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!
Have pictures and a story you would like to share? We would happily review and display them if you upload them here.
Would you like to see our collection of spider bite photos?
I live in Alaska and just recently on a camping trip got bit really bad. What ever bit me did a good job. I have over 6 bites on my right leg 4 on my left several on my lower back and a couple on my lower hip. The morning after the bites were red, hot and swollen. The area around the bites was hard and itched really bad. Now two days later they are still pretty swollen, my entire right leg feels kind of like it has some circulation cut off and they itch SO Bad. The actual bites now have a dark reddish ring around them. I would normally just blame this on mosquitoes but it is to early in the season for them and I had pants on under the blankets. I have looked up Alaskan spiders but no useful information, please somebody help me!
PS – The whole affected area on my finger is not even as big around as the eraser on the end of a pencil. No pain or itching or even swelling, just a hard area around it.
Replies to others:
Regarding the spots on the stomach. My children have had it and it was called “hot tub rash”. It came from swimming in a pool when the filter wasn’t working – too much bacteria or something. They look like pimples. But one of my sons had a similar rash a few years ago that ended up being some kind of thing related to herpes (like chicken pox) that took this really expensive cream to get rid of them. The dermatologist gave me a small sample because the medication was around $90.00 and I used it, but found a cheaper way to get rid of them – popping them. As soon as I scratched off the head, they went away. Unfortunately my 2 year old hated that, so I usually tried to get a couple when he was deeply asleep. I eventually got them all and they didn’t come back. Other bumps on children have been from tiny slivers (sliding down boards). Most of the things on this site seem to be infections. If there is swelling and redness past the bite area, that’s a clue to get to a doctor, whether it’s a spider bite, boils, or whatever- it’s infected.
I’m trying to figure out what this little hole on my finger is. I keep being directed to this website. Yesterday I thought it was just a scab, but it is more like a pit on the back of my thumb, no where near the nail. Today the skin around it is hard, but it doesn’t hurt unless pressed and it doesn’t itch. Now the center is dark and recessed with a white ring, then another ring slightly darker than skin color. It has just started to give off heat. I showed it to my dad tonight and he says it looks like a spider bite. So this time I got deeper into this site. I can answer a lot of the comments, but I don’t know what this is.
I woke up with a mark that I thought was just an ant bite. Until I messed with it then it got bigger. Now it is hard under the skin and red around. It hurts sometimes.
Hello,
Two wks ago I was bitten by something while sleeping and didn’t know what. i was sleeping on an air mattress in an apartment. I woke up with a hard surface on my arm it got red and was a round circle. I took motrin for three days cause of the pain. I tried some home remedies but it just eased the pain and itch. last wk it came to a head and pus begin to come out as my husband squeezed. The next day I went to the hospital and they said I gotten bitten by a spider that they had to cut my arm because it turned into an abscess. They gave me antibiotics and insert a drainage twice. I still don’t know what kind of spider but reading your info it looks like it could have been a hobo spider it gave the exact symptons..
Hey ,
Three nights ago I was bitten several times on the back of my head by something while I was sleeping. Each spot has a small cut and grew into a small bump about the diameter of a dime. Each bump is slowing reducing in size now, except for a small pain I have in the back of my neck, where I can feel a bump underneath my skin but it does not have the same cut as the others. They don’t really itch, but the new bump is particulary painful. Like I pulled a muscle or something.
Any thoughts?
DanM
Did anybody crack the code for sarah in entry 21? I have the same little red mosquito-like bites with a small whitehead in the center. At first I thought they were bed bugs because I started to get them while in South America. Now I’m beginning to think it’s spiders. Usually I get a couple a week. Sometimes it’s a couple of bites in a row, but not always. I can’t find any bug infestation or the signs of bed bugs. I also get phantom crawlers. I feel like they’re in my hair, but I’ve never seen one. It’s especially bad when watching movies with the lights out. Any thoughts?
