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Hannibal, MO

This time of year, a lot of little critters come out from hibernation.

Some of those are spiders.

KHQA recently checked in with Reliable Pest Solutions who say one spider you should worry about is becoming more abundant.

"We see more and more brown recluse spiders. They are the nasty guys. We see more black widow spiders, brown widow spiders, they have a bad reputation because if they bit you, you can have a bad reaction to it. But their numbers are very small compared to the brown recluse," says Gene Scholes with Reliable Pest Solutions.

The good news, you typically won't die from a brown recluse spider bite. Their venom kills skin cells. Your skin will die, just like if it were burnt. The bite area might get infected and lose a lot of skin. In bad cases, the bite can actually make a hole in your hand, foot, leg, whereever you're bitten.

"They are not coming out to bite you, they are just coming out to search for insects to feed on. They are trying to do what spiders do which is naturally feed and limit the insect populations," saus Scholes.

Gene Scholes says they will affect older and younger people the most because they sleep pretty still. If you toss and turn in bed, chances are if a brown recluse in the bed with you, it'll stay away from you.

"There are probably very few homes in this area I could go and not find a brown recluse spider," says Scholes.

That's how abundant they've become. They started popping up in the tri-states about 20 years ago. Their name pretty much says it all. They are brown in color, and they like to be reclusive. Which means it's a good idea to check your shoes, clothes, or hats that you don't wear very often. Many times, a brown recluse will go where it's dark, and if you put your shoe on, it'll feel trapped and bite you out of protection.

You can see pictures of brown recluse spider bites on Reliable Pest Solution's website www.reliablepestsolutions.com

Brown recluse spiders also become a problem in the fall because they are looking for a warm place to sleep for the winter.

By the way, Reliable Pest Solutions is one of our home experts on the website.

Check the company out online, you'll find more information, and you can ask any question about pest control that may be on your mind.