Help Identify Spiders and More
Arrakis dune spider.
If you are reading the comments and know what type of spider bite, a visitor has, please feel free to help.
Warning: Some of these pictures may show a scary spider or a bite that has become infected and could be considered disturbing to some, so if you don’t like the sight of rotted skin or exposed bone, this may not be for you. However, it does drive home the importance of seeking medical attention before it’s too late!
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Would you like to see our collection of spider bite photos?
I live in the Seattle area and think I have been bitten by a Hobo Spidey…….it looks as though it’s a cherry Lifesavor!!! Here is my pic……it’s getting better but am keeping an eye on it just in case….
Kaylee
i dont know whether it is a spider bite or not but it stings so bad it is red for about 2 inches on my finger and it is swollen about a cinemeter long and looks like a big pocket of pus what should i do and what do yall think?
I discovered a huggggggge bite today. it was itchy yesterday but i dont really notice much because i get lotsa bug bites. it swelled and it looked like a deformation on my arm. it is disgusting. it is slowly spreading but i dont know. i am sort of scared. people have told me to go to the doctor but i just discovered it otday but i figured its okay to wait before it got tooo bad. but i seriously need info. i tried to pop it and some pus came out but it is really red and hard and it hurts horribly. I dont show any sympotons but im afraid it will spread up towards my heart. And die if it is poisonous. If anyone has ever had a similiar problem and know the outcome of this situation, please let me know. i am deathly afraid of spiders.
I worked in the yard today. After showering and being inside for a while I noticed that my wrist was itching. I looked at it and there was a raised pink area the size of a dime. I treated it with hydrocortozone cream and took two Benadryl. Now several hours later the itching is still present and the raised area has grown to quarter size. I don’t recall feeling a bite at that site while working. I was bitten by an ant on my ankle but don’t recall a bite to the writs.
I was reading some of the comments trying to find out what bit my husband. I think that it should be seen by a doctor but it’s not quite bad enough for him to think he needs one yet. I had a bite last year that sounds like some of the ones that I have read. Mine came with severe pain at the bite, feeling ill, fever, joint pain, etc. Mine turned out to be NOT a spider bite but a tick bite and I had no idea. It was only after being taken to the ER that they tested me for Lyme disease. They had thought that it was a spider bite at the doctor office days before that. Please don’t put off treatment, if you feel joint pain or have flu-like symptoms, see a doctor and get treatment. It’s the only way to know how bad it could get if left untreated.
I have a question that might be silly. My nefnew was on a ship this spring late feb early march 2008, got bit my a spider, had to be medicated right way. Now he has AML Leukemia, could this bit have something to do with this desease or is it my over active mind.
ticks have that ability to copy leukemia just a question. Thanks noreen
I stayed over at a friends house over the weekend…my fiance and I slept on their pullout couch in their finished basement. Sunday afternoon I noticed a red bump on my back that was tender to the touch. I thought maybe a mosquito bite, but it wasn’t itchy. Then Monday while getting ready for bed I noticed 4 more red bumps on my upper stomache…still just thinking mosquitos or irritants. Tuesday (today) morning while getting into the shower, my eyes wide with disbelief, looking into the mirror I had 20-30 red spots, some the size of dimes, all over my stamache, sides and back! I freaked, called my finace, he too had about 8 -10 on his back. I felt very tired and had muscle aches on Sunday and even still a subtle fatigue feeling today, 3 days later.
My question, I guess, is why did it take so long for them all to show up and is the fatigue something I should be worried about? The bites are sore but tolerable. Is there anything I should be doing to treat them?
well people….i think we all have spider bites because mine hurt a lot……. at first it was small…themn i tried to pop it and the next day the thing got bigger, it’s redder and theres a little bump……i can hardly walk on my leg….it’s on the bad of my thigh……..then one day when i got off of work there was a white small bump….i didnt mess with it…but now……today i wake up and my leg is crying for some help……should i see a doctor now???
i think yea………like right now….u all should do the same….