I live in Indiana and I was outside the other day standing by my hot tub. I had my boyfriends shoes on, and I stepped on the soles of my feet on a board..I immediatley felt pain. When I took the shoes and socks off I noticed that I had a little bump on my foot. I had my boyfriend look at it and he tried to pop it. It hurt too bad so I made him stop. That was Sunday. It’s now Thursday and two more bumps have produced. One is white, one looks like a blood blister, and the other is purple, with what looks to be a blister. I showed some of my friends at school and they said it was a spider bite…but I never had a spider bite that hurt like this one does. If anyone could help me that would be fabulous.
I’m not even sure if this is a spider bite, but… 3 days ago i noticed two paralell dots on my upper arm. but i brushed it off and thought no more of it until yesterday i was itching it and it suddenly started bleeding at around 11:00am. I washed it and everything but it kept on bleeding,( it looked like two nickel size bleeding misquito bites, very red, the left one bleeding worse than the right) not really spirting but a slow, constant oozing.
This continued for 6 hours, then stopped bleeding. but by this time it was blue-ish. and gave out a little pus. i went to sleep and when i woke up it hurt badly but nothing came from the bite. later in the day at about 11:00am again it started bleeding. it stopped shortly though. now it’s issueing pus and is red and hot! the pus is yellow(if that matters) and it’s very tender and painful. The bites are about 1/2in apart.
Is it a spider bite?
i was bitten 3 days ago and the bite spot is hard and red, the whole side of my lower face is swolen, what kind do you think it is and what should i do?
I live in Florida. I’m in the process of removing the hedges from my back yard. When I finished I went to work out in my home gym. It hurt to sit down. The pain is a little worse now as it hurts to sit on my leather couch. My wife is a nurse so I had her look at the bumb.
My wife says that she can see a little black dot and the area around that is red and hard. She said it didn’t feel warm or anything and just to keep an eye on it.
so i woke up this morning and got ready for work then i noticed my shin was hurting for whatever reason so upon careful inspection (rubbing my leg) i felt a bump and it was hard assuming it was an ingrown hair i started to walk around to get ready and then i noticed a throbbing pain in my my shin so i was like F i bet a bastard as spider bit me so i check my bed and i found a dead spider about the size of a nickel and it was brown i don’t think it was a recluse could i hear the bites are painless…the bite is a dull red color and the pain is dull and random…i’d go to the doctor but my heathcare provider will turn me away unless i’m mortally wounded…like i said minor pain nothing serious but the bite can’t be more than a couple hours old….
I think I have a spider bite. I woke up one morning, went into the bathroom, and felt a little sting on my back. I reached back and didn’t feel anything, except a little wetness. By the time I’d gotten out of the shower, it had swollen up like a mosquito bite (which is what I thought it was), only a little bit more red. Usually my mosquito bites go away pretty quickly, but this one got worse. It was a raised white circle with and redness around it, with a small indentation (I can’t tell if it’s one or two really close together.) Over the last couple of days it’s gotten to be about the size of an oblong quarter. The indentation has scabbed over (nothing has come out of it) and the bite isn’t raised anymore, but the red area now consists of several small bumps. Any idea if this is a spider, or if so, what kind? It itches like nuts!
i keep getting big red bumps under my arms and the doctor all they say is I”ve got a bacterial infection. What could this be? hope you guys can help me
Thank You
In response to #9 Daniel. It sounds like hives. My daughter gets them after bathing. She has mild to moderate allergies. I believe the hives may be caused from molds in the tiles of the shower. They go away about 10-15 minutes after drying off.
i live near boston ma i was bitten by a green colored spider that came off a tree 2 weeks ago. shortly after i was bitten my arm burned and had a lot of dots all over it and the dots went away the next day and so did the pain. now the area is the size of a nickle covered in little bumps and only hurts when pressure is applied to it
I live in North Idaho and I have a spider bite on my arm. There are two tiny little fang marks surrounded by a bruise and the skin started to peel slighly, just around the fang marks. I don’t bruise easily and it’s not a mosquito bite as I am covered with them and know quite well what they look like.
