Unlikely Bites and Stings

Coral Snake

Coral snakes are shy creatures usually found in rocky desert areas at night during the spring months of March, April, May and again during the monsoons. Because they have a small mouth, bites are highly unlikely and envenomation is difficult. The skin between your fingers or forefingers and thumb is the most vulnerable to a bite.

This slender, pencil-size, tricolor snake with red, yellow and black rings that encircle the body, has a black head and measures up to 20 inches in length. The following critters can cause medical problems, but the actual number of victims is very small.

Arizona Brown Spider

This fiddleback spider is a relative of the true brown recluse spider. The true brown recluse spider does not live in Arizona. It lives in an area from Dallas, Texas, north to Des Moines, Iowa and then south throughout the Southern States. Including the legs, this spider ranges in size from a nickel to a quarter, with a darker brown fiddle shape on
the head. It is a non aggressive spider found in undisturbed areas of houses, garages, and storage buildings, as well as in the desert.

Caterpillars

Two Arizona caterpillars have a venom in their stiff spines, so that even brushing against them can cause burning and welting. These caterpillars should be handled with care.

The buck moth caterpillar is about one and one half inches long with little color marking on the body. The spines are dark and very sharp. One species, the palo verde buck moth, can be present in foothill areas feeding on foothill and ornamental palo verdes. The puss moth caterpillar is about an inch long, soft and furry, and doesn't look much like a caterpillar. They feed on oak trees, as well as other trees and shrubs. The soft pale tan fur conceals the sharp spine that can inject venom.

Centipedes

Centipedes actually have 20 to 100 legs and range from one to nine inches in length. Their bite can be painful and cause local swelling, but usually not long lasting.

Tarantulas

Even though this giant spider does have fangs to inject venom, it is usually very mild-mannered. The hairs on the abdomen can also cause itching and burning.

Treatment

Call the Samaritan Regional Poison Center 602-253-3334 or 1-800-222-1222 for the signs and symptoms and first aid treatment for the bites and stings of these critters.

http://www.swedeclean.com/scandinavia/consumer/linkpage12.html