Brown Recluse in Barn

[YellowHammer]

I wonder about the cedar, or cedar oil, I will check it out.  Maybe an oil trap would work.

Nebraska, I like it!  I'm going to look for a spider rifle, that way I can write it off as a business expense.  Maybe a .0000000030 caliber would make it sporting!   

Here is a photo of a bite I got between my toes a few years ago, it wasn't an oozing wound like you hear about, but the skin and some of the meat right at the bite flaked off later, but no big deal once I got on antibiotics at the Dr.  Office. The black is where the doctor draws an outline and it allows him to see how fast it is progressing.

We get those stinkbugs also, by the bazillion!  Nasty critters.       

 

[doc henderson]

The problem with hunting the Brown recluse is that they are a recluse.  I have seen the pictures, and I see hundreds of these bites each year, and none that I know of went to skin grafting from sloughing of skin (full thickness).  So, the dramatic skin lesions are rare.  Many people come in 15 minutes after a bite, and there is nothing to do.  You use steroids if there are systemic symptoms (fever chills nausea vomiting) and antibiotics if it gets infected (days later).  Usually, a darker red center surrounded by a lighter red/pink area.  They usually hide in old boots and clothing, like out in a barn, as they want little to do with people.  The bit is painless, so you do not even know you are bit.  A black widow is painful at the time of the bite.  I had a 4-year-old patient, and on presentation, the parents had the dead smashed spider, and the child looked sick.  she picked up a tool off the deck and yelled ouch dropping the tool and the grandpa smashed the spider as it tried to run away.  She had to be transferred to the Children's hospital At Wesley in Wichita to the PICU.  She has fever chills, nausea, vomiting, and confusion.

[YellowHammer]

We have some WHOPPER black widows here, but I have never been bit.  They look like they would really put the hurt on a person!
I had a bite on my forehead once, right at my hatband, and you could see the two little itty bitty fang punctures with a magnifier!  That one spread Fast!  I saw the little red spot in the morning and by midafternoon, it had a red spot the size of a quarter and I was at my Dr. office getting an antibiotic shot!  I don't have photo of that one, but that one worried me!  No big deal once treated, it healed up.

Did I mention I am now at war with the spiders!!     

[doc henderson]

the initial redness and spread is the toxin, not infection.  may have been fine without the antibiotic.  but now we will never know.  No harm in covering it.  It aint Rocket Surgery or brain science.  

[barbender]

My gosh Robert, once I got past how ugly that bite is, then I noticed them toes- those are banana peelers right thar!😂

We are pretty light on nasty venomous things up here, part of the trade off of some of those -40° nights🥶😊 

[customsawyer]

I think I would be giving that cedar guys idea a heck of a try.

[YellowHammer]

What do you mean?  I made millions on being a "toe model" on TikTok!  As they say in Alabama, if your toes are straighter than your teeth, then you are a "Looker."

[Raider Bill]

Just got back from the feed store.
Told them of your recluse spider issue.
They said Demon double strength worked for them.

[YellowHammer]

RaiderBill and others, I appreciate the advice, I listen to it, and just ordered a jug of Demon Max, it should be here Monday.

I'm also still looking at all of the other options, too, but the Demon or generic Demon stuff seems to have strong following here in the replies, so it's on its way.

I'm also looking at the other stuff too, including a rifle chambered in 2mm Kolibri, from Austria.  They say it's deadly on Wolf or Tiger spiders, so should be able to handle a recluse if I hit him between all of his 6 eyes.

Believe it or not, I opened my kiln this morning, 15F outside, and a brown recluse was having a spa day right in the weather stripping!  He just stared at me like he owned the place.  He as wrong.  I guess he had found a comfortable spot to balance between freezing cold outside and the hot air in the kiln.  THAT really PO'd me, it's like I can't get away from them.  Let's just say, he's dead now.....      

[doc henderson]

They will not bother you if they can help it.  they tend to find a quiet spot like the sleave of an old, insulated flannel shirt.  all is well till you stick your arm into their home.  I am curious how many new baby spiders are hatched at a time.  so best you got rid of the breading stock.

