The World Wide Web of Spiders
Guest blog written by avid geocacher (and dedicated nurse) Kelley Piekarek*.
A Floridian geocacher was reaching for a cache when she felt something bite her arm. Thinking nothing of it, she signed the log, replaced the cache, and moved on. Shortly thereafter her arm became red, swollen, and felt hot to the touch. The area surrounding the bite began to form what appeared to be an infection; her arm became very painful and she was running a high fever.
She went to the emergency room where it was confirmed that she had been bitten by a brown recluse spider. The area was surgically cleaned, she was put on antibiotics, and is now on the road to a full recovery.
Most spiders are absolutely harmless to humans. Of the 4,000+ species of spiders found in North America, only two are dangerous to humans - the
brown recluse and the
black widow.
Geocachers are fortunate to enjoy the wonders of nature. But as we all know, nature can be a bit scary sometimes. If you are informed and aware of your environment, you can avoid spiders bites and know what action to take if you’re bitten.
*If the name Kelley Piekarek sounds familiar, it may be from
this story that made national geocaching news in February 2015.
The bites from brown recluse (left) and black widow spiders (right)How do you stay safe while enjoying your favorite hobby?
Where do spiders like to hide?
What do spider bites look and feel like?
What to do if you’ve been bit?
How to avoid spiders? 
Read more here:
https://www.geocaching.com/blog/2016/01/the-world-wide-web-of-spiders/
Post: #21 a segunda 25 jan 2016, 03:42
