I have already killed a very tiny spider crawling on my newborn baby (flea sized), I have killed a few more that size around the apartment. I don't see anymore, but I was bitten, and it was charicterstic for a minor brown recluse bite!!!! I searched online and found several photos of minor bites that matched mine. I'm not sure what else could cause that. I got a welt on my arm where bitten. I had a minor welt that was 4" across and swollen and lasteed for days. While the center is not ugly loolking, it is blistered and not very nce looking Typical insect bite welt, but this is a very bad welt that has raidiated.
THe welt was 3-4 nchesaround. Right now, it hurts/ithces. but much beter than before.
.........

how do you kill brown recluses if they have a nest in your apartment?

You need to verify if spider bite is indeed a brown recluse -- @ pediatrician.
The welt you describe doesn't sound like a typical house spider bite either! Brown Recluse spider venom is very toxic to soft-tissue and can cause tissue destruction -- skeletal muscles! If you can catch'/ kill some of these critters, bring them to someone how can I.D. them. Call your Apartment Mgr and get that place sprayed throughly -- including the closets!

The bite can be potentially dangerous. Did you kill the spider that bit you? If you still have it, take with you to the doctor.

It is kind of strange to just see them around your apartment....afterall, they are called recluse for a reason. They prefer to hide in undisturbed areas, and don't usually bite unless provoked.

This page has some good info: (top link in Google, so you might have seen it)
http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2061.html

We have actually seen a few (one was actually craling on the baby) but havent seen any in a few days. They were very tiny (sustantially smaller than a brown recluse normally is. We havent seen any for a few days so I'm guessing that it was a newly born litter (or whatever you would call it) and they were roaming to find a home. I know they tend to hide and stay away from humans, but the fact that they are even around really scares me with a new baby in the house (accidents do happen and a bite from an adult spider could kill a newborn). The spiders were too small to identify (I know what a brown recluse looks like). I really dont know what else it could be. The only posonious insects around here are the black widow, the borwn recluse, and scorpions. I cannot imagine not noticeing a scorpion hanging around plus the sting would have to be worse than that. the black widow's poison is a neurtoxin and doesn't cause severe localized inflamation like that. the wound is actually getting beter (not black rot, just redness and the surounding red is going away) but it looked like pictures I saw online of more minor brown recluse bites. I can only assume that those little baby spiders had so little venom that it was only a mild reaction????
Our old landlord/lease said that pest control was the tenants responsibility but our building got sold so maybe the new landlord will spray. If not I guess that I will have to pay for it myself (I don't want to risk it with the baby). My only reservation is that I really don't like spraying poisons allover the house unless absolutlly nessasary. If the poison is one that can become airborn, it could be bad for the baby too????
Fyi I did kill the one that bit me and a few more but they were about 1/4 the size of a grain of rice (I wouldn't have even thought brown recluse if it were not for my bite).

hey ripit: any questions with regards to the baby i would take to dr. not worth risk.

when i was in basic training in MO. there was a guy who got bit when we were on bivouc (spelling) and he lost a chunk of butt muscle the size of a grapefruit. they had to rebuild it with muscles taken out of his calf. don't let them get bigger and do damage go to the DR and have the house spider bombed.

not worth taking any chances!

maybe just an allergic reaction to a house spider bite???? i would get to the DR asap.

Definitely go to the doctor. Baby one or not, that is not the sort of thing to just let go. Tissue damage is NOT something that is easily repaired and could be permanent.

Yea I guess I beter get it looked at.

Hi,
I live in Northern California and have had problems with spiders and spider bites in several homes. I have used Ortho's Home Defense and it works great. I use a "nuclear" method. I spray around the house on the outside and every room in the house over the course of 2 hours. The spiders disappear as do ants.

I would immediately spray every room in your apartment.

It would bbe great if you can spray the areas outside your apartment as the spiders may be infested at your neighbors as well. However, I realize that you have limited control in an apartment building, . Make an inquiry to your neighbors to see if they have the problem, you can join forces with them in confronting the apartment management. Next, I would take photographs of your baby and the spiders and get in touch with your apartment manager and show him the evidence of the spiders. Your neighbors should accompany you at this meeting. If he refuses to do anything about them, escalate it to your local health officials.

I'm not sure if this affects spiders, but I've seen plug in (ultrasonic) pest repellants. Maybe that would be a good long term plan of action.

Those do not work at all. The only way is to spray. I find it hard to believe the apartment complex management doesn't have scheduled pest control. I've found Ortho home defense works really well. Spray inside and outside all doors and windows. Spray a barrier around patios where any dirt/grass starts. On the outside spray along all the walls and cracks. Then on the inside I usually spray along walls that face the outside. The home defense stuff kills just about everything. It is odorless and doesn't stain walls.

Our old landlord said that pest contol was the tennants responsibility but our building was recently sold. I think that I might talk to the new land lord and see what he says.

