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?
My son has some kind of bite on the back of his thigh. About 1 inch in diameter feels like a ball when pressed. Spot in the middle. Any clues?
Three years ago I was bitten outside while pruning bushes. I didnt see what bit me, but felt a tickle at the time, and just brushed at it. Well later that night, I started to get a burning sensation running up the back of my leg, where I had felt the tickle. Then it started itching. Then next day, there were little blisters on the back of my leg that really itched!
They turned into pus filled sores shortly after that. When they broke, they left a black area that scabbed over. After the scabbing, they dried up and healed. This took about two weeks maybe three. The doctor said that it was a spider bite, but didn’t know what kind, as I didn’t see one at the time.
Three years later, I still get the soreness in my leg, the blisters and then the pus filled ones that scab over. My md said that the venom can stay in the area for a long time. As of this writing I am taking an antibiotic for the infection.
It has been three years! Is this possible? It only gets sore at the exact same site as the original and never spreads anywhere else. I have a permanent purplish scar that remains at the site of the eruptions. The md says that the venom has damaged the deep tissue and if it happens again, I need to have a biopsy.
I dont understand how this works so if you have any insight on the bite and maybe type of spider that could have done this. Please feel free to let me know! I’ll try to send a photo the next time I have an eruption. It usually erupts at least two to three times every year!
Hello! I was at work yesterday, and then all at once there was a pain in my leg. I thought that I had just hit it on something really hard. When I got home it looked like I got bit by a misquito, except worse. Today it is still about the same with same pain. If someone could tell me any information it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
i woke up this am with swollen neck at hair line on left side and pain as the day passes now it is very painful still swollen daughter said a little red dot or indention hurts in general and more if you touch it vision a little weird today ear a little stuffy and like closed up feeling feels kinda hard to touch and bump/lump.
Also, I have some places on side of my face that almost go away and itch but when i scratch it is kinda flakey and oosy have tried benidryl, cort cream, bacitracin ointment, moisture lotions. I thought it was maybe stress or spider/bug bite and have had for about 3 months. Ideas?
The bite is on the middle finger and best I can tell it did not have a black center which is characteristic of brown recluse, BUT the finger is extremely swollen and the knuckes on the 2nd and 3rd finger are red and swollen too. First noticed 3 days ago and the above description is as of today????????
My friends sister got bit on her arm and they dont know what could of bit her. The area is red the area around the bite is bleeding and there are purple veins popping up around it. is it something to be worried about? Is it a spider bite or is it a harmless insect bite? Anything would help.
I got bitten on the right wrist my whole arm is swollen and all over my arm tiny white head pimples are breaking out. The bite site is very red and like a mountain the shin is cracking open and fluids are running out. Very very sore to the touch and I must have at least 50 break outs on my arm even in my armpits. Some on my stomach and my knuckles are completely gone from being swollen. I only have one hand to type with. I saw a doctor this past Sunday and they have me taking pills and putting cream on the sore, this on top of having shots. My wrist is the same and I know that last week my wrist was very itchy. I had a new tattoo done and had to jump in a dirty river to save my grandson from drowning, so this may also be part of the trouble. I am at a lost for words and pain is killing me!
I live in NYC and just moved into a semi basement apartment. My co-worker noticed two bumps on my forehead and now there are little tiny blisters forming on it. I have a crappy HMO and I feel like my Doctor is stupid. What kind of Doctor do I have to go to for these bites? Even if I have to pay cash, I need someone who knows what they are doing. A dermatologist? The bites hurt like a pimple but its not unbearable. No itching at all. I’m kinda scared. Anyone in Queens want to come to the Doctor with me?
Here is a picture of my husband’s spider bites. This is at about day 10. It felt like mosquito bites and didn’t hurt initially. They swelled way up and then turned black in the centers. It has been a month and he has brown scars. We are not sure what kind of spider bit him. He didn’t get sick and the bites and lesions didn’t spread.
Thank you for your great site.
Sincerely,
Tina
The spider was brown with to white stripes, any idea what it was? The spider bit me today i don’t know if it is poisonous or not.
Please tell or send me a photo today or tommow before the date rolls over.