The bruise is painless but if I press down on the fang marks it is quite tender. We have a variety of ho-hum spiders that cause strange bites like hobos and the occaisional recluse and black widow. Mostly hobos though, and your garden variety house spiders. I’m just curious as to what would cause this sort of bite. I’m assuming it’s one of the bland, boring, every-day types of bites. :)
Thanks
I think i got bit by a spider a couple of days a go same kinda thing wit story#17 it looks like a pimple and its itchy as hell if u look real close u can c 2 small lil holes and i showed someone to day and they said thats where the venom went in cuz there was white stuff on top but i pulled it off im not goin to pop it or any thing cuz i don’t want to bug it or anythin plz let me kno what kind of spider this is
My 4.5lb dog has a bite mark on her belly and then there is a perfectly round red ring left on the outside about the size of a nickel. Any idea if this is some kind of spider bite? We live in MN and she was outside in the grass today.
I would not wait David! Myself, I would go to the hospital and have the spider bite checked out. Far too many stories about people loosing parts of their body because they waited.
If you can find the spider, bring that with you as it will be of great help!
I live in Chicago, Ill and I got bit by a spider on my leg while I was asleep. It is red around the black middle in which the skin is raised up. Blood is coming out of the bite marks.
I think was bit by spider lastnight while cleaning out my daughters playroom. The bite site looks hive like and now it looks a little redish-purpleish.
I live in Newton Massachusettes in a basement apartment. I started to get bit during the summer, and had never had issues before unitl I moved to this apartment. My bed was the same bed I had slept in for 3 years without issue. I looked strategically for signs of bed bugs but could not find any. Before you know it after about two weeks the bites stopped. No issues throughout the winter. We are now in the spring again and I started in one occurance to get about 5 bites on my arms and back during the night. They felt like mosquito bites and woke me up, but could not find the cullprit. I am looking to stop this but can’t pinpoint what exactly it is. I believe that its a spider bite. The bite also swells and is hard and painful after a few days, and extrememly ichy. Any advice would help, I fear the summer is going to be hell.
I live in the midwest and i got 4 spider bites in one night. I didnt notice at first but when i woke up the next morning i had red marks all over my back and one on my stomach. It took like a week to see that they were in fact bites and i can see the fang marks and about 2 cm under that is a red bumpy patch on my stomach. I have been feeling pains on the left side of my stomach and also on my back. Ive had these for about 9 days and they are still hurting and now itching too
My son has a red, swollen bump on his abdomen. It is extremely painful and I can barely touch it before he screams. There is redness all around the bump and there is a small black dot in the middle of it. The bump looks like it’s going to burst because it is so swollen. This is the third time by son has been bitten over the course of a year. The doctor has prescribed an oral corticosteroid, but it is not helping. Is this a spider bite or some other skin infection? Please help. Thank you.
Hi, last Wednesday of last week, I came home from work to find a small small crawling in my bed. I should have acted immediately. Instead, I killed the spider and slept in the bed later on that night without spraying or anything. The next morning after sleeping in the bed, I felt a itchy bump almost in the center of my back and after like 3 days it is hard now. I am almost positive it is a spider bite, but not for sure. I just want to know what I can do about this or if it is actually something that I should worry about or just wait for it to go down and go away. My problem I don’t think is as bad as some of the other’s because I am just itching all over with some of the comments mentioned on here. Well thanks for your help anyways.
I was at Starbucks outside the other day. I noticed some itching on my rear end. Then it was red and swollen. Then it began to oze. Now it is a bunch of blister like bumps. I have been treating it with antibotic cream and bacterial cream. It seems better today. Do you know what kind of spider it is and how long will it last? I live in CO. We have lots of spiders here.
Thanks
I got bitten by a spider two days ago. The bump looks looked like a misquito bite at first. Now they have become gradually bigger each about the size of a quarter. When you touch them they are hard and exuting heat. Does anyone know what kind of spider bit me or any precaustions that I can take to make sure that they go away and do not become infected or anything. I would really appreciate a response.
