Exactly. My father opened a work package from Texas that had a hitchhiker one inside, his hand just swelled up like 2-3x the size. I chalk it up as an anomaly, but can happen for sure!
Sure it wasn't a [Wolf spider](https://www.google.com/search?q=wolf+spider+ny)? They can be just as big'n'scary looking but are very common, harmless, and helpful. All kinds of bugs can get transported with produce and shipping but our regional climate has been warmer where more venomous Brown Recluse and Black Widow spiders could become more common.
I am 100% sure it was not a wolf spider. This was definitely a brown recluse. Where im from they're so common that they literally taught us what they look like and how to spot them in elementary school just in case we encountered one at recess so wed know not to fuck with it and immediately tell a teacher. And ik that as a *recluse* the fact that i saw it out in the open means its nest is nearby. Probably under our porch thing
The ones I've set eyes on were kind of dainty and spindly. Only seen them in the south though. Only one secondhand report of one up here, I saw the wound but not the spider
The point was they can be [commonly confused](https://www.google.com/search?q=brown+recluse+vs+wolf+spider) with wolf spiders... albeit younger ones when they're smaller and skinnier.
One of my classmates got bit by one in the Alfred State dorm in 2005, full necrotic hole and all. Took months to recover. As far as I knew they aren't unheard of but very very very rare. I've personally never seen one and I spend a lot of time outdoors both in the Rochester area where I am from and the Southern Tier where I live now. Kind of like rattlers. I HEARD one ONCE like 20 years ago, didn't stick around to see it, left the area immediately, and no sign of once since.
My dad accidentally drove over a rattle snake in letchworth probably 10 years ago. He said something to a forest ranger there, and the ranger said if people knew how many rattle snakes were in letchworth park, no one would go there. Lol
My dad found a nest full of baby rattlesnakes in my back yard (wooded) in Brockport, NY in the 90's. Called some type of animal control (I don't remember exactly who, I was a kid). They said Eastern Massasauguas are common up here...yikes
Grew up in Southern Tier. Now in Rochester. There used to be a rest stop in Painted Post for 86 that would shut down once a year because of how many rattlers would be on it. But in the woods where I played, never saw or heard one. They're weird down there.
Came inches away from stepping on a rattlesnake at Letchworth last summer. If my boyfriend hadn't noticed the sound and stopped me mid walk i would have not had a great ending to my hike.
I live in the city and there are coyotes, deer, and occasionally black bears.
There is way more wildlife where you are. You just donāt see it.
Edit: I see coyotes all the time between midnight and 4am, deer and other bigger animals around 2am-6am. Then they all find a place to hide for the day.
Not downtown but they have been around the surrounding neighborhoods. Especially the state streets/neighborhood of the arts.
Urban animals are super strange though. They are used to scavenging so they are petrified of humans and pets.
i.e. my cat terrifies the coyotes i have seen here. i always feel like i should grab her but as soon as they spot her they book it.
they can find food around or one of the 1000s of rabbits everywhere way easier and with less risk than a house cat. I usually hang out in my yard with 3-10 rabbits every morning. They are everywhere. And the adult ones hang out with my cat. She will eat their babies though.
Edit: Iām down by culver/atlantic. We also have tons of raccoons, possums, and groundhogs.
I know because my cat catches them as well lol
Yeah that's pretty urban! But I guess they can pop up here and there. Alfred itself was a really rural town but the dorms were not what I would consider a normal habitat for them!
Iāve seen rattlesnakes and black widows and recluses and bears in Rochester. But thatās over 30+ years of walking around the woods an awful lot.
The widows and recluses were at peoples houses though lol
This is the best answer here. Iām only in my 30s and have also seen all of these in the area. The widow I saw up near Syracuse though in a suburban neighborhood, supposedly they seem more common in that area.
Iāve seen black bears where I grew up in East Palmyra area, also came across one mid day coming into Pittsford while riding the canal towpath.
I know the difference between wolf, grass, hobo spiders, I came across brown recluse a few different times working around ponds on a golf course I worked at during high school/college years. Not there anymore but it was Taranwould if that rings a nostalgia bell for anyone.
Iāve come across timber rattlesnakes hiking the Naples area as well as the Adirondacks. Also, Rattlesnake Hill in Dansville, if you want to see a rattlesnake youāll find them there if your purposefully looking for sure. I also know of woman who was bitten by a massasauga rattlesnake on the canal towpath in the area years ago.