To Whitley #436
To post pic’s, attach and send them in an e-mail to (help@badspiderbites.com) and they will post them for you. Tell them which post to attach them to (they’re really great with it!)
Heidi
This is for Susan #365
The sore that you speak of in your nose sounds extremely familiar. You may not want to hear it but I have a few questions for you to ask yourself as well. First, do you ever suffer from joint pain in the elbows, knees, back, hands etc? Do you feel very tired a lot without explaination? Do you ever get red spots or blotches on your skin when you have been in the sun for any length of time?
Reason I ask is because a few of the women in my family had complained about these sores in their nose (and they do seep) and cause headaches and soreness to the face and upper lip. They would crust over and if irritated at all, would enflame and cause severe pain. This includes myself, my mother and my sister. My mother has Systemic Lupus and I am undergoing testing for it myself (it is hereditary) -sp? they say. The sores in the nose are part of the “connective tissue” part of the disease. It was a very early symptom for my mother and had they known more about it in the 80’s they may have been able to pick that up. Unfortunately, there is no cure for Lupus as of now. However, there are ways to retard the progression and aid the symptoms now. We also noticed that we all would get cysts in the groin area around the time of our (monthly’s) and that was part of the blood disorder that all ties in together. If any of this sounds in the least bit familiar to you, please go have yourself tested. Time is of the essence when it comes to Lupus. The earlier you catch it the better. Good luck to you! Let’s hope that it’s a bug bite sweetheart!
Peace,
I live in Westchester and was in my back yard pulling weeds out of the grass when I felt as if a nail had stuck in my finger – there was a small brown/grey spider with a bulb shaped body crawling away. It drew blood – but a yet there is no numbness, swelling or blisters. If anyone has any ideas – let me know? SHould I go to a doctor right away. I do not feel sick or dizzy.
Hi Everyone. I’m Whitley. I’ve Noticed Just In The Past Few Days That There Are A Bunch Of Red Bumps On My Left Leg. They Are Small, And I Think They Look A Lot Like Pimples. But.. Over The Course Of The Day Today At School I Noticed That They Don’t Look Like PImples Anymore Just Red. And I Didn’t Know What To Think.. Until I Got Home & Was Looking Around In My Room. I Saw A Few Large Spiders But I Just Ran To My Dad To Kill Them. I Guess I Didn’t Really Connect The Bumps With The Spiders Until About An Hour Ago.. I Just Know That The Two Spiders I Saw Were Medium Sized & Brown.
I Wish I Knew How To Post The Pictures Up Here.. :(
Another Thing I’ve Noticed Is A Major Headache I’ve Had Since I Got Home From School.
PLEASE HELP! I’m So Freaked Out!!
– Whitley
I was bitten by a spider night before last and immediately felt the itching and burning discomfort associated with it. I did not see the spider but it had to have happened either while I lay sleeping or when I put on a sweater my daughter retrieved from her closet (which hadn’t been worn in about a year).
I live in the Niles area which is heavily wooded, near a river and right on some railroad tracks. We have tons of Wolf spiders, tarantulas just tons of species I can’t even name. We’ve caught spiders the size of my hand in my home. I have a 12 year old, 7 year old and a 17 mo. old baby (I worry about most) cause he’s in every corner all the time.
The bite is hard and sensitive to the touch (feels bruised). The initial holes were tiny and oozy. There was a greenish hardened pus-like scab over each puncture hole and I scratched them off by accident (how I noticed) then clear and bloody fluid came out.
I squeezed it to get it out (is that bad??) Now punctures are getting bigger (slight greenish-yellow wounds) red area has enlarged to almost nickel size now. Sight is warm but no notice of pain outside the affected area. Do you think it’s necrotic? -Sp??
The picture above is of the spider bite has a penny for size ID. You will also see a picture of a (dead) spider that seems epidemic here. Ton’s of them! Don’t know if it’s the one that got me or what type. Let me know what you think.
Curious if I should call an exterminator to keep babies safe.
Thanks!
I don’t know whether this is a spider bite, but it fits some descriptions of them. I have a large lump on my left forearm, by my elbow, about 2 inches in diameter that is itchy and hurts when touched. There is a small spot of tiny pus bubbles in the center, and one is open and oozes pus occasionally. I’ve only had it since this morning, and it swells whenever I scratch it. It’s skin-colered and there’s a small scab about the size of a BB at the edge of the lump. It’s warm to the touch. I go to school and I am lefthanded, so it’s very hard to write. Does anyone know if this is a spider bite, and if it is, if I should go to a doctor?
