How to Identify and Treat Recluse (Fiddleback) Spider Bites

Recluse spider bites are rarely fatal, but can cause great discomfort and crater-like scars at the site of the bite. If you are bitten while in the wilderness, evacuation is recommended for proper treatment. Here are a few steps to help you treat a spider bite.

Things You'll Need

• Compression Bandages
• Ibuprofen
• Cold Compresses
• Antibiotic Ointment
• Gauze Pads

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Instructions

• 1

  Learn to recognize fiddleback spiders, which get their name from a violin-shaped mark on the back of their heads. Their bodies are a little more than 1cm in length, and their legs reach to about 5cm.

• 2

  Exercise caution when stepping or reaching into places where fiddleback spiders are likely to be: in hot, dry, unoccupied environments like dried logs, wood piles, or abandoned buildings.

• 3

  Look for the signs and symptoms of a fiddleback spider bite: pain at the site of the bite within a few hours, a blister at the site of the bite which will often grow in size and rupture and occasional nausea, vomiting, fever or chills.

• 4

  Clean the bite with an antiseptic cleanser (See "How to Clean a Wound").

• 5

  Apply an ice pack to the site of the bite.

• 6

  Monitor the bite area, if a blister forms and then pops, carefully clean and dress the wound to prevent infection (See "How to Clean a Wound" and "How to Bandage a Wound").

• 7

  Administer pain killers to provide some relief of the symptoms.

• 8

  Evacuate immediately so the injured person may be treated in a hospital to minimize tissue damage.