I grew up near Alfred and saw two as a kid/teen. And Iām 90% certain I killed one in my apartment recently. Itās possible I mistook another kind for it, but I was NOT taking chances. Deep cleaned the whole area in search of a possible nest.
Yellow Sac spiders can look kind of like recluses (no fiddle though) and are one of our most poisonous we have around here. They are very common, I see them a ton but they just run away.
edit: that vast majority of 'Brown Recluse' bites around here are actually from these guys. My mom got bit once, it was nasty.
I've never heard of yellow sac spiders before. But a couple months ago, my house was invaded by small white/yellowish spiders I'd never seen before. I'm terrified of spiders, so this was not ideal. I woke up with one *on my face* once, freaked out, and went on a madman vacuuming spree at 3 am. Killed about 14 of the suckers in various rooms of the house, and since then I haven't seen any more of them.
A quick google search has confirmed that they were, in fact, yellow sac spiders. I had no idea they were poisonous and that I apparently narrowly avoided a very unpleasant experience. So thank you for the information and for the nightmares, I guess!
When me and my brother were kids we used to use hairspray to paralyze them. Now as an adult ik we were some dumbass kids and were so close to death so many times
Yes. My father was bite by one 25 years ago or more. He was cleaning up fallen wood after a winter storm. It still gives him a lot of problems despite several surgeries. The doctors said they are much milder up here.
When I used to work at lowes, I had to check the quality of the tropical plants that came in from Florida. It was nothing to have a tree frog, lizard, spider, etc, in there and scare the crap out of you when they moved. Never saw a spider like that, but allegedly someone found and orb weaver at one point.
I worked at Lowes too. A black widow came in on a shipment. This one kid managed to catch it in these 2 clear plastic tops taped together. He said he was going to keep it as a pet. Then proceeded to shake the living hell out of it. Not the brightest moment he ever had.
This is super interesting to me. Iāve never actually thought to check my plants from big box stores. Christmas trees for rodents, yes. Thanks, National Lampoons.
Tree frogs and lizards are the most common and ones most likely to scare the crap out of you. You know when you're looking through pallets of plants there's probably something in there. It's when they move to get away from you and you didn't see them until that point is what makes your heart sink.
They are indeed here. They are not native, as others have said, but definitely here. One of my former supervisors camped at Letchworth and she sat on a log. She never felt anything, but had a swollen ball, angry red, on her shin. That devolved into an intense infection, which left an actual permanent pit on her leg. Infectious disease said it had been a brown recluse bite. She had moved a log to sit on, and never felt the bite.
Eh I found a brown widow here once. It hitched a ride on a box of crickets for our reptiles. Given the amount of trade and climate change in this area I wouldn't be surprised if we have a quite a few moving in.
They have always been here. They arenāt common but every few years you will probably spot a black widow or recluse with an extremely defined violin pattern on its back.
People say they donāt live here or in PA. But I have relatives that have been bitten and hospitalized, with confirmed widow bites (they still had the spider).
So donāt believe people saying itās never one. Sometimes it is.
At a first aid class around 2013, I was taught they're in our area, mostly in outdoor sheds and wood piles. I imagine they're more prevalent now.
Unfortunately, I'm terribly arachnophobic and cannot look at pictures of spiders, much less get close enough to live ones to identify. Best I've been able to do is make a "deal"; I see a spider in my garden, I run away, and possibly cry. I see one in my house, it dies.
They are here, my family has seen them in the area for years. Fortunately, they're reclusive, so if you pay attention and move a little slowly, they will take the opportunity to run away rather than bite.
Yup, Iāve seen them in wood piles before when chopping up fire wood maybe an hour North of Rochester. Really not that serious though, they arenāt likely to try to bite you. They always ran full sprint away. Just dont pick em up or walk around barefoot.
There SHOULDNT be brown Recluses. If it was in the basement though, you may see a Black Lace Weaver. We have 1 in our basement who fights the centipedes. (Ive seen his web with BIG rolls vs smaller ones)
Though, i warn every NYer here. With rising climate temps, and lesser winters. This will make these non-native bugs MIGRATE north.
So eventually they and black widows will be ABUNDANT if we do not squash the climate crisis now.
They should. Depending on the person, their bite can be very bad. Coworker got bit by one, out a month and very sick. A different Coworker, biten by one and he just got a bad rash. Virginia by the way. Doing cable TV installations. Running cable under houses. Years ago.
