Brown Recluse Bite: Pictures, Symptoms and Care

A typical recluse bite is a single, flat or slightly sunken spot that is pale, blue or purple in the middle with redness around it. Doctors sometimes call this the "red, white and blue" look: a red ring, a pale area and a bluish center.

• One bite, not several: these bites are almost always single wounds.
• Flat, not raised: the spot is usually flat or sunken, not a tall bump.
• Dry, not oozing: the wound is usually dry. Pus or oozing points to another cause.
• Not red in the center: the middle tends to be white, blue or purple rather than red.
• A small blister: a clear or blood tinged blister may form at the center within a day.

Many bites never go beyond a small red bump or a pink patch with a tiny blister that fades in a week or two. Pictures online often show the worst cases, so a mild bite can look much less alarming than people expect.

The most common symptoms are mild pain that starts a few hours after the bite, redness, itching and tenderness around the spot. Many people do not feel the bite itself.

Symptoms Beyond the Skin

Rarely, venom causes symptoms across the body, called systemic loxoscelism. Signs include fever, chills, body aches, nausea, a rash and, in rare cases, damage to red blood cells that can make urine dark. These reactions are more common in children and need emergency care. For a full timeline with each stage, see our guide to the stages of a recluse bite.

Most wounds people blame on recluses are something else, especially outside the spider's south central United States range. UK Entomology notes that recluse bites are rare even where the spiders are common.

Brown Recluse vs Black Widow Bite

A recluse bite mainly affects the skin over hours and days, while a black widow bite mainly affects the nerves within an hour. Widow bites leave little mark but cause spreading pain, cramps and sweating. Recluse bites cause local skin changes and rarely affect the whole body.

Bites are uncommon, even in homes full of these spiders. The spider is shy, hunts at night and bites only when pressed against skin.

• A famous example: entomologists Vetter and Barger reported a Kansas home where 2,055 brown recluses were collected, yet none of the family members living there were bitten.
• Range matters: outside the spider's range a true bite is very unlikely.
• Diagnosis: many wounds called recluse bites turn out to be infections or other conditions.

Most people bitten live inside the spider's range and were bitten at home while dressing, sleeping or cleaning storage areas. Simple habits cut the risk:

• Shake out shoes, gloves and clothes that have been on the floor or in storage.
• Keep beds away from walls and tuck bedding up off the floor.
• Store items in sealed plastic tubs rather than cardboard boxes.
• Wear gloves when moving boxes, firewood or stored items.
• Place sticky traps along walls and behind furniture to check for spiders.

Recluse fangs are too small to bite through clothing, so most bites happen on bare skin inside clothes or bedding.

If you think a recluse bit you, clean the bite, keep it cool and still, and get it checked by a doctor, especially if it changes over the next day.

• Catch the spider if it is safe. Place it in a jar or take a clear photo.
• Wash the bite gently with soap and water.
• Apply a cold pack wrapped in a cloth to ease swelling. Do not use heat.
• Keep the area still and raised if the bite is on an arm or leg.
• Take a pain reliever such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen if needed, following the label.
• Mark the edge of the redness with a pen so you can see if it spreads.

What Not to Do

• Do not cut the bite or try to suck out venom.
• Do not apply heat, home remedies or tight bandages.
• Do not pop a blister or pick at a scab.

There is no commercially available recluse antivenom in the United States, so treatment focuses on wound care. Our spider bite treatment guide covers what doctors do and home care.

See a doctor the same day if the bite might be from a recluse and it is getting worse, and go to emergency care for any symptoms that affect the whole body.

• Same day: a center that turns blue, purple or black, a blister that grows, redness that spreads past the pen mark or pain that keeps increasing.
• Same day: any suspected bite on a child, an older adult or someone with a weak immune system.
• Emergency: fever, chills, vomiting, a body wide rash, dark or red urine, yellow skin or eyes, or trouble breathing.

This information is for general education and is not medical advice.