Go get yourself of couple of boxes of the insect foggers. Set them up as directed, leave the house for 4 hours, come home, open windows and doors, wait an hour, and that's it. Everything in the house dies... Run your furnace fan while doing it, and it circulates everywhere in the house. I live on an acre, and I do my house at least once a year due to black widows. Now it is very rare to see any insects in the house. The foggers aren't that expensive. It costs me about $18.00 to do a 2400sq ft house.

This may also be somehting that the landlord actualy IS responsible for acording to state law. Just because the landlord stipulates something in the lease does NOT mean it's legaly binding in any way shape or form. Because it is very difficult if not impossible for a tenant to properly fumigate or otherwise exterminate nusance pests, or in your case, a pest that threatens the lives of the tenants, MOST states have statutes that FORCE owners of multi-unit dwellings to take responsibility for the erradication of these pests as many of them can be a serious health risk. Personaly, I'd approach the landlord first, in a friendly manor of course, but if you get no satisfaction there, I'd contact your local Department of Heath, and ask about this extremely dangerous infestation.

I'm interested toi hear how you make out. I hope you and your family remain safe and unharmed in the interum.

JD

There is no way I would spray my house with a young child in it, unless I was SURE I had brown recluse problems. I know what its like to have a newborn - and parinoia is a natural condition. I would just clean - clean - clean. Vacumm, wipe down the crib (including bottom) and walls, wash the linen, and blankets. Then vacuum more. Hell, if it comes to it, move all the furniture out of the room, and make a clean room out of it. Just stay away from the poisons. You have no idea what they will do to a newborn, as they are not tested on newborns. Do some internet research, and you will turn white.

In all likelyhood, you had an alegic reaction to the bite.

The bug bombs are very safe..

I've tried some of these. They seemed to reduce the amount of spider webs I found in the area where they were used, but didn't totally eliminate the spiders. Of course, different brands/models may vary. Spiders are the only insect/bug they seemed to have any effect on.

OK! But the question i gots to ask.........Will this give me a good deal on Media or not?

Actually this was meant to be posted in the lounge, not the bargain basment (oops) but in answer to your question, yes iit will give you a good deal on media.

So how is the bite doing..... Have you gotten some bug bombs yet....

The bite is doing pretty well. It has been about a week since I got bit and nothing has turned black or rotted out. the large area of swollen reddness is gone but the whole are still itches. Thier is a red mark about 1/4 inch and some a bunch of tiny red splotches in an area about 1.5 inches across but not bad, mostly just discoloration. I think I got lucky.
As far as bug bombs, I have been thinking about that and I'm a little hesitiant about bombing the whole apartment because it will get all over the babys stuff and I don't really want to expose him. I dont want to leave it alone either but I'm thinking spraying would be a beter idea as the poison would only be in ressed areas that get sprayed that the baby would be less liklly to come into contact with. I'm thinking it won't do any good to do it myself as thats not going to kill anything in other apartments and they could just come back. The new landlord has been spraying to get rid of the ant problem that we have had for a while so I want to find out if that poison works on spiders and or talk to him about the spider problem. I havent seen any more spiders so maybe the and poison killed them? In all honesty though I have been really busy and havent really followed through on it (mostly since we havent seen anymore so it didn't seem like an imediate threat).

Hi There,
If your house is carpeted, use 'Boric Acid'...usually sold as Roach powder (check the label ingredients). Get a big container of the stuff, and then, sprinkle it all over your carpet - everywhere you can. You can find big bottles of Boric Acid in places like "Home Depot", or "Lowes Hardware". Don't skimp on the amount you use. Once you've spread it all over your carpets, LEAVE IT for a few days... and walk on it. Allow it to work it's way down deep into your carpet. Then, vacuum up the excess.
This stuff will kill any insect which comes in contact with it, and is especially effective for problems with fleas. If you apply it the way I recommend, it will keep working for a year or two. And, it is relatively safe around pets and people. It's just deadly to insects. I learned this trick when I cleaned Homes for a number of years. In my case, I had a flea problem which was really being a bitch...I sprayed the floors and bathed my cat once a week in an attempt to get the problem under control, only to have the little monsters make a come-back! But after using the Boric Acid on the carpets, the flea problem was completely gone, and it stayed that way for nearly 3 years...probably because the Boric Acid remained deep in the carpets; exactly where those little blood suckers would go to hide.
Hope this helps! J.T.

I already have boric acid under the frige, under drawers, back of cabnets, at the edges of carpets etc. plus baits laced with boric acid (used the baits for ants). I guess that it wouldn't hurt to do the carpets (I still have some more boric acid around somewhere). I did find an adult spider (it was right in the middle of the bathroom floor, dead). I guess it must have gotten into the boric acid. It's good to know that it works on spiders, so my apartment is already somewhat protected. It was a wolf spider (I always thought that they were the same as a brown recluse but I guess not). If that is what bit me, maybe I just had a reaction to it as it is not suposed to cause a severe reaction like a brown recluse. I'll have to see if any more show up.