I was bitten by something on 9/13/07 and the bite it self actually felt like a little bee sting or a horsefly. i shood it away and then it just itched like a masquito bite. The next night the spot where i was bite had a little blister like form with a black dot in the middle. Now 9/18/07 the bite has a boil like around it. It is very painful and the pain never seems to go away at all either. Its very discomforable and i limp when i walk because it on the lower region of my back on the left side. The red hardness around it has gotten bigger and the pain is unbearable, could anyone please help me figure out what the pain could have been caused from. I go to the doctors tomorrow, but i have no idea what has bit me. =(
i live in houston texas and was biten by something today i didn’t feel it but around 3pm i noticed a lerge red circle on my forearm about two inches round i thought nothing of it but at 7 pm i looked nd it was still there slightly swollen , no smaller, tender to the touch now, and kinda warm feeling is that a spider bite? if so what should i do?
I have something in my back that looks like little red bumps, I’m not sure if it’s of a spider bite, however I’ve had some weird encounters with spiders that I’ve had to kill these past couple of weeks. Can someone please tell me if I should worry about it? it itches and it’s bothersome, no symptoms associated with poisonous spiders have ocurred yet. Thanks. Jose
I recently found a bite on my leg, see the picture below:
A day after the bite I started to get flu-like symptoms. I don’t know when I was bitten – or by what. General achiness, joint achiness, no fever, slight nausea, slight headache. No rash, blisters, etc.
my 6 1/2 was bitten 3x’s by a spider, one near the eye, one on each of her forearms. They are about a size of a quarter and the one near the eye is about a dime size. she is currently under antibiotic for a sore throat, is this antibiotic being helpful during this unfortunate spider bites?
Also, my husband and I were not bitten and we were sleeping together all 3 of us.
She was bitten on sunday, and monday we notice the red spots, tonite monday late night I decided to take a look around and found 3 little spiders in a corner of the room and a bigger spider running across the carpet which i killed — after reading this site, I realize now , i should of kept them all, for proper verification.
.are house spiders dangerous too? our are there no such thing as house & outdoor spiders?
To Tina # 353
Have you ruled out facial shingles? Hope you are feeling better.
This is my bite –
it’s hard to see but it’s a red pin-sized dot with a white circle around it. My calf muscle is very sore (I’m limping) and the calf is swollen. Please provide any insights, it’s appreciated!
I’m not sure if this is a bite or not, but it started as a small dot above my left eye and now its swollen up a lot and its very painful to the touch and it feels really hard underneath the surface, its really red but other than that there is no discoloration. If anyone could help I’d appreciate it.
I have read all comments and I can’t figure out if what I’ve come in contact with is a spider or not. Most of you who have sent comments, talk about a dark black or purple pump or center, which I do not see with my bite. Right now it is dime-size, red circle around edge, puffy and blister looking. See the picture of the bite below:
Pus fills when I allow it to (since it is on my forefinger, I’m constantly washing the area). It has been 5-days since I was bitten and I’m trying to find more information on spider bite diagnosis and treatment. Any help is appreciated.
I was bit by something about 2 days ago and it kind of felt like a horse fly bite. The next day it was a little dot with a black dot in the middle, which I thought it was a bee stinger so my boyfriend tried to squeeze it out, nothing came out except a little clear pus.
Now it is a little dot and it feels kind of like a boil except very, very painful. The insect bite is very little, but the top is white and all around it is red and hard when you press on it. The top is a bit indented and the day after it itched like a misquito bite.
Can please someone try and identify what it is and what I should do it would be gladly appreciated.
about 3 days ago, i felt a sharp bite on my arm, the area swelled up immediately about 3 inches long and an inch and a half wide. it shrunk down to an itchy hard lump about half an inch in diameter by the following morning. today the lump is dissipating, but the area is tender nd slightly itchy and it looks like 2 bruises touching, one about 3/4 inch in diameter and the other about an inch and 1/2. the two little rough puncture marks (the bite) are in between the two bruises. i can feel the bite when i move my wrist. is this a spider bite? if so, what kind? and what treatment should i do? thanks.
