Hello Gardeners, I’m Amanda McNulty with Clemson Extension and Making It Grow. The brown recluse spider is the scapegoat of the spider family – it is only significantly present in seven states. It has very small fangs and has a hard time even puncturing skin – can’t bit through fabric. The hide in dark areas and only run around at night. They do sometimes have unhappy encounters with humans and bite to protect themselves, sometimes if someone slips on a shoe where a spider is hiding, but most of their bites heal up without doctoring. To protect yourself from indoor or outdoor spider bites, don’t clutter up your attic, garage, or yard with piles of debris and if you are cleaning up, wear gloves, long pants and closed toe shoes. If you have a spider you want ID’d, put it in a container filled with alcohol and bring it to your local Extension office.