[YellowHammer]

Plus they carry staff and I have an artificial hip. 

I hate these things, and right now, while the weather is cold and they are sluggish, they are gonna be "Hammered." 

I have moved so much stuff out of the barn and outbuildings in the last few days, to the burn pit, that when I light it, they will see it from the Space Station.   

My not so noticeable OCD personality is now firmly focused on them.  It's going to be either me or them!!!  Thar she blows! Where did I put my harpoon?  It's about to get real!  About like when I found this yellerjacket nest. 

[SawyerTed]

Sounds like the "Yellowhammer of Doom" is about to fall!

Just keep in mind not to let the interval between treatments to go too long!  

BOOM!  

[Brad_bb]

This topic give me the willies!  I've seen a total of 1 Brown Recluce since I've been in IN. and that one I'm pretty sure hitched a ride on some barnwood I brought into the shop.  It was fast running across the floor.  When It stopped, we got a picture, and it took off again.  This time I was faster and squished it.  Haven't seen one since.  Shivvveeerrr!!!

[YellowHammer]

Dang right they are fast!  They are hunter killers, not web spiders.  When the summer comes around, these dormant balls of spider ice I'm causally dealing with turn into track stars.  

[doc henderson]

We all respond to stress differently.  I on the other hand ordered a bag ot 500 palstic spiders of 5 different sized.  

We humans all carry staff as well, so they are prob. saying the same about you in spidy language.  "Don't let It touch you".  I am sure they would step on us if they could.

[YellowHammer]

I certainly respond to poisonous spider infestation stress by killing them.  

Also my bug company responds the same way.  I called and let them know of my worse than expected spider problem, offered to send some pictures, and they were not happy at all, as this looks bad for them since this is one of the buildings they are under paid contract to keep clear.  Apparently, they hate spiders more than I do, being professional exterminators, so they are going send our guy back out, for a spider treatment, not sure what that is.  So now the Pros are getting more involved.     

I don't think spiders can talk, but if they can, they better be telling each other to pack their bands and leave.  

[Peter Drouin]

So are they in where you sell the wood to customers and in your home?

[jb616]

I don't know what kind of spider it was (probably not a recluse here in Michigan) but my neighbor was over and stepped on it and a thousand baby spiders took off when it was squished.  FREAKY...he was stomping them like he was doing a two step...

[YellowHammer]

We have 4 buildings under exterminator contract, and it isn't cheap.  Our "complex" is in the middle of nowhere, and the entire biomass of bugs and critters and birds from all the neighboring hundreds of acres of woods and fields are always pushing to come inside where its warm and comfortable. 

Oddly enough, each building has its own problems, based on how it is used:

The house is pretty much spider free, but field mice are a problem.  We are on a crawlspace and the bug guy, besides spraying, fumigates the crawlspace and that pretty much kills any spiders we have under there or staging to get into the house.  They put out lots of mice bait stations and we have three cats so the house is pretty clear.   

The building where we sell the wood, our showroom, is a real priority, and we keep it "eat off the floor" clean, because it's good business to have a clean showroom, and because our insurance company has warned us of customers getting bit or stung and suing us if we didn't have it under professional contract and kept clean.  For some reason, despite the exterminators, mice and scorpions are the major problem in here.  Martha got a nasty scorpion sting last year in our showroom, it messed her up for a couple days, put her on the couch, and the exterminators came out and did a specific "Scorpion Treatment" and sure enough, we found quite a few dead scorpions on the floor where their pesticide was driving them out of the wood stacks and killing them.  A few live ones too.  Customers do NOT like seeing live scorpions in wood they are buying.  However, right now they seem to be under control.  We also have a bird problem because of the high inside roof, and the birds love to build nests in the upper wall corners or on top of the lights, which have to be cleared out so they don't poop on our customers.  Black widows and fire ants are the main problem on the outside of this building, the last time the bug guy sprayed it, I walked with him and he found 4 different widow nests where the metal siding meets the ground.