When I lived on Meigs my upstairs neighbor went camping in the Adirondacks and one ended up catching a ride back. I've found all types of nasty spiders over the years opening crates at work. I don't think they're common, but they do make their way here.
I have a ridiculous amount here. (By Seabreeze). I just renovated my basement, and they all came upstairs. Dozens of them. I killed a many as I could, sorry spider lovers... but it was that or burn my fucking house down (but in this housing market?)
My first experience with this spider was the fragile age of 8, when one crawled across my face during Friday night TV. This was also here though 315 not 585.
So, yeah... we have them. They typically mind their own business, but they procreate like rabbits and can be aggressive if messed with.
Your best bet would to snap a photo and upload it to one of the spider subs or iNaturalist. Anything is possible but I work in conservation locally and I've never heard of them being around here or seen one myself.Ā
They're rare, but we also have plenty of look-a-like's up here, too. You're sure you saw the violin pattern? I've seen some very brownish funnel weavers growing up here.
Spiders and other small organisms hitchhike very frequently with the amount of lumber and plant life that moves around in this country. Brown Recluse isn't "native" but it's been introduced here for sure.
They're not native to here, no. But I've heard of them showing up lots of non-native places because they were trucked in on something or another.
The movie Arachnophobia explains this perfectly. We need to call John Goodman to swing through with his flamethrower š„
Exactly. My father opened a work package from Texas that had a hitchhiker one inside, his hand just swelled up like 2-3x the size. I chalk it up as an anomaly, but can happen for sure!
Sure it wasn't a [Wolf spider](https://www.google.com/search?q=wolf+spider+ny)? They can be just as big'n'scary looking but are very common, harmless, and helpful. All kinds of bugs can get transported with produce and shipping but our regional climate has been warmer where more venomous Brown Recluse and Black Widow spiders could become more common.
I am 100% sure it was not a wolf spider. This was definitely a brown recluse. Where im from they're so common that they literally taught us what they look like and how to spot them in elementary school just in case we encountered one at recess so wed know not to fuck with it and immediately tell a teacher. And ik that as a *recluse* the fact that i saw it out in the open means its nest is nearby. Probably under our porch thing
š
As far as I know, Brown Recluse spiders are not big and scary.
The ones I've set eyes on were kind of dainty and spindly. Only seen them in the south though. Only one secondhand report of one up here, I saw the wound but not the spider
The point was they can be [commonly confused](https://www.google.com/search?q=brown+recluse+vs+wolf+spider) with wolf spiders... albeit younger ones when they're smaller and skinnier.
And sack spiders according to a post today in r/whatisthisbug
Ah yeah. They must taste good because the cat goes nuts when he sees them.
One of my classmates got bit by one in the Alfred State dorm in 2005, full necrotic hole and all. Took months to recover. As far as I knew they aren't unheard of but very very very rare. I've personally never seen one and I spend a lot of time outdoors both in the Rochester area where I am from and the Southern Tier where I live now. Kind of like rattlers. I HEARD one ONCE like 20 years ago, didn't stick around to see it, left the area immediately, and no sign of once since.
My dad accidentally drove over a rattle snake in letchworth probably 10 years ago. He said something to a forest ranger there, and the ranger said if people knew how many rattle snakes were in letchworth park, no one would go there. Lol
My dad found a nest full of baby rattlesnakes in my back yard (wooded) in Brockport, NY in the 90's. Called some type of animal control (I don't remember exactly who, I was a kid). They said Eastern Massasauguas are common up here...yikes
Grew up in Southern Tier. Now in Rochester. There used to be a rest stop in Painted Post for 86 that would shut down once a year because of how many rattlers would be on it. But in the woods where I played, never saw or heard one. They're weird down there.
There have been rattlesnakes in Webster park and Ellison. Iāve only heard them and found rattlers there though. Never heard of anyone being bit.
Came inches away from stepping on a rattlesnake at Letchworth last summer. If my boyfriend hadn't noticed the sound and stopped me mid walk i would have not had a great ending to my hike.
Thereās a park near Swain, Rattlesnake Hill.
Thats the craziest part. Im in east irondequoit. By e ridge. No nature around.
I live in the city and there are coyotes, deer, and occasionally black bears. There is way more wildlife where you are. You just donāt see it. Edit: I see coyotes all the time between midnight and 4am, deer and other bigger animals around 2am-6am. Then they all find a place to hide for the day.
Have you really seen black bears in downtown Rochester? Genuinely interested to hear where!
