Brown Recluse Spiders: Rare Here, Often Misidentified

Brown Recluse Spiders

Is the brown spider in my closet a brown recluse? In southern Virginia and northern North Carolina, probably not. The brown recluse is established in the central and southern Midwest and the lower Mississippi valley. Our region sits at the edge of its range or beyond it, and confirmed specimens here are rare. What is common is a brown spider that looks a little like one, and a homeowner who has read enough online to be worried.

Here is what a true recluse looks like. It is small, with a body about a quarter to a half inch long and a leg span roughly the size of a quarter. It is a uniform tan to dull brown with no stripes, bands or spots on the legs or abdomen. The one marking is a slightly darker violin shape on the back of the front body segment, with the neck of the violin pointing toward the rear. The most reliable feature is the eyes. A recluse has six eyes arranged in three pairs in a half circle. Nearly every other spider you will meet has eight. You need a magnifying glass to check, but it settles the question.

The usual lookalikes here are wolf spiders, which are larger, hairier and striped; grass spiders, which have striped bodies and long spinnerets at the rear; cellar spiders, which have far longer legs; and sac spiders, which are pale yellow and are the most likely source of a small, mildly irritating bite inside a house. None of these has the violin marking combined with plain legs and six eyes.

A recluse bite can cause a slow healing sore, which is why the spider has a reputation. It is also why a great many skin conditions get blamed on it. Bacterial infections, other insect bites and several skin disorders produce sores that look similar. If you have a sore that concerns you, see a doctor about the sore. If you have a spider, capture it in a container and we will identify it. The two questions are answered separately.

If a recluse is confirmed, the approach is the same careful work used for other spiders that live indoors: an inspection to find the harborage in closets, boxes, attics and stored clothing, direct treatment of those points, and attention to the insects the spider feeds on. Since the spider is reclusive by nature, reducing clutter and shaking out stored items does as much as any product. In practice, most of these calls end with the reassurance that what you have is a harmless native spider.