Health & Fitness
Hill
Spiders invade Lawrence households
Exterminators warn residents
By Molly Bernabel Kansan Correspondent
Look out Lawrence, we are being invaded by venomous brown recluse spiders.
They are marching through town, in and out of kitchen cupboards, through countless pairs of old dusty shoes and piles of laundry. And they seem able to survive deadly pesticides.
Why Peter Carson, Golden Valley, Minn., senior, said he spotted one of the oversized, pale-brown spiders on his bedroom floor.
The enemy, which originated in North America, has chosen Lawrence as desired territory, and no one is sure why.
"It was sitting in the middle of my room staring me down when I moved in," he said. "We don't have spiders like that in Minnesota."
If bitten by this spider, a person can
"If you keep your rooms clean,you won't get bitten."
Jon Isaacs exterminator at Schente Exterminators
suffer deep skin ulcers, which are occasionally fatal.
Jon Isaacs, an exterminator for Schendel Pest Control, 2416 South PonderosaDr., said the spider carried one weapon, a violin-shaped stinger near its head.
"The female has the most venom if it hasn't eaten in six months," Isaacs said.
lation of this arachnid, Isaacs said.
The spiders have attacked the campus and the town. And defense is somewhat weak due to the overpopu-
Because pesticides are ineffective in eliminating them, Isaacs said he had a difficult time defending Lawrence from the spider invasion.
But Isaacs said he had a back-up plan.
Isaacs places glue boards across town. These boards are made of heavy paper covered with a deep coat of glue. Thousands of the spiders have been exterminated, but the war is not finished.
Isaacs said he had a solution for keeping Lawrence residents safe, at least in their own homes.
The solution is sanitation.
"If you keep your rooms clean,you won't get bitten," he said.
Isaacs advised Lawrence residents to keep residence halls, houses, apartments and schools clean. This, he said, was the only way to steer clear of the brown recluse.
A warning for those who do not complete their task of keeping their environment clean: An important and necessary doctor's appointment must be made. A recent steroid has been discovered to cure those wounded in the battle against the spider.
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
The brown recluse spider hides in piles of clothing, boxes, shoes and small areas. If bitten, a person can suffer severe health problems.
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