Article By Woods Houghton

It is that time of the year when we pull out winter clothes from storage or
the back of the closet. Make sure you shake them out and invert the sleeves
just in case a critter has taken up residence while it was stored. We have
large diverse populations of spiders in the southwest. Most of which are
beneficial in controlling undesirable insects or are just minding their own
business trying to make a living every day. All spiders are predatory
animals and have mouth parts equipped with hollow fangs and venom glands.

The venom of most spiders is mildly toxic to man causing a rash or red spot.
Unless you are sensitive to this venom protein in which case any bite can be
of concern. However there are three spiders in our valley from which a bit
can be quite serious. Black widow produces a neurotoxin and two species of
brown recluse produce venom that is hemolytic (Flesh killing).

Most people are aware of black widow so I will not go into
detail on them. I do not know who it is in town that is telling people that
we do not have brown recluse spiders, but they are wrong. In 1990 I sent 4
specimens to the USDA laboratory in Beltsville Maryland and three were true
brown recluse and one was an Arizona recluse a close relative to the brown,
the venom is the same only differing in volume so it is purely academic.
The USDA laboratory notes that there are 6 species of Loxosceles in the
southwest.

The recluse spider family can be distinguished from all other
spiders by the following characteristics: The body of the adult is about 9
mm long or a little bigger then a ¼ of an inch almost a 1/3. The leg span
can be 25 mm or about the size of a quarter dollar. They are tan to brown
and there is a distinctive violin-shaped darker marking on the thorax with
the base of the violin being the head, and the neck point to rear. Recluse
has three pairs of eyes on the base of the violin; this can be difficult to
see without magnification. Other spiders have four pairs of eyes.

By nature recluse spiders do not like being out in the open
hence the name recluse. They are found under rocks, scraps of wood etc in
the wild. They also occupy dark places in building in dry habitats, may be
brought in to homes in firewood, boxes that have been in storage or other
items. In their normal habitat they spin a coarse, sticky, irregular web of
very white silk, on which they are normal found in the day time. They
forage at night in search of prey and many people are envenomed (bitten) at
night.

All species of Loxosceles are seriously venomous to humans. In
1979 Dr. Cazier forced a recluse to bite him on the arm and noted the
results, I am not that dictated to science. There are three major components
of the venom and volume for volume, this venom is much more toxic then that
of the most poisonous snakes. The recluse is not an aggressive spider and
most bites have often been suffered when the spider is trapped inadvertently
between the skin and something else like the in the sleeve of a jacket. They may hide in folds of clothes, or bedding, and bite when the clothes are
donned or the bed occupied.

Most victims have been bitten when putting on
clothing in the morning, and the wounds are on the legs or arms. Little or
no pain is felt at the time of the bite, but pain and local swelling are
experienced in 2-8 hours. A blister forms at the bite, and this become a
center of swelling and redding in the form of a bull’s eye target. In the
next day or two the skin becomes discolored and darkened and a tough scab
may form by the end of the first week. When the scab separates within 2-5
weeks it leaves an ulcer with necrotic base. This is slow to heal,
requiring month to heal with heavy scarring. In severe cases (most are
mild) there may also be joint pain, vomiting, and a fever as high as 104 F
that occurs within 36 hours of the bite and last up to a week.

The bite of a recluse spider, while not usually life-threatening, may cause severe local
and occasionally systemic symptoms that require the sustained attention of a
physician. A neglected bite can result in disfiguration and possible renal
(kidney) failure. If you believe that you or someone else has been bitten
by a recluse spider, visit a physician as soon as possible for examination
and treatment of the bite. Try to find the spider for identification; do
not smash it up too bad. Recluses do not move a lot so you can often find
them in the same area where the bite occurred.

The best defense is Don’t get bitten!! Prevention includes thorough house
cleaning with special attention to dark corners, closets, and sheds and the
like. Shake those jacket out well and invert the sleeves before putting
them the first time, and check firewood piles before getting wood. There is
no reason for alarm at the presence of the recluse spider in your yard or
house, but it is only prudent to kill those you encounter and to eliminate
habitat near your house. Mechanical means (fly swatter or rolled up news
paper) is much more effective the any insecticide.

Eddy County Extension Service, New Mexico State University is an equal opportunity/affirmative
action employer and educator. All programs are available to everyone
regardless of race, color, religion, sex, age, handicap, or national origin.
New Mexico State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Eddy
County Government Cooperating.

For do it yourselfers and home owners who work outside a lot, this is important information. It’s one of the last things you would expect while gardening, landscaping, or mowing the lawn. So the first step to being prepared is simply being mindful and aware that Africanized killer bees are a possibility. Read the article below for some good information and safety tips.

