House spider bites

Encountering a house spider is not a scary situation unless you are allergic to their bites. Spiders are not attackers by nature especially not to humans. They prefer to run and hide from our presence and hunt when we are not around. This species of spiders look scary but they are generally harmless with an exception of a few like the black widow spider and brown recluse.

A typical house spider doesn’t have the fangs to even break your skin let alone the venom to cause you harm. Unfortunately, encounters with the brown recluse and black widows have given all house spiders a bad reputation and a larger than life, nefarious status. These two are the only common spiders that have potent venom that can trigger life threatening symptoms in human beings and animals. But even then their bite only becomes deadly if you have an allergic reaction to the venom that sends you into an anaphylactic shock.

Characteristics of house spider bites

Regardless of the species house spider bites tend to look the same. They will appear as tiny bumps on the skin which are red, painful and itchy. But that is as bad as it gets for a majority of the population. For people with allergic reactions to insect bites and stings there may be more intense symptoms like breaking out in hives, trouble breathing, elevated blood pressure and swelling of the parts of the body like the lips, eyelids and even the tongue.

When the brown recluse spider bites you may feel a quick sting which may feel pronounced over the next few hours as the area begins to swell and itch. The bite forms a small white blister in the center that when sometimes forms an open sore. Do not be surprised to see the skin turn blue or purple in the subsequent days especially if you have sensitive skin. You may also get some chills and a rash following the bite.

In the case of a black widow’s bite you will feel the prick as the spider bites you but within minutes to an hour you will begin to feel pain with some of it spreading into the affected limb and even to other muscles in the body. You may sweat profusely and experience stiffness in your muscles and stomach cramps as well. The bite site will continue to become red and swollen and also painful to touch.

In case of anaphylactic shock it is crucial to go the hospital emergency immediately. Some people already know that they are allergic to these bites but the majority don’t. if you begin to experience symptoms like vomiting and nausea or blurred vision, dash to the ER and seek medical attention.