I was thrilled to move to Southern Illinois. Poisonous spiders and snakes and evil insects were not on my mind. This was a great new adventure. Clearly, I remember my first day and moving into my own apartment. It was particularly sweet or so I thought that it was May and warm enough that I could take off my shoes and walk in the grass. I made several trips from my car to my apartment in my bare feet.
A few days later when I started my job I asked a co-worker about this rash I had on my ankles. It itched, horribly. She nonchalantly replied, “Oh, it’s just chiggers.” I almost fainted when she described chiggers as microscopic bugs that were burrowing under my skin. When she added that it’s not the chiggers you have to worry about it’s the poisonous spiders, I began to think some not so pleasant thoughts about my new home in Southern Illinois.
The reason I am sharing this story is two-fold. One as a reminder that when you go to an unfamiliar land educate yourself about the area and don’t forget to keep your socks and shoes on until you know it is safe. The second reason is that the above incident lead to a much more serious incident when a spider dropped down in front of me while I was driving and I didn’t know if it was poisonous or not.
Therefore, the remainder of this article will focus on the poisonous spiders of Southern Illinois for those who may be visiting or moving to the area.
There are two poisonous spiders in Southern Illinois. Resources 4 Homeschoolers has an informative page about Illinois and images of the Brown Recluse, Black Widow and of the poisonous snakes of Illinois.
Brown Recluse spiders are found primarily in the Midwestern states and south to the Gulf of Mexico.
Brown Recluse Identification:
For a quick identification of a Brown Recluse spider look for the dark violin shaped marking. The violin marking is well defined and appears as if the neck of the violin is pointing towards the abdomen. Both the male and female are venomous.
Also, Brown Recluse spiders retreat to their webs during the day and hunt at night. Their webs are irregularly shaped, loose, sticky and off-white to gray in color. Their coloration can range from a light tan to a dark brown. They have long, thin brown legs and adults can have a leg span about the size of a quarter.
• Be careful when handling storage boxes and inspect the contents carefully before handling
If bitten by a Brown Recluse what should you do?
Don’t panic. Seek medical attention. Apply an ice pack to minimize swelling and the pain. Collect the spider into a sealed container for identification purposes.
According to U.S. Department of Labor Fact Sheet on Black Widows:
Where are Black Widow Spiders?
Black Widow Spiders are found in primarily the warmer regions of the world. They prefer undisturbed places such as woodpiles, stumps and crawl spaces. Just as for the Brown Recluse, precautions include wearing gloves when working outside and checking undisturbed places before reaching or stepping into them.
Black Widow Spider Identification:
The female Black Widow has a shiny black abdomen with a red hourglass marking on its underside. The color of the hourglass may be orange or yellowish and may be a pronounced hourglass or just a dot.
If Bit by a Black Widow Spider:
Wash the wound with soap and water. Apply an ice pack for swelling and to slow the absorption of the venom. Antibiotic cream may be applied to help prevent an infection. Seek medical attention. Don’t panic. If possible, take the spider with you in a sealed container for identification.
Desert USA has a short video of a Black Widow Spider with an egg sack that is safe to watch and fascinating, too.
While both the Black Widow Spider and the Brown Recluse Spider are venomous and live in Southern Illinois, knowing their habitats and using common sense when working in those places should help minimize the chances of being bitten.