Hey I live in Jacksonville, FL, and I’m pretty worried about what appears to be a bite on my foot. I do not know when it initially occured, but it hurts now. What I initially noticed was that my foot (right by my toe) was really itchy and kinda red. The redness got worse and white-ish bubbles appeared (4 total, 1 obviously the biggest). The area under the bubbles is kinda hard. I thought popping the bubbles was best in case there was infection… the first time I popped them white stuff came out of the largest bubble and then just clear liquid and some blood came out of the others. Within 3 hours bubbles reappeared… I popped them again… but they refilled within an hour. The second time I popped them only the clear liquid came out. My foot is very sore, but the red area does not seem to be getting any larger… i will send a picture. PLEASE let me know if you know what it is… my email is lindsey.ahearn@ gmail.com
After hurricane Ike, I was out clearing the rain gutters of debris (to stop flooding). I felt something bite me on my ankle, figured it was an ant or something. It itched a little, but then that night it was really itching a lot. I looked at my ankles and saw two little fang marks that had come to a head like pimples. (There was one bite on each ankle.) This was probably a bad idea, but I squeezed them and they popped, which did immediately stop the itching. However, they continually wept this clear orange, sticky fluid, especially when I walked. Then all of a sudden they swelled up so much that I couldn’t find my ankle bone and walking was difficult. It cycled between hurting, itching, and being numb. Now, five days later, the swelling is finally gone, and there are just little scabs where the bites were.
Any idea what bit me?
I think i got a spider bite but idk what kind of spider it was. where it bit me theres an inch around red circle with a little white dot in the middle but were that is on my forarm under my armpit is killing me and the red circle is a little moist so if anyone knows wat bit me please notify me @ beckalb95 @aol.com
I think i was bitten by a spider I was awekened this morning by an intense burning and pain above knee whatever it was i slapped it after that I couldn’t tell what it was does any one know if that’s what a spider bite feels like THANKS
I have/had the exact red mark as Jill B #39. After it looked like Jill’s the center faded and the outer ring was still red. Now it is all faded pink (like bad sunburn or raw beef) and 2 bite marks (i guess) about 180°from each other (11 and 7 hands on a clock). I feel fine, it happened maybe 3 weeks ago, itched today. Do you know what this is?
Thanks for your time, Sean
Doesn’t really qualify as a bad spider bite, but I am terribly curious what bit me! I noticed the bite about 5 days ago, the picture is from today. It was a little sore to the touch for a few days but now it doesn’t hurt – but it does feel hot to the touch from the inflammation. I live in Ann Arbor, MI. I’ve attached a picture for you.
Thanks
i live in iowa and i woke up this morning with a bump on my skin the size of a pencil eraser with two holes in the skin and its very sore and itchy at the same time.
i was bit on the back of my hand and now my whole hand is itchy. the spot i was bit is all red.
I just want to quickly share my past experience with a spider bite incident. In 2000, I was bit on my ankle over night. The next morning I woke up & roughly within 45 mins to an hour later, I abruptly had an emerging severe headache accompanied by some dizziness. A half our later I was lifeless on our living room floor. The dizziness was so extreme I couldn’t even dare lift my head. My limbs felt as heavy as boulders restricting me from any type of movement. Then the onset of intense nausea soon followed but the dizziness got worse and ultimately impaired my vision (very similar to the feeling of Vertigo but more intense.) I was sick in bed for 2 days to follow, with a high fever & painful body aches. On the 3rd day I noticed the bite on my ankle had turned black & hardened. It was now a bit itchy & somewhat still painful. It took several weeks for the site to heal up still to leave a dark scar behind.
After conducting some research, based on the symptoms I experienced, it was very apparent I was bit by a poisonous spider. Most likely a Black Widow.
I can tell you the symptoms are by far the worst pain I have ever experienced. I consider myself to have a high tolerance for pain but I would rather give natural birth again to triplets then to ever feel that way again. I really thought I was dying during this period when the poison was spreading throughout my entire nervous system. All I kept saying is “I’m dying” over & over again. But I was so ill I couldn’t dare bring myself to go to the ER. Although, I probably should have went to the ER by ambulance if I had to do it all over again.
