How Does a Brown Recluse Spider Kill Its Prey?

Hunting

The brown recluse spider is nocturnal, which means it searches for food during the nighttime hours. It is also a scavenger, preferring to feed on dead insects rather than live ones. If the brown recluse spider cannot find any dead insects, however, it will kill live ones, and it can travel quite a far distance from its web to find an insect to kill, often ending up indoors, where it will hide in items like shoes and clothing on the floor when daylight arrives.

Biting

The brown recluse spider has tiny, short fangs that it uses to bite the insect. The fangs are also used to inject venom into the insect. The venom is cytotoxic, which means it kills cells. For this reason, a brown recluse spider bite on a human or animal can quickly lead to a necrotic wound, which is a wound with lots of dead tissue. The brown recluse spider is very timid and will only bite when cornered, which means bites are rare. When they do occur on humans, however, a doctor should be seen immediately. While not usually life-threatening, brown recluse spider bites can become infected quite quickly, and can take a long time to heal.

Frequency of Feedings

Brown recluse spiders live for only about two years. Female spiders lay eggs between May and July during each of those years. During that time, her feeding habits will increase, and she will hunt almost all night, every night. The female brown recluse spider can lay up to 50 eggs at one time, and can do this five times between May and July. Once hatched, the baby spiders remain with the mother until they have molted once or twice, and she will bring them dead insects until they can hunt on their own.

Resources

• Ohio State fact sheet on brown recluse spiders