The two story shop and barn is the one we always have the most trouble with, which I don't understand because there is no food there and we use it every day.  Spiders and mice are real bad.  I can't tell you how many times I've turned on a tool only to have mice pieces and blood fly out, despite lots of bait, and lots of traps.  This is an old barn that has been fixed up, but still has lots of crooks and crannies.  We store lots of our business supplies in the second story, so has lots of cardboard boxes stacked against the wall.  It's organized, but is a spider haven.  Oddly enough, there are no black widows in this building, maybe the brown recluse kill them?  However, this year, the brown recluse problem has been worse than I've ever seen, despite the efforts and money to make it better.  I'm not sure why.  Maybe as we install sealed plastic storage bins and metal shelving, and are removing their habitat, they are concentrating their population on the stuff that is left.  So the cleaner I get it, the more I see them?   

Our bug company is pretty good and pretty reactive due to the size of our contract, but they have told me more than once how hard it is to get rid of a brown recluse infestation, and I always kind of just rolled with it.  Not this time.  My phone call to them yesterday pretty much got them stirred up so now the calvary is coming as well as me full tilt.  The current situation is not acceptable. 

Oh, by the way, when customers see the occasional mouse running across the floor, they laugh and I get embarrassed.  When they see a scorpion scurrying across the floor, they do NOT laugh.             

[TroyC]

I on the other hand ordered a bag ot 500 palstic spiders of 5 different sized.  

Getting ready for the next ProJect Doc? I can almost see Yellowhammer dancing around trying to squish them. Maybe stick a couple on Jake's Woodmizer during the next quartersawing demo.

Anyway, save a couple for the big luncheon......

[beenthere]

Maybe as we install sealed plastic storage bins and metal shelving, and are removing their habitat, they are concentrating their population on the stuff that is left.

That was a thought I had too when hearing about the "cardboard" being related to the recluse spider problem. Sounds a bit expensive and more work, but should help the problem.  Maybe at some point in time, you can leave a cardboard box as a decoy to attract the remaining spiders, and have a "burning" good time with it.

[21incher]

Have you tried a sprayer with apple cider vinegar.  I understand that kills many types of spiders if it contacts them 100% organically. 

[SawyerTed]

Especially 30% vinegar!   But the residual effect is short with vinegar.   

[Brad_bb]

Wolf spiders and the various large but harmless garden spyders I've never had an issue with (unless they are crawling on me, especially my head or neck).

[YellowHammer]

I haven't tried vinegar, but have tried peppermint oil and that didn't do much.  I'm hoping the Demon does good, I'll have a pump up sprayer ready to go, and keep the floors wet with it, as soon as it comes in.  

I like the idea of a cardboard bait trap, kind of like a spider crab trap, I could put it over a glue board and maybe keep the dust off and the sticky working.  I wonder if they sell those.  

I don't worry about the outdoor spiders either.  We get some of the big wolfs and especially lawn spiders but I don't worry much about them, other than to stomp them flat if I see them inside the house.  They always seem to be late for something, always walking with a purpose, and I figure I'll let them do their thing.  I've never had a problem with them.

I once was telling my Dad how many black widows we had on the farm, and he didn't believe me.  Here in North Alabama, they are extremely common, every single below ground water shutoff box has one in it, as well as any unused hole in the ground or piece of pipe on the ground, or most times, under the bottom of any mailbox, or even sometimes lawn furniture.  However, they are huge and very easy to spot and their webs are even easier to recognize.  The Delta Dust is their kryptonite and just a slight dusting on their web and they are dead by the next day.  Every child in these parts learns spider web identification and how to recognize widow nests as soon as possible.  

The problem with recluse spider is that don't have a web to give them away or for them to retreat to so I can't anticipate them and Delta Dust does not work on them. Most times, especially during the summer when they are real active, you have no idea they are there, just randomly lift something up or open a tool box drawer, and there they are, bowed up and ready.  Rarely do they retreat in a predictable fashion.