In light of last week’s Killer bee headlines I thought I would reflect and review safety precaution involving all bees. Africanized bees are now part of our environment, like rattle snakes, cockroaches, and flies, we have to learn to coexist with them and limit adverse interaction with these insects. Last week we had a very serious incident which could have cost a man his life and did kill a dog and injured other animals. It was good to hear and read correct information being related about Africanized bees from the fire department and professional pest control operators. Good job guys. I publish this news release every year in hope of reducing such incidents.

Africanized bees are a much more aggressive honeybee than European bees domesticated to produce honey. These are wild bees and are not predators of humans and other life forms. They do not hunt down people to harm them. They do react very aggressively to what they perceive as an attack on their hive which contain their young. When they are swarming or when they are foraging for food they are not as aggressive as when they have established a hive nearby and are defending that hive. Their venom is no more poisonous then their European count parts. However, when they react to defend their hive the number of bees responding will be 15 to 30 times as many and can number in the 10s of -thousands. We no longer sample bees from Eddy County, the African bee genetics are in most feral, non-kept hives and have been for more than 5 years now.

What should you do about the Africanized bee? Take some common sense precautions:

Make a bee patrol around your home once or twice a week during swarming season (March to October). Listen for the sound of bees in the air. Persistent buzzing may mean a hive or swarm is nearby. This should be done prior to starting a lawn mower or other equipment. Lawn mowers and equipment with magneto ignition seem to integrate bees both African and domestic. Bee-proof your home by filling in potential nesting sites such as tree cavities and holes in outside walls. Put screen on the top of rain spouts and over water meter boxes in the ground. Remove piles of trash and junk. If you see a swarm, or a hive do not antagonize them by squirting them with anything or throwing rocks or start the above equipment.

If you discover a bee colony or hive, don’t disturb it. Find out who removes or destroys wild colonies in your area and report it to them. A list of pest control operators and beekeepers that have been trained to remove bees is available from the extension office. These businesses do charge for their services. The property owners where the bees are located are responsible for their removal. The fire department, the county vector control, and extension office do NOT remove hives unless it is an emergency, someone under attack. If you see a bee colony on public property notify the agency responsible for management of that property. If it is at a city park, call the city, if it is BLM land call the BLM etc.

If attacked by honeybees, your best defense is to run away as fast as you can. Seek shelter immediately in a building, a car, or heavy brush. Protect your face and neck the best you can. Standing still and calm does not work with Africanized bees as they are aggressive. Domestic bees are different in this behavior. DO NOT SWAT or KILL BEES that sting you or someone else. This will increase the ferocity of the attack.

The major immediate danger is being stung on the face and neck causing swelling and collapsing of the air way. The average 150 pound person can take about 200 stings before the venom toxin is dangerous, but it only takes a few stings to cause swelling and blockage of the air passage. Protect your face and neck! Insect repellent that contains DEET may repel them for a short period of time. Do not jump in water. The bees will wait for you to surface for air and sting your face causing airway obstruction.

If you are stung many times or have an allergic reaction seek medical attention immediately.

If you observe someone being stung, and they are unable to run or seek shelter, call 911 and report it. If you go to rescue them without protection, you will be attacked as well. DO not call 911 to report bees unless they are attacking. Then they are life threatening and DO call 911. This is only for life threatening situations where a person is being stung or has been stung and is in shock, respiratory failure etc.

If you are allergic to bee stings, or think you might be, consult your physician for the best precautions to take.

More people and animals probably will be stung by bees. These insects are established in Eddy County and will be part of our ecosystem for now on. They cannot be eradicated and they will not leave. Some individuals may be stung hundreds of times in only a few moments. The Africanized bees killer reputation is greatly exaggerated, but it does have basis in fact. People and animals have and will die from their attack. Most often the persons or animals that have died were not able to get away from the bees quickly.

It does not have to greatly change the way people live and work and play. People in south and Central America have lived with this insect for several decades without great difficulty, but some people are injured every year.

For more information Contact your Local County Extension office. Eddy County Extension Service, New Mexico State University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and educator. All programs are available to everyone regardless of race, color, religion, sex, age, handicap, or national origin. New Mexico State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Eddy County Government Cooperating.

In the shadow of all our design work, I believe I only put out one newsletter all year. I’ve always been behind on it but not quite this bad. Wish I had a better excuse.

Now, I haven’t been totally away from creating more do it yourself resources. I mentioned a new project that I was working on in my last (yearly) newsletter. We started it in February and just finished making it a workable site. The rest of the finishing touches will be on it by the first of the year. It is promising to be a assett to the do it yourself landscaping community.

Until then, we’ll get through the Holidays and try to finish up a few of these projects before the Spring rush.