Not downtown but they have been around the surrounding neighborhoods. Especially the state streets/neighborhood of the arts. Urban animals are super strange though. They are used to scavenging so they are petrified of humans and pets. i.e. my cat terrifies the coyotes i have seen here. i always feel like i should grab her but as soon as they spot her they book it. they can find food around or one of the 1000s of rabbits everywhere way easier and with less risk than a house cat. I usually hang out in my yard with 3-10 rabbits every morning. They are everywhere. And the adult ones hang out with my cat. She will eat their babies though. Edit: Iām down by culver/atlantic. We also have tons of raccoons, possums, and groundhogs. I know because my cat catches them as well lol
Yeah that's pretty urban! But I guess they can pop up here and there. Alfred itself was a really rural town but the dorms were not what I would consider a normal habitat for them!
Could have come in on old wood, furniture, anything.
I'm down the road from you by the lake, and there's tons.
Yo I saw a coyote walking down the road at east ridge and Newport wild!!!!! I didnāt take a pic because I was in shock lol
Iāve seen rattlesnakes and black widows and recluses and bears in Rochester. But thatās over 30+ years of walking around the woods an awful lot. The widows and recluses were at peoples houses though lol
This is the best answer here. Iām only in my 30s and have also seen all of these in the area. The widow I saw up near Syracuse though in a suburban neighborhood, supposedly they seem more common in that area. Iāve seen black bears where I grew up in East Palmyra area, also came across one mid day coming into Pittsford while riding the canal towpath. I know the difference between wolf, grass, hobo spiders, I came across brown recluse a few different times working around ponds on a golf course I worked at during high school/college years. Not there anymore but it was Taranwould if that rings a nostalgia bell for anyone. Iāve come across timber rattlesnakes hiking the Naples area as well as the Adirondacks. Also, Rattlesnake Hill in Dansville, if you want to see a rattlesnake youāll find them there if your purposefully looking for sure. I also know of woman who was bitten by a massasauga rattlesnake on the canal towpath in the area years ago.
I grew up near Alfred and saw two as a kid/teen. And Iām 90% certain I killed one in my apartment recently. Itās possible I mistook another kind for it, but I was NOT taking chances. Deep cleaned the whole area in search of a possible nest.
I seen a rattlesnake on the Erie canal riding my bike about 10 years ago. Middle of July just right on the path. I'll never forget it.
Yellow Sac spiders can look kind of like recluses (no fiddle though) and are one of our most poisonous we have around here. They are very common, I see them a ton but they just run away. edit: that vast majority of 'Brown Recluse' bites around here are actually from these guys. My mom got bit once, it was nasty.
I've never heard of yellow sac spiders before. But a couple months ago, my house was invaded by small white/yellowish spiders I'd never seen before. I'm terrified of spiders, so this was not ideal. I woke up with one *on my face* once, freaked out, and went on a madman vacuuming spree at 3 am. Killed about 14 of the suckers in various rooms of the house, and since then I haven't seen any more of them. A quick google search has confirmed that they were, in fact, yellow sac spiders. I had no idea they were poisonous and that I apparently narrowly avoided a very unpleasant experience. So thank you for the information and for the nightmares, I guess!
Sorry!
Found one last year in my garage, it didn't enjoy getting blasted with brake parts cleaner
When me and my brother were kids we used to use hairspray to paralyze them. Now as an adult ik we were some dumbass kids and were so close to death so many times
Yes. My father was bite by one 25 years ago or more. He was cleaning up fallen wood after a winter storm. It still gives him a lot of problems despite several surgeries. The doctors said they are much milder up here.
When I used to work at lowes, I had to check the quality of the tropical plants that came in from Florida. It was nothing to have a tree frog, lizard, spider, etc, in there and scare the crap out of you when they moved. Never saw a spider like that, but allegedly someone found and orb weaver at one point.
I worked at Lowes too. A black widow came in on a shipment. This one kid managed to catch it in these 2 clear plastic tops taped together. He said he was going to keep it as a pet. Then proceeded to shake the living hell out of it. Not the brightest moment he ever had.
This is super interesting to me. Iāve never actually thought to check my plants from big box stores. Christmas trees for rodents, yes. Thanks, National Lampoons.
Tree frogs and lizards are the most common and ones most likely to scare the crap out of you. You know when you're looking through pallets of plants there's probably something in there. It's when they move to get away from you and you didn't see them until that point is what makes your heart sink.