I live in Florida and I think I got bit by a spider. I didn’t feel it but I just saw that I had a small red bump that itched and hurt on my right thigh. I thought it was an ingrown hair so I tried popping it and it got worse the next day. It’s been 3 weeks now and it hasn’t gone away. It is now a purple bump with a light red/purple around the bump. I already went to the doctor who gave me antibiotic for 7 days and told me to put warm compresses every day. But that hasn’t helped. I’m going to the dermatologist in 2 days to see what he says. Does anyone know what to do?
I have a spider bite which is now being treated with antibiotics show in the picture below:
I thought it was a mosquito bite or bee sting but the pain became to intense and I went to the doctor and he identified it as a bite. Alexandria Virginia
Update on 9/15/07:
You may have seen my spider bite above. That pic. was day 4 or 5 after I realized something was really wrong. Anyway, the bite is healing nicely and there is plenty of dead skin peeling off (the first 3 days after seeing the doctor I had to go to the doctors office and was IV’ed with antibiotics now I’m on oral antibiotics for 10 days) .
The redness has diminished around the wound. There was a guy who apparently showed up after me in the same doctors office. The doctors says the guy waited to long to come in and was taken directly to surgery to remove part of the back of his leg where the bite occurred.
I can’t believe he was able to wait. I went in without an appointment and demanded I see someone immediately because I was in so much pain. I could not sit down. Not sure where I got my bite but I hope I never get another one.
Be careful out there!
Cindy Cloutier,
It sounds like a blackwidow bite you should go to a doc. Visit this page on the black widow to learn more.
Sincerely, Pam
i live in ontario Canada and i have a weird bite on my left arm, i think it’s a spider bite because i have lots of spiders in my house. I’m curious what spider bit me or if it’s even a spider bite. Theres a little red bump and about 2 cm. red circle around the bump. it’s not itchy but it hurts alot, it feels a bit like a bruse but herts all around not just on the red parts. it also herts a lot when i strech my arm. Anyone know what it might be?
I live in NYS which i don’t believe has very dangerous spiders but all the same. i’m not positive i was bitten by a spider so i’m guessing since i can identify fang marks and am pretty insect inpaired and the spider is the only insect that bites that i can think of that has two fangs.
I have this puffy red spot now on my knee and it itches like the dickens. if its related i’m not sure but i’m paranoid like this so i figured i’d add it. i’ve also been feeling odd all day, before i even knew the bite was a bite. really tired and kinda out of it and just.. odd. and my joints have been hurting which could be paranoia ;-)
The spot it self is really red and kinda.. numb when i touch it.
I also have the same kind of red itchy spot on my stomach. i tried bactine but it doesn’t help. oh someone help me making the itching stop and if there are any even slightly dangerous spiders in NYS (i live upstate).
Yesterday I went to the doctor’s office and my spider bite was removed. It STILL hurts like crazy, though. But, I was planning on going today instead of yesterday. I’m SO GLAD I got it over with!
Dear Jeanie Eliason (#388)
It’s a bit late and i’m no expert but if you live in anywhere from tennesse to Florida there is a good chance it was a brown recluese. See the doctor if you haven’t already.
Dear scott (#383)
All of the spider bites I have don’t itch very much, it could be mosquitoes, if the bites are over an inch from the nearest one, its probably not a spider.
Dear Lynnette Gillespie
My dog got sick with a disease that makes some areas of its body hypersensitive, and others numb. It was fatal to ours and i’m praying that’s not what it is.Take your dog to the vet tomorrow!!!!
My Jack Russell may have been bitten by a spider tonight. She lets out a piercing scream whenever I pick her up or even pet her. I see no lumps or bumps, but I am very scared. She acts like she has the chills. It has me scared. What should I do? Someone out there must know something about bites on pets eh? Help!
I was in Orlando, Florida over the weekend and I came back home with over 4 bites on my upper body. The bite looks like a blister and one of them has a tiny black spot on the top of it. It burns and sometimes iches when my clothing touches it. The spider was small though and it hardly hurt when it happened.