I am from Eugene Oregon and i woke up a few days ago with a painful red bump on on my leg it use to be one blister but now its the size of a 50ct peice with a wholee bunch of tiny blisters covering the area. I am just going to put some ointment on
it unless it gets worse. It sure is painful. Man do I hate spider season I feel like I always have to check everything. paranoia.
Very Important!!!! Identical to Spider Bite.!!!
A lot of what you people are describing resembles MRSA.
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection.
I too thought that I was bitten by a spider. It started itching really bad and was small about the size of an ant bite (or smaller). It progressed rapidly spreading redness in the area approximately 5 -8 inches in diameter around the nodule. The nodule was really hard and you could see pus but it wouldnt squeeze out. Only a small amount of pus would come out (not even drop). After going to a high class dermatologist I found that I was infected with this disease. Generally the infection will not go away on its own. You will need a special antibiotic because a regular Methicillian antibiotic will not work. The sad part about the disease is that it colonizes in your nostrils and in most cases you will never totally be able to get rid of it. The body will build a resistance to the germ but you will have frequent outbreaks after being infected with the bacteria. The infection will also leave deep scarring. If you try to squeeze the pus bump/nodule you will stand a great chance of spreading the infection. This infection is very similar to a bad spider bite. Regular neosporin will not help. Even a small bump of this infection will give you great soreness and pain. GET CHECKED OUT BY A DOCTOR. Hey I dont like going to the doctor either but I know when enough is enough.
I have a bite that appear two mornings ago. It is about 1/3 in across. Looks like a perfect pink circle with a dark red 1/16 inch spot within the pink circle–looks almost like a puncture. It was hard the first am. This am–seems to have softened but seems the same in size and coloring. No pain, no itching.
hi i live in missouri and a couple of days ago i woke up and i felt something crawling on my face i brushed it off and a brown spider fell on the floor so i steped on real fast before i could take a good look at it then a couple of hours later i felt a knot on my cheek and it itches real bad and it was sore then it got really swoolen so i went to the dr. and he couldent tell me what kind of spider bite it was he didnt think it was a brown recluse becouse it easnt really painfull so he gave me some antibotics for it i was wondering if you could tell me what kind of spider it was.
hey i was searching the net to try and find out what had bitten me but i cant find what it is, im a 13 year old girl and i live in the UK and i had just come back from walking my dog when i saw a small round bite on my leg. On the first day it just itched alot and looked abit like a itchy lump, but the following day it was slightly swollen and a bit tender. On the 3rd day it was bigger and red and there is quite alot of heat coming off it.Today it is about as big as a 1×1 inch circle but it is swollen about 3×3 inch circle and it is tender aswell. There is a black dot in the middle and the small circle is dark purple and looks abit like a bruise. plz help me as it is quite concerning thanks!!
I woke up with a bite on the back of my thigh in the shower.. then only about a day later i looked again and it was a small bruise. now about 3 days later it is a bruise about the size of a quarter… i have no idea if it was a spider or something poisonous or what!!
My aunt has been bitten by a spider yesterday. Today, the bite area is red and blistering and painful to the touch. My aunt says that she saw a “black thing” crawling on her before she killed it and noticed the bite. We don’t know what type of spider bit her and if anyone who could help identify it, or give a suggestion as to the treatment of such a bite, the information would be very much appreciated.
yes i would to like to see more pics of spider bites. my 4 year old daughter seemed to have been bitten by something. rushed her to doctors as both her ankles were red as and swollen with these great big marks on them, you could see the skin slowly splitting and this blister emerging with all this clear pus in it. it grew while we were sitting there waiting to see dr. then it popped and all that muck went running down her foot. they arent exactly sure what bit her and neither am i, havent seen any spiders around in her room or bedding. but she is in extrem pain. we think she was bitten yesterday and it gradually became blistered within 24 hrs. please more pics
Discovered what I now think to be a spider bite after returning from India last week. Initially looked like a small spot/pimple which then developed another head so looked to be two very close together. Swelled up massively over the following two days before being like a flattened golfball on my side with a black core to it.