I do want to point out, a year later I became very ill & experienced Rheumatic Fever & now have Rheumatoid Arthritis which is considered a chronic auto-immune disorder. I do believe this is somehow linked to the bite that occurred previously & somehow weakened my immune system.
I advise you all to be very careful & look out for Black Widows, Hobo & Brown Recluse Spiders. If you are not too familiar with their appearance, I highly recommend acquainting yourself. You may think a spider bite is fairly harmless or maybe just grotesque but a poisonous spider bite can be deadly or could possibly comprise your health! I just would hate to see this happen to someone else if I can help it.
Take care all!
I just woke up one night and started itching my arms and my hands. When i looked in the mirror, i saw lots of red areas that had swollen. I asked my friend for a diagnosis, but she says its spider bites but i think they’re mosquitos but it was raining last night and i doubt any mosquitos were out. i counted all of my bites and had twenty one. I have five on my left arm and five on my hands and fingers. I have eight on my right arm and a quarter sized bit thats really really swollen on my right hand following two other bites.
I got a spider bite in Florida over the summer. My middle finger and the outside of my palm. It was really swollen.
i just got back from mozambique and i have a red raised circle with lots of little bumps its about an inch in diameter i am wondering is it a spider bite?
Laguna Hills California, next to Irvine Meadows. Sunday night, left hand pointer finger, between the knuckles started to itch really badly, but only for about a minute and so I go on about my night. Later Monday afternoon it started to itch, but more so. I also notice a little pinpoint size whitehead, which I popped. I should have just left alone, but didn’t know what was to come. Tuesday morning my finger is a little swollen and just a touch pink at the bite site. At this time I obviously knew I got bite. Later that day my finger starts to become redder and more swollen, by the end of the night it really starts to hurt. Sharp shooting pains in my hand and through my wrist. I see no red strikes going up my arm and feel fine so I go to sleep, but not after taking some benedryl. Wednesday morning I wake up and my finger is the size of a golf ball and as red as Rudolf’s nose. It hurts and it hurts badly. It just got worse. On Wednesday the sore, round in shape was the size of an M&M, Thursday the size of a nickel and by Friday it was the size of a quarter and flaming red. It looked infected. By this time my finger and hand was in excruciating pain. My entire hand was swollen. Fluids were secreting from the bite site and of course some white/yellowish pus, this starting on Thursday and not letting up. Saturday it wasn’t any better, just the same. I couldn’t even bend my finger, it felt like it was going to explode so I forced myself to make a fist and pushed on the sore and just to feel it and pop out comes from the bite site this grey eraser head size thing, followed by fluorescent green pus, then it started to bleed. That night I could tell it was getting better as the redness was fading, but unfortunately the pain was still there.
When I woke on Sunday morning it was much better, pinkish in color, but not any smaller and the bite site had a scab. It’s Wednesday now and it’s the size of a nickel, my finger is still in excruciating pain, and the skin around the bite site is really hard with a big bump. I never got sick, but I’m really worried there might be some underlining damage. If you have any answers for me please help. I have no insurance. Tried the free critiques, but there not taking anyone without insurance, why are they free? I just feel like there might be something going on underneath. It looks okay, but doesn’t feel okay. I also heard bad spider bites can last weeks. It’s the pain I’m worried about, doesn’t feel right to me.
Good evening. I noticed a red bite with a white circle around it on my 20 month old son’s right leg. It’s about the size of a silver dollar. I don’t see an actual bite mark, no puncture. The area is slightly raised and is hard underneath. I have attached two pictures.
Please help if you can.
Thanks!
spider bites?
Sure have appreciated the info on your site.
