Health Library
The Health Library is a collection of health and wellness resources created for learning and accessibility. Select a topic below for related health information or search for a topic in the search bar for more information on other medical conditions.
Spider, Tick and Scorpion Bites
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Insect and spider bites often cause minor swelling, redness, pain, and itching. These mild reactions are common. They may last from a few hours to a few days. Home treatment is often all that's needed to relieve the symptoms of a mild reaction to common stinging or biting spiders and insects, such as fleas, flies, and...
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Scorpions , found mostly in the western and especially the southwestern United States, are up to 3 in. (7.6 cm) in length. They have eight legs and a pair of pincers like a crab has. The stinger, which injects venom, is located at the end of a narrow tail that curves around and over the back of the scorpion's body...
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To avoid bites from spiders: Wear gloves if working in an area where spiders are likely to live. Avoid wood or rock piles and dark areas where spiders live. Look for spiders in low-lying webs in garages, in barbecue grills, around swimming pools,...
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Insect and spider bites often cause minor swelling, redness, pain, and itching. These mild reactions are common. They may last from a few hours to a few days. Home treatment is often all that's needed to relieve the symptoms of a mild reaction to common stinging or biting spiders and insects, such as fleas, flies, and...
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Bites and stings from insects (bees, wasps, yellow jackets) and spiders usually cause pain, swelling, redness, and itching at the site of the sting or bite. In some people, especially children, the redness and swelling may be worse and last up to a...
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Many insects, such as the following, cause mild reactions: Bedbugs. Kissing bugs. Chiggers. Fleas. Flies. Mites. Mosquitoes. Nonpoisonous spiders. Ticks. Scabies. Lice. For more information on lice, see the topic Body Lice, Head Lice, or Pubic Lice. Some insects are more likely than others to cause...
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What is a black widow spider? Black widow spiders ( Latrodectus mactans and Latrodectus hesperus) are found throughout the United States, Mexico, and southern Canada. A female black widow is much more likely to deliver more venom than a male spider. Female black widows are long-legged, shiny...
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What is a brown recluse spider? Brown recluse, violin, or fiddleback ( Loxosceles) spiders are about 0.5 in. (1.3 cm) long with a dark violin-shaped mark on the combined head and midsection (cephalothorax). They are found most often in the south-central part of the United States and live in hot, dry, abandoned...
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Insect and spider bites often cause minor swelling, redness, pain, and itching. These mild reactions are common. They may last from a few hours to a few days. Home treatment is often all that's needed to relieve the symptoms of a mild reaction to common stinging or biting spiders and insects, such as fleas, flies, and...
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The inability to move a part of your body (paralysis) as a result of a tick bite is a rare problem. Tick paralysis can be caused by several different types of ticks in North America. The symptoms of tick paralysis are caused by the venom secreted from the female tick during feeding. Symptoms usually start 4 to 7 days...
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Many of the diseases ticks pass to humans can cause flu-like symptoms, including: Fever. Headache. Muscle aches (myalgia). A general feeling of illness (malaise). Nausea and vomiting. Diseases ticks may pass to humans include: Lyme disease. Symptoms usually start 1 to 4 weeks after the tick bite, with up to 90%...
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Ticks are small spiderlike animals (arachnids) that bite to fasten themselves onto the skin and feed on blood. Ticks live in the fur and feathers of many birds and animals. Tick bites occur most often during early spring to late summer and in areas where there are many wild animals and birds. Most ticks don't carry...
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Most ticks do not carry diseases, and most tick bites do not cause serious health problems. But it is important to avoid and check for ticks, and to remove a tick as soon as you find it. Removing the tick completely may help you avoid diseases such...