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Brown Recluse Spider |
By Joe Julian, Colorado State University Cooperative Extension agent, Natural Resources and Agriculture
Unlike the Black Widow Spider, the Brown Recluse is not common in the Front Range. In
fact, it is extremely uncommon in
Colorado. Usually, when we do have
an actual specimen in Colorado, it is one that was transported from another state. There
is no evidence that the brown recluse is permanently established in the Front Range or is
spreading in the region. Unfortunately, when a person has a wound or lesion and the source
is unknown, the brown recluse spider is incorrectly blamed. The best way to determine if
you have a brown recluse is to capture the spider and have it brought to an entomologist
or arachnologist (spider expert) for verification of identification.
Photos: Whitney Cranshaw