I was bitten 14 times over the course of 2-3 weeks. Thanks to your info
I’ve realized that I have an infestation of Hobo’s most likely under the
left side of my workbench. Before I was up to speed on info, I had the house
exterminated. I later found Hobo sticky traps, and have caught 5. I live
in Oregon, and the sticky traps are in stock in several hardware, even
grocery stores!
The cycle of the bites is exactly what you describe. I have some still open
after almost 2 months; several have healed, but have produced 2 generations
of satellite lesions, which I’m assuming can be gravitational drift. (Also
have to admit my immune system is shot). A month ago I went on oral and
topical antibiotics. At first they were painless, now they keep me awake at
night. The largest are almost an inch across, deep and hard, and hot
with a supstantial edge around the ‘crater’. Very slow to respond to any
treatment. I’ve had staph twice in my life, and I don’t believe it’s staph.
I have no new bites or lesions, but I’ve not seen any photos of so many
sores. Does this LOOK like Hobo activity to you?
Your input is very much appreciated!
Please look at the attached pictures. The doctor believes I was bitten by a spider but was not specific. We live in the northeast. I got very sick with this and have been on all sorts of medication. Do you think this bite is from a Brown recluse spider?
The wound has gotten better, but not close to healing. The pictures attached are from 3 days after noticing the bite. I have had symptoms of aches, fever, chills, edginess, and swelling of my legs.
Just looking for your opinion on the bite. Have never had anything like this before. Very nervous if it was a spider inside the house, have children and do not want them to be bit.
Thanks for your time.
Karen
I noticed these four bumps on my arm about a week ago. They look a lot like ingrown hairs or pimples. I asked around and a lot of people thought it looked like a spider bite. Then, on Friday September 5, I was getting ready in my bathroom and this spider seemed to come out of no where. It was crawling on the wall and i thought nothing of it other than the fact that the spider looked really odd. I live in Nebraska and most the spiders around here a just the normal black or brown color, but this spider had a yellowish middle and redish orangish legs. It looked tropical to me. Then today, Monday September 8, I was blow drying my hair and one of the same kind of spider seems to drop from somewhere above/behind me into the sink in my bathroom. I looked it at for a while before I smushed it, now afterward i realized I should have taken a picture, but i didn’t.
So, I was wondering if my mysterious bumps on my arm and the spiders I have found in my bathroom could possibly be related. Can anyone help me out here?
I got a bite, im not sure when and im not sure if its a spider. It’s pretty itchy and had a small raised part almost like a pimple, but it looks like a mosquito bite. Problem is, the spot(back of my leg) had swelled up a lot and hurts at times. What is this?
I live in Santa Barbara, CA and was bit by a spider about 2 weeks ago on my inner thigh. At first the area around the bite was red and hurt to touch. About three or four days after I got the bite I had a fever and was achy all over for about 24 hours. The bite then turned black and there is still a little black area where the bite was. Today we just found a huge black spider at my boyfriend’s house and I’m afraid that was what bit me. Any help in identifying what kind of spider it was would be greatly appreciated!
I think i have a spider bite but im not sure. It is bigger than a quarter and is raised. It has what looks like a pimple in the middle of it. It itches occasionally but not all the time
this was taken 12 hours after bite. pain full, itchy and burning all day, shocks of pain, growing bigger every hour. now 20 hours later lil bigger darker color, skin is hard. found a silky crazy stringy web above my bed with a brown spider in it. i got bit in my sleep, woke up in pain from the bite on my right neck collarbone area, about 4 hours ago went numb on my right arm and neck. what the heck is living in my room? i feel like the right side of my body is on drugs
My son has a bite on the upper left side of his chest. It is about the size of a half dollar. The inner circle of the bite is a darker pink color than the outer circle. It is definately raised and appears to be swollen. When I touch the center it feels hard. He hasn’t really been scratching it very much. That’s what kind of worries me. It makes me think it’s a spider bite and not a mosquito bite. He was also bitten twice on his arm, but those bites are normal in size and color etc. I don’t see any kind of mark in the middle to indicate the exact place of the bite. He hasn’t spoken much of the bite all day. It doesn’t seem to really bother him at all. Thanks! Christina
I have a spider bite on my upper leg. I woke up one morning with it. It isn’t blistering, but it is a lil pusy and white. I have a circle of red dots around the bite. I would like to know what type of spider this could be. My mother said the reason I have the red dots is one of two reasons. Either an allergic reaction or the spider was poisiounous. Just not enough poison to make me sick. If you could reply and give me an answer to this I would really like to know.
