Halloween arrived early at a San Diego elementary schools when black widow spiders infested more than a third of the classrooms.

“It’s spider season,” said Tim Suanico, who has been principal of the Pete W. Ross Elementary School for four years. “This is the first time we have seen it at this level. Usually, it is one or two and we step on it and it’s over with.”

No bites have been reported from the spiders identified as black widow and brown widow varieties, Suanico said. He estimated that four to six spiders were found as many as 10 classrooms. The school has 380 students and about 20 classrooms.

Last week, officials tried to clear out the vermin from one classroom, but by this Tuesday, the spiders had returned, prompting emergency meetings.

The current plan is to work this weekend and kill off the spiders, Suanico said.

The bite of black or brown widow spider can cause respiratory distress and the severity can vary depending on the individual, he said.

via Black widow spiders make seasonal visit to San Diego school – latimes.com.

What they thought was a fatal spider bite was just a pimple.

In Pomona California this past weekend, a 13 year old teen was believed to have died a week after being bitten by a poisonous spider. There are only two known species of spider in the US that have an adequate quantity of venom that is potent enough to kill a human. Thus, making spider bite fatalities very low and an uncommon occurance.

Los Angeles county coroner’s officials have stated Tuesday that a spider bite did not kill the 13 year old Pomona teen who died on Sunday. The boy’s name has not yet been released to the public.

The boy died in a nearby hospital after going into cardiac arrest. There was a mysterious inflamed welp found on the boy’s body, which was thought to be a venomous spider bite. The bump was believed to be the cause of death and had been noticed a week or more before the incident.

Coroner Lt. Cheryl Macwillie said on Tuesday that there was no evidience of a spider bite and that the “bite” did not kill the boy. She continued to say that the alleged bite was actually a pimple.

An autopsy was scheduled for Tuesday morning to determine the actual cause of death.

via OverTheLimit » Spider Bite Not Responsible for Pomona Teen’s Death.

An eerie story put out of Southern California concerns the death by supposedly unknown means of a 13 year old boy.

The autopsy performed on the boy’s body on Tuesday did not specify cause of death. An assumption is being made the 13 year old boy was killed by a spider.

The autopsy was performed by a Los Angeles County coroner investigating the cause of death along with Pomona Police Department. The death occurred in Pomona, California, on Sunday afternoon, June 20, 2002. When the boy went into cardiac arrest, the Los Angeles Country firefighters were called and dispatched by 911 to his house. He was soon pronounced dead in the emergency room of the hospital where the firefighters left him by emergency room personnel. The boy could not be revived, they said.

Although the boy’s name is not being released by the Pomona Police Department, anyone who has information about the mysterious cause of the boy’s death should contact police officials at (909) 620- 2095.

The allegation that the cause of his death was caused by a venomous spider was assumed by family who said that the boy was bitten about a week before his death by a spider and was feeling discomfort in his knee. There was no sign of any trauma to the boy’s body, however.

via OverTheLimit » Did Spider Bite Kill Pomona Teen?.

SOUTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, Fla. (WSVN) — A teen is recovering in the hospital after a spider bite became infected.

Las week, Dillion Poulos was helping remodel his uncle's kitchen. “We were putting up new panels and stuff and that's when I felt a sting,” Poulos said.

The teen has been at the hospital since last Friday because of the severity of his wound, a big open sore where his flesh have been eaten by the poison. “I felt a sting on my leg and I pulled my pant leg up and it was just a little red mark,” said Poulos.

That little red mark turned into a gaping hole. “It was painful,” he said.

Doctors at Baptist Hospital determined that the sting was the bite of a poisonous spider, the dangerous Brown Recluse. “What happens is that it almost starts eating away at the tissue,” said Dr. Doris Aguilar.

It took the teen two days to realize something was terribly wrong. “I squeezed it and a little bit of puss came out. When I woke up it was all sore and blistered and nasty,” he recalled.

This spider is uncommon in Florida, but doctors believe his family has had unusual run-ins with the rare Recluse before.

