Genesee County master gardener Ruth Simon was called to identify the possibility of three brown recluse spiders living in Flint.
The poisonous spiders, though not unheard of in Michigan, usually make their home further south in Texas and Georgia.
Simon states she was happy about the discovery. “It's such an unusual thing to happen that I was really excited about it, and I couldn't wait to send it to Howard Russell at MSU," she told NBC25.
Michigan State University has an article about the Flint findings on their website. At first, MSU believes the spiders may have "hitchhiked" their way north, from visitors who came from southern states. However, given the ever growing number of the poisonous arachnid, experts are starting to believe that population is increasing in isolated areas. According to the article, 99.99% of Michigan residents will never see one of these spiders.
According to brownreclusespider.org, bites from this spider cause death to soft tissues. General symptoms of these bites include fever, shivering, nausea, vomiting, itching, restlessness, and shock.
If you believe you’ve been bitten by a Brown Recluse, call your doctor immediately.
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