Ok I have to little red marks that are what looks like to me almost perfectly spaced out. They kinda look like little fang marks up close, It might be a little puffy I’m not sure though. I was just wondering if any body knew what they were. Thanks
Dear Stef (386) my daughter also had what appears like the same symptoms as you had a few years ago. It was found to be caused by deer ticks from a visit to a state park in Southern Indiana. It took months to clear up. It seemed to spread on the side of her stomach. She has quite a sensitivity to insect bites.
My daughter gets these bites which look like mosquito bites They are itchy and then a few days later she get what look like several pin size dark purple bruises, it forms a oblong circle around the bite, maybe a bit larger around this bite. She says the bites get really hard to the touch! She has two of these on her upper thigh and one on the side of her stomach.
i got bitten on my stomach about a month ago and its still there as a scab no and keeps weeping and bleeding and is really sore is it possible its a spider bite
i have a bite on my leg. it is fevering and hard. its about the size of a quarter. spider bite or not?
We live in Southern Vermont. My 3 1/2 year old daughter had a red mark on her inner knee lastnight, we thought it was a tiny bump from playing outside… today I noticed two little pinpricks in the redness. It appears to be a spider bite I think. There is redness around the two little red dots, the redness seems to reach out farther on the left side of the bite, it is really strange.
She isn’t complaining of any pain, her appetite is fine, and she has been playing… I just worry.
Her doctors office is closed until tomorrow, today is Sunday…
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
I live in san jose, Ca. I just recently moved and I noticed right in the middle of my back there is a group of a bunch of red bites. And they itch! What kind of spider does this and how long will it be before the bites go away?
Hello ya’ll
My family, my boyfriend and I went on a trip down to Tennessee last week, and my mom got bit by something.. All of us thought it was a mosquito bite, but after a few days the bite started going away and now it looks like a huge lightis red bruise on her neck, she doesnt have a fever, or anything.. But she does feel like the side where her bite is, is tight like someone is holding onto it very very very hard someone that is strong, and she feels like someone is sitting on her chest and also trying to choke her, she also is sleeping a lot of she is really tired if she is not alseep, we think it might be a spider bite but we do not know,, CAN ANYONE HELP US PLEASE?????????
thank you very much
peace be with you
Holley
This is a question about a spider bite.
The spider bite took place while I was sleeping, in my bed, at my home in NE TN. I did not see the spider, but in my sleep, I was aware of a stinging sensation. For hours afterwards, while asleep, I had periods of not feeling well, nauseated, woke up feeling my heart race, had kind of wierd, vivid dreams and was aware that my right hand/arm/wrist area was painful to move, like it was swollen. It had been late at night when I fell asleep, and I had to wake up early – I was very groggy and had a hard time waking up, but I was keenly aware that there was something wrong. In the morning, when I did wake up, I told my husband immediately that something had happened, and I felt pretty sure I’d been bitten by a spider.
My right arm/wrist area is swollen – it is painful to move my hand up or down, and the area of swelling is cold to the touch versus warm like normal swelling would be (I’m a nurse, so I find this strange). There, in the midst of the swelling, and somewhat hard to see, is a slightly raised whitish colored lump with a very light gray colored spot in the center – it’s small, not much larger than a pimple. It’s painful to touch, but not very obvious to see. I think this is my bite location. I honestly have no clue what it could be other than a spider bite. I’m trying not to worry over it, it’s uncomfortable, but not the most pain I”ve ever felt – I haven’t called the Dr. yet – anyone have any ideas?
Thanks,
Stacie
i got bit three times by a small brown spider in my pants, the first bite is a dot a mm by a mm, surrounded half an inch in each direction by purple broken blood vessels. the other 2 are the same size dot but with non of the blood vessel business…so yeah if you have any idea what kind of spider this could have been let me know…p.s. i live in southeastern massachusetts and i think the spider was hanging around in my cellar. thanks!
-Heather
I just saw a bite on my upper outer thigh this evening. I’m sure I got it sometime late last night as I was sitting outside on the ground in shorts with friends. I didn’t feel any pain, so I didn’t know about it til today when I felt the two scabs on my thigh. It doesn’t itch, but it hurts to the touch. It’s two small holes side by side, as if a set of fangs punctured my skin, maybe not even a centimeter apart. It is slightly raised and the skin around it is red. But it doesn’t hurt or itch which is why I’m not sure what it is. Normally I am very allergic to spider bites and swell dramatically, but this one is different. Any idea on what it was that could have bit me and left a two-pronged puncture?