i live in paris texas and i got a bite my dad said its a spider bite but i dont know. it has two little marks where i guess the spider bite me and its swollen dark pinkish to red i can send a photo anytime you want.
i have a big bump filled with little red dots that i got 3 days ago on the tip of my finger it doesnt hurt at all but it kinda tickles but not really were not sure what it is if any one knows please help :)
I have these bumps under my arm. They are not itchy or anything like that. They are just there in a pattern. I was wondering what they could be. I doubt I was bit by a spider. I am sending a picture also. Please let me know what you think.
First noticed as itching and stinging
Swelled and hot, very red.
Finally popped one side at a time and 1 day apart.
I actually saw a half moon shaped white head before it popped.
Next day the other side of the half moon appeared and it also popped.
Deep hole remains and seems to be on the mend or possibly growing inside?
No other symptoms, I usually have very little adverse reaction to stings and bites.
Mike
So i got what I thought was a mosquito bite on my index finger, it looked like one, but a half an hour my finger has swelled up quite a bit and its getting numb, like the numbness is moving down my finger slowly. The skin is tender when I touch it..what is this? should i seek medical attention?
I’ve been reading all the posts on spider bites, and am certainly hoping that what I have is nothing to worry about.
I think I may have been bitten by a spider yesterday afternoon while cleaning trash around the back porch. I didnt notice anything until this morning as my finger is a bit swollen. What it looks like is a small hole that is inset in a slightly yellow triangle. At first I wasnt even considering it to be anything but a bug bite (there are LOTS of bugs here). However, the triangle patter underneath has me concerned. I thought about popping the stuff underneath, but after reading up on articles, I assume that is not wise. I have no health insurance and dont know any doctors in this area. It is very sensative to the touch. I am moving back to Oregon this week and would like to get this taken care of asap. Any help is greatly appreciated!
Blessings!
I noticed a spider bite on my rib area when I woke up in the morning. At first it was the size of a pimple and then by the next day it grew to be 4 times the size and extremely painful. It was never itchy, only stinging from mostly the inside of my body. The whole area around it is very sensitive and even a light shirt touching it hurts. I went to the doctor and he said not to worry about it. It’s getting worse and the pain is almost too much for me to handle. I am going to go to the doctor again (different one) and see what they say. Inside and the surrounding area is now rock hard and the hardness is spreading. The pain feels like someone is stabbing me with a knife. I have no idea what kind of spider it can be but I am sending you a photo of a spider that is very common in our neighborhood and in our backyard. I have been killing black widows lately as well. We live in Porter Ranch (Northridge), california. I hope this helps. I have no idea who you are but my 9 year old daughter found you and told me to e-mail you. Thanks and have a wonderful day.
my name’s shannon, and here’s my ‘bite’
hi can you help find the spider that bit me
thank you
I got bit Suday night twice. I woke up and instinctively started scratching I looked at my hand and it was just a small bite, went through my sheets and didnt find anything so i went back to sleep. When I woke up i noticed another bite on the same arm just above the first one which is just above my wrist, and they were starting to swell. I iced them and went to the doctor to get them checked out, he perscribed some benedryl and i went home.
I took the benedryl, which wasn’t in pill form but the liquid. The next day I went to work and the bites were even worse. They were swollen to the point where it looked kind of like I had ping pong balls underneath my skin. I conviently work in a Hospital so I got checked out at the ER and they said my skin looked infected and perscribed a general antiobiotic called Keflex and gave me a pill of benedryl. I took the pill and immidiately started to see resuluts! yes! success!
