Hello Steve and All,
I think what made me less of a skeptic about the honey use for recluse
spider bites was two things.

1. the honey was always gone when time to reapply.

2. On about the 3rd day my wife said (bite was on back) the volcano & puss
was starting to come back. We then went back to a generous amount of honey
on the site and then volcano and puss went away. healed in a week.

To sum things up I believe if I had started treatment earlier I would have
had less of a scar (although about a eighth of an inch in diameter now) . I
ignored the bite for about 24 hours as had been feeding bees and did not
feel the bite as I thought the irritation was simply from a sting on my 
back.

 I do not wear a bee suit but simply use a "bug baffler" which I pull off
and keep in the truck. I found a dead recluse in one of my bugg bafflers
and think the spider was in one of several bugg bafflers and bit me when I
pulled the Bugg baffler over my head and leaned back against the truck seat
(but only my hypothesis as I do not remember the bite).

Another possible hypothesis has nothing to do with the bugg baffler ,
feeding bees and my feed truck. The day before I found the bite I was
wearing overalls and going through around a 100 deep brood boxes of frames
needing foundation. These had been sitting outside and I saw a few recluse.
I had a fire going and was burning old frames and culling boxes not worth
the time and money of repair. Possibly a recluse crawled up an open pant
leg and then bit when I bent over pressing the spider between my back and
the loose fitting overalls.

Regardless I have seen many recluse bites. Another beekeeper helper Ted
Slacker ( does not own bees but works for my beekeeping partner and I when
needed for extra money from his regular job)  has a recluse bite  on his
leg right now. Recluse spiders are hard to rid from your property. Sprays
will only kill if shot directly on the spider. Sticky glue traps are the
most effective. My building is full of bee equipment stacked pallets high
this time of year and the perfect place for a recluse spider to call home.
I don't really worry about being bit as I have got plenty of scars and
comparing scars (like guys do) I usually end up the person with the most
scars.

My beekeeping partner (reads the list but never posts) will not like me
telling on him but we bought out a 2000 hive operation in Anderson, Missouri
and part of the equipment was stored in three semi trailers (with plenty of
recluse spiders) . As we worked to unload the semi trailers onto our truck
he kept saying " lookout for the recluse!' " I never seen so many
recluse!" AND he always wanted to load on the outside truck and seemed
uncomfortable working in the dark semi trailer so Brian & I worked the
inside. The recluse spider is about the size of a quarter and very fast.
hard to kill with a newspaper similar to trying to kill a sitting fly.

bob


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