Brown recluse spider season is a myth

This story was originally Cast WIRED Spanish version Translated from Spanish.

With the arrival of summer comes a flurry of arachnophobia: frenzied reports of brown recluse spiders invading homes. Also known as fiddleback or violin spiders, these are arachnids of the genus. RoxoscelesThey are found in warmer regions around the world, especially Mexico, as well as many parts of the U.S. Mexico is home to the world’s most diverse range of brown recluse spiders, with 40 species.

Headlines proclaim that the beginning of May is “recluse spider season” and people should be on the lookout. It is true that these spiders have powerful venom in their fangs that can be deadly in some circumstances, but the truth is that they are elusive creatures that almost always manage to escape notice. We should not get carried away with the anti-fiddleback hysteria, much less imitate it. Such fears are unscientific, says Diego Barrales Alcalá, creator of the arachnid identification platform @Arachno_Cosas. The idea of ​​recluse spider season, popularized by the media, has no evidence.

“The fiddler has become a popular villain, but unfortunately, from what I’ve seen, this problem is cyclical. Every now and then there’s a ‘season,’ but it’s not a fiddler season, it’s a fake news season,” Barrales Alcalá says. The activity of these arachnids doesn’t change with the season, he says, and in his native Mexico, statistics on bites are limited and far from the concern portrayed in the media.

Brown recluse spiders make their home in homes, but are not aggressive. They usually live in basements or uncrowded areas of the home, away from people. Bites usually occur when a human and a spider come into contact unintentionally, or when a person intentionally tries to manipulate the spider.