Desert brown recluses are small, venomous, and common spider in Las Vegas. Sometimes recluse spiders bites may need medical attention.
The Desert Brown Spider or Loxosceles deserta is better known as the Desert Brown Recluse as it is commonly mistaken for Loxosceles Reclusa, The Brown Recluse, which is not found in the Las Vegas and Clark County areas. The Desert Brown Recluse though different in name and slightly different in appearance they are very similar in most other ways to their cousins.
The Desert Brown Recluse is rather small, maxing out at about 20mm. They are light brown in color, where as the Reclusa is a dark brown. Most identify this family of spiders by a violin shape that can be found on their back, the Desert Recluse does not always display this coloration on itself, making it sometimes very hard to identify, especially from a safe distance.
If you know or even think you may have an infestation of the very venomous Desert Recluse it’s time to call Fortified Pest. We have worked with customers over the years to find reasonable solutions to their spider problems without using extra chemicals. This means that children and pets are less likely to come in contact with pesticides that can harm them. Along with environmentally friendly methods to remove spiders from your home, we also take the time to make sure our team has been licensed, insured, and bonded.
The Desert Brown Recluse is native to North America. They can be found almost exclusively in the desert regions stretching from Southern California, the Southern tip if Nevada (Clark County) into wester Arizona. They are one of many Loxosceles native to North and South America.
The Desert Recluse lives about 1-2 years, taking about half of its life (1 year) to reach maturity. Female Desert Recluses produce egg sacs over a period of 3 months, generally May to July, each sac holds 40-60 eggs which hatch in about a month after being laid.
While usually avoiding urban areas in the desert, the Desert Recluse will inhabit almost anywhere it feels safe and has access to food. These spiders have been known to densely inhabit rodent dens as well as other dirty, dark spaces with food. As their name implies they generally like to keep to themselves, though when alarmed they will lower themselves and position their legs so they can pounce forward and bite.
The Desert Brown Recluse follows the pattern of other Clark County Nevada arachnids when it comes to when to be on the look out for them. The winter months and extreme heat of the summer is when the Desert Brown Recluse will be seeking shelter inside your home, work, or on the property in free standing structures.
The Desert Recluse prefers a private den and nest preferring to seek out uninhabited desert areas with enough prey they can sustain themselves. This is not always possible so they do venture into more developed areas not just rural homes and establishments. They like to eat other bugs and spiders, though they rarely turn to cannibalism, it has been documented in times of scarcity and after mating.
The Desert Brown Recluse, like others in its genus, has a necrotic venom that it injects into its victims. Necrotic venom eats away away at tissue by collapsing the cell walls and blood vessels in the surrounding tissue from the bite location. These spiders are a very real risk to any human or animal they may come in contact with. Again due to the size of the Desert Recluse and its slight identifying marks, be sure to contact Fortified Pest Management for a free quote.
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