Experts: Poisonous Brown Widow Spider invades Louisiana
Pastor Dale Morgan
May 9, 5:21 PM EDT
*Experts: Poisonous Brown Widow Spider invades Louisiana*
NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Louisiana bug experts say the poisonous brown widow
spider, a cousin to the well-known black widow, is increasingly being
spotted in Louisiana.
The spiders are generally found in tropical areas but were reported
along the Mississippi Gulf Coast last year.
Entomologists with the Louisiana State University AgCenter say the
spiders likely migrated from Florida through commercial imports of
plants, food, building materials, or furniture.
LSU entomologist Dennis Ring is advising Louisiana residents to wear
gloves, long-sleeved shirts and long pants when working outdoors,
especially in areas that don't get a lot of human activity.
Though less aggressive than the black widow, "its venom is more toxic
than the black widow's," Ring said. "But it doesn't put out as much
venom in its bite."
Ring says the brown widow can grow to 1 1/2 inches long. It is brown or
grayish-brown instead of black and has a yellow-to-orange hourglass
design on its underside, as opposed to the familiar red hourglass design
on the black widow.
It also has black and white marks on the top of the abdomen and often
has dark bands on its legs, he said.
Ring says the spiders are most often found in areas that haven't been
disturbed, such as brush piles, wood piles and areas where hurricane
debris has accumulated. They also can show up in crawl spaces, under
chairs, in garbage can handles and under flower pots, eaves and porch
railings, he said.
According to the Florida Dept. of Agriculture Web site, the most common
symptoms of a widow spider bite are intense pain, rigid abdominal
muscles, muscle cramping, malaise, sweating, nausea and high blood
pressure. If untreated, symptoms usually last 3-5 days.