“Apparently the mother has been bitten several times and she actually witnessed a brown hairy spider. You can't hardly tell right now, it's just a little bump,” Aguilar said.

As if the spider bite wasn't bad enough, the MRSA Virus also got into the wound, which made treating Poulos that much more difficult. “When they first told me I was like, 'Oh my God. I could be dead,' but thank God I'm still here.”

Doctors said if you get a spider bite, you shouldn't panic. Just don't scratch or pick at it, because that's usually how they get infected. If you notice that it is spreading go see your doctor.

As far as Poulos there is no anti-venom for a Brown Relcuse bite, all they can do is wash it out and give antibiotics, but after being here for a week he will be released on Friday.

via WSVN-TV – Teen recovering from spider bite.

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A woman from Georgia has lost her breast after she was bitten by a poisonous spider and slipped into a coma.

Victoria Franklin is lucky to even be alive after being bitten by a spider back on April ninth, and calling her twin sister after she realized that something was very wrong.

According to her twin, Valerie Dapaa, 51, by the time she took her sister to the hospital, her breast was the size of a loaf of bread.

“Her breast was three times the size, black as tar and had a horrible smell,” she said.

“They call it the smell of death,” said Dapaa. “The doctors said they didn’t know if they couldsave her. She was diabetic and her sugar was up to 700.”

Doctors rushed her into surgery where her breast was cut away, effectively saving her life.

“I don’t even remember being bit,” Franklin stated.

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Wellington – A Canadian tourist spent 16 days in hospital after suffering heart inflammation when he was apparently bitten on the penis by a poisonous katipo spider following a nude swim on a New Zealand beach.

The 22-year-old man left his clothes in sand dunes on the Northland beach and fell asleep after his swim,according to a report on the case in the New Zealand Medical Journalist published Friday.

“He woke to find his penis swollen and painful with a red mark on the shaft suggestive of a bite. He rapidly developed generalised muscle pains, fever, headache, photophobia [light sensitivity] and vomiting,”wrote Dr Nigel Harrison, of Whangarei Hospital.

By the time he reached hospital, his penis was severely swollen, his blood pressure was up and his heart beat was racing.

It was assumed he had been bitten by a katipo spider and he was given anti-venom medicine. But he was also treated for continuing heart problems at two other hospitals before flying home.

The report said it was the first known case of myocarditis – heart inflammation – following a bite by a katipo spider, the only dangerously poisonous creature in New Zealand.

Only two deaths from katipo bites have been recorded – both in the 19th century.

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My guess is Brown Recluse.

Franklin, Ind. – A Johnson County woman said she was working in her garden a week ago today when a spider bit her. Days later, she said she was in so much pain, she went to the ER where doctors immediately admitted her to the hospital.

“When we were kids we played with them and it caused a lot of problems now and a lot of pain, very painful,” said Judy Stephens.

Stephens has been recovering at Johnson Memorial Hospital. She said she had been repotting flowers when everything changed.

“I was on the patio and I was taking them out of the container and I felt a sting on my leg but it didn’t hurt that bad, I didn’t think much about it,” she said.

It was that simple sting that turned into a large wound after days of gradual swelling. Stephens is still in the hospital. Her fever spiked to 104 and the bite became infected.

“It burns so bad its like someone is putting acid on your skin it burns so bad,” she said.

Experts said spiders tend to hide in dark places, like shoes or in closets. Normally spiders won’t bite unless they feel threatened. If you have a suspicious bite, Stephens says get it checked out immediately. It could save you a lot of time and pain.

There are two poisonous spiders in Indiana, the brown recluse and the black widow.

Doctors said they aren’t sure yet, what type of spider bit Stephens. She is expected to recover, but will likely need rehab after the hospital.

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10 Most Poisonous Animals in the World info and 10 Most Poisonous Animals Photo Gallery Pics

It is really hard to tell which animal is the most poisonous in the world. The one that has the most toxic chemicals? The one that kills the biggest amount of people a year? Or maybe the one with the biggest amount of poison?

