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Volume 13
Number 36 | 50¢
September 3, 2014
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Jump! Scream! Throw things! Run for your life! Spiders. Nature’s way of making the bravest folk shriek ear-piercing screams and turning the meekest into hardened exterminators demanding that it be killed and killed again with more force than necessary and that the whole family must die. The truth is most spiders are harmless and do not have mouthparts strong enough to penetrate human skin. There is an exception in our northern desert climate the Black Widow... and they are most definitely in abundance in River City. For one person a sighting might not mean much, while a raging arachnophobic might panic and consider breaking out the hairspray and lighter to set it ablaze. Suddenly a newspaper, shoe or broom becomes a spider-murdering device. Remain calm. Know your enemy. The Widow has received a bad rap over the years and is most notorious for their bloodthirsty courtship practices. For the most part though, they are shy, sedentary and largely nocturnal, preferring to avoid a conflict. Female Black Widows are longlegged, shiny, coal-black spiders about 3.8 cm (1.5 in.) long, but may be smaller. They are identified by a red, orange or yellow hourglass-shaped marking on their underside, and often hang belly up. They are not exactly great web designers and generally have a messy web in an out of the way location, with a lower net where she will store her wrapped prey for later. They live in a variety of natural habitats but are frequently found in low-lying webs around man-made structures such as garages, lawn furniture, barbecue grills, around swimming pools, in irrigation boxes and woodpiles. Typically they are not aggressive but will bite defensively when their webs are disturbed. Then they become ninjas. Not much is faster than a Black Widow in flight. So, what should you do if a Black Widow spider bites you? One of the first things to consider is if you actually saw the spider attack. Many conditions of the skin produce the same symptoms
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as a spider bite. Retrieving the spider for identification can be helpful to health care practitioners. If this isn’t possible, you should be prepared to positively identify, describe or photograph the spider to confirm its type. Thought you were scared before? Wait until you lose sight of it. Out of sight, out of mind! Some people have said the bite feels like a pinprick while others don’t even realize that they have been bitten. Double fang marks may be seen at the location of the bite and swelling and redness may occur. Wash the site of the spider bite well with soap and water and apply ice to the area. Use acetaminophen or ibuprofen to relieve symptoms. Medical treatment is required if severe symptoms appear within 30 to 60 minutes. These include muscle cramps and spasms, chills, fever, nausea or vomiting, sweating, severe belly, back, or chest pain, headache and shock. While rare, fatal bites have occurred and are more common in children, so bites to babies and children are more serious and require prompt emergency medical care. Medicine (antivenom) is available but is generally only used if you have trouble breathing or high blood pressure or you are pregnant. While Black Widows should be treated with respect, they are not going to chase you or hunt you down while you sleep. For those in a serious panic and looking for help with handling Black Widow spiders Echo staffers are in their home, you could call amongst those a pest control company and who have spotted let them sort it out for you. the little death They will even clean up the monsters recently body. Poor Black Widows are such misunderstood creatures. They want us to become more sympathetic in the knowledge that they have families too. Little baby Black Widows. Shudder. Jody Tippett
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