Should I worry about the brown recluse spiders hanging out in my box stand when I am deer hunting?

Don't worry--just clean them out. That's not a bite you want to mess around with. It's better to squish them than to spray a nasty-smelling pesticide that deer will smell in the next county, but please, squish them with a foreign object or at least heavy gloves, not your bare hand.

Is there any way you can let some daylight into the stand when not in use? (Or when in use without making yourself too visible to deer?) The brown recluse loves dark spaces.

I must admit that I could not be very calm about this matter. I have arachnophobia. I know my terror is irrational, but knowing that doesn't make it go away. My heart is racing just answering this question. Once while I was out bowhunting, I saw a teeny, tiny spider walking up my jacket. I reflexively went to swipe it off with whatever was in my hand. "Whatever" was an arrow. I came within about a centimeter of gouging my eye out with a

broadhead, which would certainly have been the worst injury any spider ever "caused" me.

While I’m one that doesn’t mind having insects crawl all over me while hunting but I draw the line with certain ones and the brown recluse is one of them. Their bite can cause this;

http://www.acponline.org/graphics/bioterro/canthra...

http://www.pestcontrolrx.com/.a/6a00e5527221258833...

I don’t have them in my area but did in places I hunted in the lower 48. And I knew some who suffered terribly from their bite. When it starts to get cold spider will seek out places for warmth and unfortunately that can be us. So if I were you I would take some precautions. And if there are lots of them in that stand I would not use it! I have used bug suits in places swarming with biting insects such as some places here in Alaska and swamps in the lower 48. But a place full of brown recluse spiders I would either avoid or fumigate. And deer sure can smell insecticide.

Well, you could always take the approach the Robertsons used when one of their duck blinds was infested with venomous snakes:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2mqI3GyKNU

But if you want to keep the stand, you should probably find a way to clean out the blind. Mr.357's mention of diatomaceous earth is a good one, but you'll probably want to clean out your blind after you're done with it. Maybe find somewhere else to hunt for the next few days, and in the meantime get rid of the spider infestation. And brown recluse or not, I don't particularly relish the idea of sharing my deer stand with a bunch of spiders.

As long as they don't get trapped under clothing, you have little to worry about.

They would have no reason to bite just crawling on you, but smacking one like a mosquito could provoke a bite.

Recluse don't like human activity, and I would think they would leave with your presence.

You might bring along soap/water to wash any possible bite, and a topical antibiotic.

With most bites, that is all that is needed.

I would be more concerned with the mosquitoes.

It truly depends on how often you use it because brown recluse spiders usually go into areas that have not been used for a good period Of time or like a week or two days maybe

Here's the deal. You don't want them making a home there. Just get you a can of Raid that deals with spiders. Spray the stand out when you are not using it, and not only will it kill the spiders, it will prevent them from showing back up for about six weeks. Then respray.

Any place that does not have much traffic is ideal for spiders. Even a permanent blind or stand.

Just about any otc pesticide will work fine- you just need to use it anytime you visit the stand. If you can find it on the shelf- then it is "relatively" safe. Use it often because its residual life is short.

I have been working in pest control for thirty years. If I had a nickle for every spider that is "definitely a BRS I could retire to Belize.

BRS bites are highly over hyped, 90% will heal on their own with no complications.

BRS' are also not aggressive at all, one family lived in a house for years where 3000 were found at one time. No one was ever bitten.

But I guess it is better to be safe than sorry, so if you do actually have a BRS issue cleaning them out would not be a horrible idea

Just realize that insecticides do not work on spiders unless you hit the spider directly.

The best to use would be Termidor, if you can get it.

You can mix it up in a windex type bottle and spray when you arrive at your stand. It is odorless

I would pick a day, like maybe Sunday when you might be several days away from your next visit to that stand and I would spray them some good insecticide. This would allow you to kill the invaders and also give the smell a few days to dissapate before your return!

Get a home extermination sprayer from a hardware store and treat the stand the day before. Works for me.