First of all, I have to admit that the title is a bit incorrect, because there is a difference between poisonous and venomous animals. A poisonous animal carries harmful chemicals called toxins primarily used for self defense. Therefore venomous animals deliver their toxins by stinging, stabbing, or biting. So poisonous animals are passive killers, while venomous animals are active killers.

Nevertheless, theory aside, they are all really dangerous. So look really closely at each photo, cause next time you meet them can be the last thing you ever see.

1. Box Jellyfish : If the yardstick for measuring the deadliest of the worlds mot poisonous creatures is assumed to be the number of deaths that have been caused by them, then the Box Jellyfish definitely tops our list of worlds most poisonous creatures. This creature, which is just about the size of a palm, has reportedly caused deaths to almost 6000 people till date. This number is the highest recorded number in the world. This blue colored jellyfish has one of the most powerful, tantalizing and venomous stings in the world and it is found around the coastlines of South East Asia and Australia.

Box Jellyfish Pictures and Photos

2. King Cobra :

King Cobra

The King Cobra (Ophiophagus hannah) is the world’s longest venomous snake – growing up to 5.6 m (18.5 ft) in length. Ophiophagus, literally means “snake-eater” as it eats other snakes. One single bite of this deadly snake can easily kill a human. This snake is even capable of killing a full-grown Asian Elephant within 3 hours if the larger animal is bitten in a vulnerable area such as the trunk.

It’s venom is not as toxic as other venomous snakes, but King Cobra is capable of injecting 5 times more venom than black mamba and can result in mortality up to 5 times faster than that of the black mamba. It is quite widespread, ranging across South and South-east Asia, living in dense highland forests.

3. Marbled Cone Snail

Marbled Cone Snail

This little beautiful looking Marbled Cone snail can be as deadly as any other animal on this list. One drop of its venom is so powerful that it can kill more than 20 humans. If you ever happen to be in warm salt water environment (where these snails are often found) and see it, dont even think of picking it up. Of course, the true purpose of its venom is to catch its prey.

Symptoms of a cone snail sting can start immediately or can be delayed in onset for days. It results in intense pain, swelling, numbness and tingling. Severe cases involve muscle paralysis, vision changes and breathing failure. There is no antivenom. However, only about 30 human deaths have been recorded from cone snail envenomation.

4. Blue-Ringed Octopus : The blue ringed Octopus was considered one of the worlds most poisonous sea creatures till some time back, until the Box Jellyfish took over. Nevertheless, this creature is till capable of killing up to 25 humans in one bite. Found in the Pacific pools from Japan to Australia, this creature’s bite is impalpable in most cases, but the venom starts working immediately on the muscles and heart- causing weakness, seizure and death within minutes.

Blue-Ringed Octopus

5. Death Stalker Scorpion :

Death Stalker Scorpion

Contrarily to the popular belief most of the scorpions are relatively harmless to humans as stings produce only local effects (pain, numbness or swelling). However, the Death Starker Scorpion is highly dangerous species because its venom is a powerful cocktail of neurotoxins which causes an intense and unbearable pain, then fever, followed by coma, convulsions, paralysis and death. Fortunately, while a sting from this scorpion is extremely painful, it would be unlikely to kill a healthy, adult human. Young children, the old, or infirm (with a heart condition) are at the biggest risk.

Death stalker scorpions are spread in North Africa and Middle East.
6. Stonefish : The stonefish is the worlds most poisonous fish, and probably the ugliest also. It is often remarked that when a stone fish attack a human being, the pain is so severe that the person wants to amputate the area affected. Its bit may not be lethal and can be treated within hours, but if left untreated for more than 2-3 hours, a bit from the stone fish can result into death for the human beings.

StoneFish

7. The Brazilian wandering spider :
The Brazilian Wandering Spider (Phoneutria) or banana spider appears in the Guinness Book of World Records 2007 for the most venomous spider and is the spider responsible for most human deaths.

This spider is believed to have the most potent neurotoxic venom of any living spider. Only 0.006mg (0.00000021oz) is sufficient to kill a mouse. They are also so dangerous because of their wandering nature. They often hide during daytime in highly populated areas inside houses, clothes, boots, and cars.