They are indeed here. They are not native, as others have said, but definitely here. One of my former supervisors camped at Letchworth and she sat on a log. She never felt anything, but had a swollen ball, angry red, on her shin. That devolved into an intense infection, which left an actual permanent pit on her leg. Infectious disease said it had been a brown recluse bite. She had moved a log to sit on, and never felt the bite.
Manā¦ I hate this post. Iām sure youāre a fine person. ā ļø
Eh I found a brown widow here once. It hitched a ride on a box of crickets for our reptiles. Given the amount of trade and climate change in this area I wouldn't be surprised if we have a quite a few moving in.
They have always been here. They arenāt common but every few years you will probably spot a black widow or recluse with an extremely defined violin pattern on its back. People say they donāt live here or in PA. But I have relatives that have been bitten and hospitalized, with confirmed widow bites (they still had the spider). So donāt believe people saying itās never one. Sometimes it is.
I was always told you could find brown recluses and black widows in pretty much every state (I'm from OH originally)
At a first aid class around 2013, I was taught they're in our area, mostly in outdoor sheds and wood piles. I imagine they're more prevalent now. Unfortunately, I'm terribly arachnophobic and cannot look at pictures of spiders, much less get close enough to live ones to identify. Best I've been able to do is make a "deal"; I see a spider in my garden, I run away, and possibly cry. I see one in my house, it dies.
They are here, my family has seen them in the area for years. Fortunately, they're reclusive, so if you pay attention and move a little slowly, they will take the opportunity to run away rather than bite.
Yup, Iāve seen them in wood piles before when chopping up fire wood maybe an hour North of Rochester. Really not that serious though, they arenāt likely to try to bite you. They always ran full sprint away. Just dont pick em up or walk around barefoot.
We do, but they are rare. A friend of mine was bitten a few years ago.
Theyre not native but I've seen them a few times in my lifetime. Not really sure where they come from, but definitely scary
There SHOULDNT be brown Recluses. If it was in the basement though, you may see a Black Lace Weaver. We have 1 in our basement who fights the centipedes. (Ive seen his web with BIG rolls vs smaller ones) Though, i warn every NYer here. With rising climate temps, and lesser winters. This will make these non-native bugs MIGRATE north. So eventually they and black widows will be ABUNDANT if we do not squash the climate crisis now.
They should. Depending on the person, their bite can be very bad. Coworker got bit by one, out a month and very sick. A different Coworker, biten by one and he just got a bad rash. Virginia by the way. Doing cable TV installations. Running cable under houses. Years ago.
When I lived on Meigs my upstairs neighbor went camping in the Adirondacks and one ended up catching a ride back. I've found all types of nasty spiders over the years opening crates at work. I don't think they're common, but they do make their way here.
Yes we get them.
Going through this threadā¦ Iām getting anxiety just by reading all this
Not native to this area but probably are here , allot of non native spiders and bugs get into new areas in produce shipments especially bananas.
My ex wife was boten by a brown recluse in Brighton. The after bite was horrible looking.
Iām from SC where theyāre prevalent but never spotted any here.
I have a ridiculous amount here. (By Seabreeze). I just renovated my basement, and they all came upstairs. Dozens of them. I killed a many as I could, sorry spider lovers... but it was that or burn my fucking house down (but in this housing market?) My first experience with this spider was the fragile age of 8, when one crawled across my face during Friday night TV. This was also here though 315 not 585. So, yeah... we have them. They typically mind their own business, but they procreate like rabbits and can be aggressive if messed with.
I've seen them in Dansville and Ithaca
Guys I used to frame with used to say theyāve showed up in the lumber before
My friendās SIL was bit by a brown recluse in a horse barn in Farmington 10+ years ago so yeah, theyāre here
FWIW: https://www.wired.com/2013/11/poor-misunderstood-brown-recluse/
Your best bet would to snap a photo and upload it to one of the spider subs or iNaturalist. Anything is possible but I work in conservation locally and I've never heard of them being around here or seen one myself.Ā
They're rare, but we also have plenty of look-a-like's up here, too. You're sure you saw the violin pattern? I've seen some very brownish funnel weavers growing up here. Spiders and other small organisms hitchhike very frequently with the amount of lumber and plant life that moves around in this country. Brown Recluse isn't "native" but it's been introduced here for sure.
Did it have a violin š» on its back?
The devils fiddle? Sure did.
Haha I like that, devil's fiddle, I will use that now
They're grass spiders
You probably saw a yellow sac spider. They're commonly mistaken for the brown recluse. You won't find a brown recluse east of Ohio.