Saw a clinic at the weekend who put me on antibiotics to treat it and throughout this week, the black cap grew before it started to ‘leak’ two days ago. Following further dressing from a doctor and nurse, the central plug of it completely came out yesterday – roughly the size of a large pea. I now have a large raw crater in my side about 2cm across and nearly 1cm deep. Nasty!
I was bitten by a very small spider while i was living in Durban South Africa 25 years ago. Initially i had swelling to my ankle for several weeks. I had treatment from the doctor the next day. My ankle got better eventually. But during the past 10 years my leg has got worse by losing the use of it. i wonder if you could shed any light on my condition.
Regards Anne Whitta.
Hi! My son was bitten by a spider Monday evening. I was not aware of the bite until Tuesday morning when he showed me his very swollen and very red finger with one little scab on it. I took him to his pediatrician who said it was a spider bite but he did not believe it to be a widow or brown recluse spider. Well, it’s Wednesday and it is getting more swollen. He can’t bend it and the skin is very taught. It is very painful to the touch. We were digging in the flower beds Monday and I saw black spiders. I always see these spiders when I am in the flower beds and they have never bitten me. They just scurry away trying to hide. I have no clue what type of spider this is, but I am really worried about his thumb. My husband is going to talk to one of the surgeons at the hospital tomorrow to see if he will take a look at it.
I got bit by a spider about 2 years ago but it seems like the symtems are still affecting me went to the doctor they gave me antibotics but the area is still red and blochy and my left hand finger tips and palm which is above the bite keeps blisters can you help me.
I was bitten by a spider on Sunday, April 29th not really sure what kind of spider though. My bite area started out a lot like a mosquito bite, and now has progressed to a white center with redeness around it but no blister has formed. The bite area iches and is a little painful but nothing real serious yet. How I think I encountered the bite was I went and got all of my summer clothes out of the attic over the weekend and they were in bags. I chose not to wash my clothes since I knew they were clean and I chose to wear a pair my capri pants and now I have this bite. What should I do? Should I be going to the doctor or should I wait a few days?
You appear to be describing a brown recluse spider bite which seem to clear up a bit and then start necrotizing the bites surrounding flesh. When a spider necrotizes a bite, it is digesting or rotting the flesh! In all such cases, you should seek immediate medical attention.
I got a spider bite while i was laying down on my bed. i felt something ticklish on my neck so when i grabbed it it started to move in my hand. it was a bit dark but the spider was a bit furry small and brownish like. it left a lil bump and then red surrounding the area. im nervous that it might be bad. i put alcohal and put cream on it but it still stings badly.
Help. I put on my robe and 2 minutes later got a pin prick but painful bite on my arm, then another within a minute. I flew threw the hall stripping the robe off of me and felt it again. After I examened my arm I have been bit 3 times, 2 bad times and one minor. The two large bites: bite A: You can see a red ring around the bite, the ring is 3 inches wide, the bite area is now the size of a nickle and red and blistered and oozing. It is hot and hard to the touch and itches like mad. The other big bite B. is the same yet the circle is in the shape of a J instead and jets out 2 inches from my bite blistering all the way. What kind of spider bit me??? Help please.
thank you so much.
I thought the article was informative, however, I too would like to see more pictures.
its a red ring covering a black dot
I recently was bitten by something at night and I think it was spider. It was on my neck and it left a small red mark and the side of my neck was swollen. It itched like crazy for the better part of a week and the swelling never went down. I really have no clue what bit me, but several people suggested it may have been a spider.
Jim – Forget about the last post… I just saw the emails address.
Once my kid or husband gets home. I have tried to take it , But the pictures are not that clear. But I will send them anyway. And when my family gets home, then I will send better ones.
Thanks Jim
Hello Stephanie,
Please, if you have can take pictures of your spider bite, the readers would love this! Even if it is not a spider bite, we can put this up so that visitors have something to reference.
Feel free to send email to badspiderbites+jen@gmail.com
The more pictures of spider bites, the better!
Thanks Stephanie!
Jim.
Evelyn Badger- GOTO THE ER…I wouldnt mess with that…. Good luck, let us know how it went.
;)
Thanks
Stephanie