Its venomous bite causes not only intense pain, the venom of the spider can also cause priapism – uncomfortable erections lasting for many hours that lead to impotence.
The Brazilian wandering spider

8. Inland Taipan :

Inland Taipan

The inland Taipan is recognized as being the worlds most poisonous snake, having the capability to kill over a hundred human beings within 45 seconds from a single bite. Found in Australia, the Inland Taipan is definitely the one to beware of.

9. Poison Dart Frog :

Poison Dart Frog

Poison Dart Frog
The poison dart frog is another creature you might find cute if you found it in the wild but just touching this little guy can put you in harms way. Native to South and Central America, the frog got its name because indigenous tribes used to use the poison as an addition to their blow darts.

10. Puffer Fish : The puffer fish is a delicacy in many part of Japan and China, but some organs of the fish are deadly to the human beings- making it one of the worlds most poisonous and lethal animals. The poison of the fish is devastating for the one who consumes it and results in deadening of the muscles, increasing of the heart rate, dizziness, vomiting and permanent seizure within minutes of consuming the deadly poison.

The Puffer Fish

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Brown Widows in SoCal

Brown Widows in SoCal

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Poisonous Brown Widows Invading SoCal Poisonous Brown Widows Invading SoCal Video

SAN DIEGO — A new breed of poisonous spider is invading Southern California.

Originally from South Africa, the brown widow spiders were first spotted in San Diego in 2004.

Experts say they have multiplied by the thousands and have been found throughout the Southern California area as far north as Carlsbad and as far south as Imperial Beach. However, residents in Monrovia and Azusa say they are also finding the spiders on their properties.

The brown widow’s venom is more potent than the venom of its cousin, the black widow, and one bite can send a person to the hospital.

The spiders also multiply quickly, with eggs hatching in 20 days.

One egg could contain 35 spiders.

San Diego County’s bug experts say they are now seeing brown widows inland instead of just in ocean communities.

For more information on brown widow spiders: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_widow_spider

Calif. Poison Control Center: http://www.calpoison.org/public/spiders.html

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Brown Widow Spiders found in popular tourist spots.

SAN DIEGO — San Diego County is no stranger to venomous spiders. The Black Widow and Brown Recluse have long called San Diego home.

But a new species, the Brown Widow, has now been spotted in some of the popular tourist spots in San Diego.
10News found the black widow’s cousin, the brown widow, in Balboa Park where unsuspecting visitors could be walking or sitting inches away from a potentially deadly spider.

Visitors at Balboa park may come to sit and relax not knowing a potentially deadly insect could be sitting inches away.
“This is definitely a characteristic of a brown widow spider,” said Entomologist, Michael Wall.

“I had never head of a brown widow spider. Before, I had heard of a black widow,” said Torrie Cable of La Mesa. That is, until three weeks ago, when Cable got bit one morning while getting ready for work.

“I felt a little tickle on my shoulder then I felt something on my back,” Cable told 10News.

Cable says she had a near death experience.

“The pain in my lower back. I had never experienced in my entire life,” Cable said.
She was hospitalized three days with all the symptoms.
“Primary symptoms severe pain, difficulty breathing, muscle spasms? Had that,” Cable recalled.
Wall, an Entomologist at the Natural History Museum, said the spiders most likely traveled to California from Florida.
“The idea is, someone moved here from Florida. They had some patio furniture that moved with them and along came some egg masses from brown widows and they established themselves,” Wall told 10News.

“It does have more venom than the black widow but the brown version injects less venom when they bite,” Wall said.

“In either case you’re probably not going to kick the bucket unless you have a compromised immune system,” Wall said.

Since getting bit, Cable said she found a second brown widow at her home.

“I found egg sacks in there. The spider was here,” Cable said, as she pointed to a garbage can.

She kept it, and like the widow population spreading, she wants to spread the word about the latest creepy crawler in San Diego County.

Experts agree the brown widow population is growing in San Diego County.

The number of reported sightings is up to about 100.

The first reported sighting was back in 2001.