About a month ago, I was visiting my father in NC. I looked down at my ankle, because it felt strange, and I saw what looked like a mosquito bite, which had swelled about the size of a golf ball, right on the front of my ankle. It was sore, itchy, firm, and warm. I applied an allergy cream, took some Benadryl, and applied a cool cloth. The swelling went down, but it didn’t go away for over a week. The bite mark remained for about three weeks.
His house has many orb weaver spiders outside, and some had been in the house. My father would check the house each night for them, and if he found one inside, he would take it outside. The bite was aligned with the inside of my pants leg, so I thought that it must have gotten trapped between my skin and the fabric.
About two weeks after I returned home to MD, I awoke to find a large swelling around the end of my left ankle on gastrocnemius muscle and Achilles tendon. It appeared to have three bite marks (what looked much like mosquito bites), and the swelling was sore, itchy, firm, and warm; as was the previous bite. I assumed that a spider crawled into my bed (My bedspread does sometimes touch the floor.), became lost, and bit me. I treated it as I had the previous one and didn’t think much more of it. That was a little less than a week ago. The swelling has almost gone away, but the bites are still there and still itchy.
The day after this occurred, I awoke from a nap with another bite just about my elbow on the left side. Again, it swelled about the size of an egg, became red and firm, was itchy and warm. At this point, I became very anxious, because I was afraid I had gotten an egg from my father’s home on my suitcase, and it had hatched in my bedroom. I have heard that pesticides are unsuccessful with spiders, and I worry for the health of my pets when using them, so I looked online for natural remedies. After seeing it recommended on several sites, I placed cotton balls with cinnamon or peppermint oil around my house, because it was said that they would drive off spiders from the smell. After about 24-48 hours, the swelling went down, but the bite mark is still visible now.
I stayed at my mother’s apartment for a few days. We live in an older house that has been changed into two apartments. I live on the top floor, and my mother lives on the ground floor. Yesterday, I was preparing to go back to my home to sleep. Early in the evening, I fell asleep in a recliner in my mother’s living room. When I awoke, my arm felt bad, so I checked it out. On my left forearm, just about my wrist, was another bite, just like the others. Unlike the others, this made me feel disoriented, dizzy, and nauseated. The swelling was over my entire forearm to the elbow and down into my hand. My carpal tunnel nerve tingled as well. My mother put moist tobacco on it to draw out venom, and by morning, the swelling had gone down greatly. It is still swollen, about the size of a fifty cent piece, and it is achy and warm. It itches as well, but it hurts to scratch it. None of the bite marks look more than mosquito or flea bites, but the side effects seem to be great.
What kind of spider is biting me? Why is it biting me, no matter which house I’m in? Why has no one else been bitten? What should I do?
Thank you in advance for your time. God bless you. I hope to hear from some of you with answers soon.
I would say at least 3 weeks ago I was cleaning out my basement and while dragging bags of garbage out of the basement I walked thru a cobweb/spiderweb and unfortunately I was wearing shorts. This is when I would say that the spider got on my body. I don’t know for certain how long it took for me to notice the mark on my leg, I would guess a few hours to a couple of days.
I don’t remember when I first noticed the mark, it has been at least three weeks. I also didn’t feel anything, at all, upon being bit. Within one week of noticing, the mark it grew. It was approx. one centimeter higher than the surface of the skin around it that was unaffected and it was approx. a quarter/25 cent coin in diameter, or approx. one inch.
The pain was excrutiating! It made moving, walking especially, very difficult. Within this last hour I was in the bathroom and I noticed some bruising and bleeding on the mark. I also noticed two small, but pronounced, bit marks/holes directly on top of the mark.
I’ll send a picture if I can get this webcam to work. Please tell me with the information that I have given you so far what am I up against?
My brother was bit on right arm it has an entry point and small blisters surround it. The skin is red and raised. He is now getting hives or blister on face, nose any one know what kind of spider could do this?