The next night i woke up with two more bites, one on the inside of my arm just over my armpit, this bite however had more of a red center where as the other two have more of a clear center, they more or less look like little blister centers, and since then have two bites on my left foot one on my toe which is swollen and one on the base of my foot, which is driving me INSANE. I live in an apartment, and my first bites encountered on my couch because we’ve a packed up my bed, and since then I’ve moved to the floor. We sprayed for bugs, but something still seems to be lerking in my house, and its only attracted to be because all these encounters that took place I’ve slept next to my boyfriend… Somethings biting me and im afraid so many bites might get me really sick! any advice?
I got two bites on my arm from what I think was a spider. At first it was like a mosquito bite and they itched like one too, but after about 24 hours tiny bumps started to appear around the bites. I tried squeezing them and a watery liquid came out. They still look like a mosquito bites except that the middle of each one looks like a popped pimple. Please help me find what these are if you know.
I got bit about 6 days ago. I live in OR and was out in my friends lawn at night and the next day I had a red ring on the back of my leg with a dot in the middle. we went to the pharmacy because my mom thought it was ringworm and they didn’t even look at it but just gave me an anti-fungal cream and told us that diluted bleach would get rid of it. we kept it covered with a bandaid because we were on a family vacation but when we got home I went to the dermatologist and he said it was a three prong(?) spider bite and to put some anti itch cream on it.
I dont really know what to do because I think we burnt my skin with the bleach so I dont know what it really looks like anymore. please help. I am really worried because he told me if the tissue starts to look like it is dying to go to the ER b/c it might be a brown recluse. please help me! it is about the size of a nickle and it is now turning a darkish red and getting really flakey. please email any ideas to jumpergirl1153 @ yahoo.com
thank you,
ella
I was bitten on my butt 4 times. Two of the bites are large as a dime red with a white spot in the middle. The other two are smaller. I did not feel a thing. It occured while sleeping. It has been a day now and they are getting hard and iching. Any ideas what it was?
I have these marks that have been on the side of me for a long time here are the pictures:
My email is joshm44 @ gmail.com
about i think it was a week ago and i noticed this red spot on my lower back. i was about 1 by 1 cm and looked as if it had a slightly yellow filled centre but wasnt pus.. (at least i dont think it was). As the day progressed i became exceesively tired and had constant dizzy spells as well as a mild headache. I wasnt sick in the stomach. i still dont know if it is a spider bite but it is the msot logical answer.
light brown with a underbelly marking. black square with 4 white squares at the corners
Hm, I have some red bump on my leg. I am scarred to death! Whenever I read something about how your tissue starts to be “eaten” away and it leaves a big, bloody hole in your leg it sounds so scarey. It’s been there for two or three days and hasn’t change, how long does it usually take?
my husband got bitten by what we think was a spider. he just told me about them today and it happened 4 days ago. i have attached a picture. the pictured bite is the biggest. the redness is 2in long by 1 in wide. the scabby lookibg thing is 1/4in. could u tell me what u think.
thanks
elizabeth
Hello, Jim.
Your site is awesome. I wanted to post this bite. I after hours of online research, I still don’t know if I need to go to the doctor or not.
I’m pretty sure the bite is from a spider. A friend gave me a pair of shorts to put on (he lives out in a wooded area in Alachua, FL) and I went outside to play with his dog. A couple of minutes after I had changed I felt something in my shorts. I remember patting my thigh shaking the material. The bite felt like an ant bite or something. I didn’t really pay any attention to it. Not long after, the swelling started. It peaked last night with a width of 7.5 inches. The area is very hot to the touch and the flesh underneath feels hard. It itches sometimes and walking hurts a bit but today the swelling went down a lot and the area turned a darker shade of red. There’s a dark purplish spot in the very center and no visible bite marks. I took the pictures with the built in camera on my mac and the lighting isn’t the best. It looks a lot worse in reality.
Currently, my guess is that I may have cellulitis from a spider bite. Any ideas?
Thanks a bunch!
All the best,
Julie