Any good spider repellents?

Soundguy · Jun 29, 2006

I have once again, received a spider bite. My fellow office workers say i am going to turn into spider man...

ironically, i recieved this bite in the same work location as my last bite. Out in the field working on an electric gate for our company.

Last month, the main control board went out.. This week, the rf receiver went out after a thunder storm. I actually saw the 'quarter' sized light brown/black ( wolf? ) spider run up over the bridge of my foot.. pause at my ankle, and then run off. An hour later.. there it was.. a nice red spot.

I'm getting pretty good at this now.. When i got back to work I didn't even wait for any symptons to start.. I just popped a benadryl and went about my business.

Bit came to a small (white) head later that night, which opened on it's own in the shower. This was on monday afternoon... Bit is now red and a little larger than the size of a BB. I put some alergy creme on it every now and then. So far no swelling, no aches / muscle pain.. no drainage.. and no enlargement of the wound.. no pain at bite site.. though on the first day there was.

I'm just keeping a good eye on it and checking it every few hours to look for change.

I half jokingly told my wife that if she finds me disorientated or worse, to point out to the er that I was bit here, etc, etc, etc...

Lets see.. this will be my 4th spider bite in 2 years... These little buggers LOVE me.

I would like to add that each bite has had less severe reactions than the previous. First one was fairly bad.. second similar but shorter duration, 3rd again less.. and this one.. well.. I would call it very-mild... etc.

I generally put on mosquito / fly repellant if i am going out to a jobsite to do anything.. but that doesn't seem to effect the spiders... ... Actually.. it must make me taste good or something...

Any ideas? By the time i find something good, My immunity will probably make it a moot point......

Soundguy

JoeR · Jun 30, 2006

Go to www.bugspray.com

They have lots of information there. I had a scorpion problem, bought some Viper, and that did it! I no longer need to wear shoes in the house!

Joe

roxynoodle · Jul 1, 2006

I constantly get spider bites too. They are annoying and take a long time to heal. I may have found an accidental cure though for my house anyways. Somehow a Northern Short-Tailed shrew has gotten in and it seems to be eating all the spiders! I haven't seen a spider in 2 weeks. It took awhile to figure out what on earth this thing in my house was (it kind of looks like either a fat mouse with part of its tail missing or a hamster!). Once I identified it I discovered it is the only mammal in N. America that is poisonous so of course I'm thinking it has to go. However, it won't attack people, runs off mice, eats bugs and maybe isn't as much of a pest as the spiders and mice. I am debating what to do with it. It's not exactly spider repellent, but...

rebelmedic · Jul 2, 2006

Soundguy,,, If you find a repellent I`ll be interested also. I am a spider magnet.I get bit at least 6-8 times a year or more. Just as you, I get bit when outside working and the affects are only like a small pimple after so many years of being bitten.Pop it several times and its gone. Even the brown recluse has little affect but still aggravateing that every spider that finds skin has to stop and have a bite.

Soundguy · Jul 2, 2006

I figure i am slowly building up immunity.. The bite is still a red mark/pimple.. and as always.. it is taking a week+ to heal. Guess that spider venom is bad stuff. Ant bites hardly make a mark on me.

Glad I'm not alergic to spiders... my doc said I'd probably be dead now if I was, as each bite can be worse.. etc..

To the other poster.. neat info on shrews.. i had to go google them.. pretty intersting to see a mam. with venom!

Soundguy

roxynoodle · Jul 2, 2006

Yeah, I don't think I recommend carrying these shrews around as portable spider eaters but I may let it clean out my house some more. This house is a spider magnet!

John47 · Jul 7, 2006

I lived in Australia for ten years, you had to be very careful where you put your hands over there. Every spider is venemous!
One of the guy's where I worked used to catch Sydney Funnel Webs and leave them in a sealed glass jar in the changing room for all to see and appreciate how big those puppies can get.
They are the most venemous spider in the world, up until around 1982, there was no anti venom for their bite!

RFB · Jul 8, 2006

Soundguy,

This is a methodology that I have used and taught for guys doing in-the-field stuff. It is a 2 step regimen that includes both skin and clothing treatment. Both steps are required for full protection.

1. Exposed skin should be treated with an insect repellent containing at least 35% DEET. This chemical (keep it awy from plastics; it is a plasticizer) creates an olfactory barrier as it evaporates on your skin. It provides zero protection if used on clothing. A good product is Sawyer's Gold formulation which uses a micale protein encapsulation to reduce skin absorption while still maintaining evaporative protection.

2. Treat your clothing (I hope you are wearing long trousers in those environs.) with a permethrin formulation. Permethrin is a synthetic duplication of a natural occurring insecticide that occurs in a species of Chrysanthemum. As a repellent it is applied to clothing only. DO NOT USE THIS AS A SKIN TREATMENT. This clothing treatment has been in use for more than 15 years and has been proven safe and effective. Once clothing is treated, protection lasts from two weeks to two months depending on the application. It will withstand weekly detergent launderings. Longer protection can be obtained by applying additional product onto the clothing. Always follow manufacturer's instructions. These products can also be used on tents, backpacks, etc to disuade insect infestation.

http://www.permethrin-repellent.com/products.htm has a selection of this type of product.

We used Coulston Perma Kill 13.3% permethrin solution, diluted with water in a Hudson type sprayer to spray BDU's long before the market brought forth the aerosolized formulations listed above. It worked great with zero negative effects. Lasted 3 -4 washings.

Soundguy · Jul 9, 2006

I thought DEET only messed up carbon dioxide sensing.. for instance.. which is why it works against mosquitos.. etc?

( I got plenty of permethrin around the farm.. )

Soundguy