There are a number of species of spiders often mistaken for brown recluse in Colorado and while one or two confirmed specimens have been collected, “incidence of these spiders in Colorado is (clearly) incidental, resulting from occasional transfers coming from chronically infested areas of the country. Worry not, however, because while occasionally it is transported out of its normal range, it rarely survives and establishes outside the area. – Loxosceles reclusa – occurs in many of the midwestern and south central states, and can be very common in and around homes in eastern Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and parts of Texas. However, the best known of the recluse spiders found in the U.S. Most species of brown recluse spiders in the United States stick to the more southern latitudes along the border with Mexico – in Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, California, and Nevada. Luckily, the brown recluse is extremely rare in Colorado. The ulcerated area that results may take a couple of months to heal and cause permanent scaring. This may progress into an irregular lesion, an inch or two in diameter. However, in a small percentage of cases, a few hours after the bite, a bluish patch may begin to form and develop into a blister. And depending on the amount of venom introduced there may be no further impact to a victim after this bite. The initial bite may be felt as a small pinprick, or not noticed at all. Unlike the neurotoxin effects seen in widow spider bites, the venom of a brown recluse causes tissue death. They are sometimes referred to as a fiddleback spider due to a violin shaped marking on their abdomen. The second truly dangerous spider found in Colorado is the brown recluse. It can also be beneficial to control other insects on your property, such as cockroaches, in order to remove a food source for the widows and prevent them from becoming abundant around your home. Alternatively, insecticides can be used to control the spiders and prevent them from entering your home. If found, they can most effectively be controlled by destroying and crushing the web and the spider. They may also be more likely to bite if the female is defending an egg sack in her web. That said, western widow spiders will rarely if ever, bite when not within their web. There’s a fantastic article on the National Geographic Kids website with tons of facts about black widows and more black widow pictures to help you talk to your kids about these spiders and help them learn how to avoid a bad encounter with them. You should also encourage everyone in your family to be able to identify and avoid widow spiders. If you are bitten by a widow spider and may be at risk of developing severe symptoms, seek treatment immediately. While most widow-bite victims recover without serious issues, a bite can be fatal to the elderly and to very small children. The bite of the western widow can produce muscle pain, nausea, and mild paralysis of the diaphragm, making breathing difficult. The western widow spider – the black widow species most commonly found in Colorado – like most of the other 30 widow species of spiders, has a black coloration with a red hourglass pattern on the abdomen. They prefer to build these webs near the ground in dark, undisturbed areas. And they use the combs on their feet to wrap their silk around their prey. Widow spiders prey on other insects by building sticky, irregular, cobwebs. They earned this name because they have a series of hairs on their hind legs that look like tiny combs. All 31 species of widow spiders are members of the family Theridiidae, or comb-footed spiders.
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