Preventing spider bites
To avoid bites from spiders:
- Wear gloves if working in an area where spiders are likely to live.
- Avoid wood or rock piles and dark areas where spiders live.
- Look for spiders in low-lying webs in garages, barbecue grills, around swimming pools, and in wood piles.
- Clear away old furniture, tires, junk, newspaper, and old clothes. This will eliminate places spider like to live.
- Plug openings and crevices into the house.
- Move your bed away from walls so spiders will be less likely to creep into bed with you.
- Shake out and check bedding for spiders before getting in the bed.
- Shake out and check clothing and shoes for spiders before putting them on.
- Do not leave your child's toys outside.
- Consider spraying insecticides on any high-risk areas, such as known black widow spiderwebs, indoor cracks and crevices, closets, attics, wood piles, and under eaves and around baseboards and window areas. Repeat treatment is usually necessary.
- If a spider gets on you, brush it off. Do not crush it.
| Author: | Jan Nissl, RN, BS | Last Updated: February 1, 2008 |
| Medical Review: | William M. Green, MD - Emergency Medicine Sean P. Bush, MD, FACEP - Emergency Medicine and Envenomation Specialist | |
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