics.com
Signs that the child was bitten by a black widow spider:
- Deep purple or blue area around the bite, surrounded by a whitish ring and a larger outer red ring
- Swelling or redness around the bite
- Joint stiffness or pain
- Muscle spasms, tightness, and stiffness
- Body rash
- Fever and/or headache
- Abdominal pain
- Pink or reddish urine
- General feeling of sickness or a lack of appetite.
What are the signs of a Brown Recluse Spider Bite?
Symptoms of a brown recluse spider bite can include:
- Severe pain at the site of the bite
- Swelling at the bite site
- Itching
- Muscle and joint pain, coupled with weakness
- Nausea, vomiting, and fever
Unfortunately, there is no diagnostic test to identify a brown recluse bite. Yet if you think your child may have been bitten, you should seek medical help for them immediately. Though not usually fatal, spider bites can cause severe problems by inflaming tissue and causing airways to swell shut or leading to other serious complications. Permanent loss to muscle structure or tissue is also possible. So get your child to a medical facility as soon as you can.
Are Daddy Long Leg spiders dangerous?
There is a widely held myth going around that Daddy Long legs are the most venomous spider in the world but that they aren’t dangerous because they lack the ability to pierce human skin with their fangs. This is nonsense. Daddy Long Legs are technically not even a spider. Their bite can pierce the skin. (though they rarely bite and you probably wouldn’t feel it) and they are certainly not highly venomous.