Despite the dramatic size and intimidating appearance, the species is essentially HARMLESS TO HUMANS — bites are extremely rare and the venom causes only minor local irritation similar to a mild bee sting.
Bed bug saliva contains both an anticoagulant and a mild anesthetic — most people don't feel the bite while it's happening.
Only male blue morphos are blue — females are typically brown with white spots.
Female botflies have been documented hijacking at least 40 different species of biting insects — not just mosquitoes.
The violin-shaped marking on the cephalothorax gives the brown recluse its other common name: fiddleback spider.
Over 1,000 'brown recluse bite' diagnoses have been recorded in California, Florida, and Oregon — places the spider has never lived. Most are misdiagnosed.
Most real recluse bites happen when humans roll onto a hidden spider in bed — the spider isn't aggressive, just trapped.
