Homestead mailing list

[Gene GeRue <genegerue AT ruralize.com>]

On Jun 18, 2008, at 11:58 AM, Lynda wrote:

> Gene, as we become more "mature," the liklihood that you will have  
> another
> reaction is quite high since your first reaction was relatively  
> severe.  I'd
> suggest you keep liquid Benedryl on hand.  It works in half the time  
> the
> pills do!  Also, I'd have cotton balls and glycerine on hand.   
> Soaking a
> cotton ball with glycerine and taping it on the bite will help keep  
> the
> venom localized and will draw it out.
>
> Also, *all* spiders have venom.  Just most aren't known for viting  
> humans.
> If the Daddy Longlegs and all those that look like them were to  
> develop a
> mouth in proportion to their size, the human race would have been  
> thinned
> out long ago!  Brown recluse, Hobos and Black widows are no where  
> near as
> venomous as the Daddy Longlegs!

Thanks for the advice on the liquid Benedryl and the glycerine and  
cotton balls.

This spider that bit me is very small. The prosoma or cephalothorax  
(head) and the opisthosoma (abdomen) together only measure about a  
quarter inch, and it may only be that large because I squished it a  
bit getting it into a jar. Seems to have a tiny white spot on the top  
of the opisthosoma.

Amazing that it could have jaws large enough to bite through skin.

Btw, not all spiders have venom. "Spiders of the family Uloboridae do  
not have any poison and put their trust completely on their silken  
thread."

http://www.xs4all.nl/~ednieuw/Spiders/InfoNed/jaws.html