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Best Protection from Spider Bites: Common Sense

Making It Grow Minute

  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.

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Amanda McNulty is a Clemson University Extension Horticulture agent and the host of South Carolina ETV’s Making It Grow! gardening program. She studied horticulture at Clemson University as a non-traditional student. “I’m so fortunate that my early attempts at getting a degree got side tracked as I’m a lot better at getting dirty in the garden than practicing diplomacy!” McNulty also studied at South Carolina State University and earned a graduate degree in teaching there.