<p>^^^The people I know personally who have been bitten by brown recluse spiders and who have suffered significant necrosis (permanent effect) as well as transient fever, all-body rash and pain were either on camping trips or had returned from stays in rural cabins and had used some bedding without laundering it.</p>
<p>In at least two of the cases, the victims felt something crawling across their skin and they swatted at the “bug” without looking at it (obviously, that is what you do in the middle of the night) and crushed it. One has a big chunk of his arm missing, the other has a large indentation in her chest. Good thing the spider wasn’t crawling across their face.</p>
<p>However, when I was in middle school two young boys down the street from me died from recluse bites (multiple). There was fresh construction at their house and evidently the spiders were brought in with some of the wood being used. As I remember, there was something in the news about the boys playing in a closet.</p>
<p>The fact is that most of the homes in central MO, where I live, probably are home to many brown recluses. I have only seen them outside, but they are believed to be hanging out in many attics and other seldom-visited storage spaces. It is a good argument for eliminating clutter in closets, garages, basements and other storage areas.</p>