...And I'm living proof...
I helped an old college friend and his wife move years ago in Conroe, Texas. When it came time to clean out the garage, my friend had stored 2 big stacks of newspapers, always meaning to donate them to the boy scout recycle drive. I put my gloves on ( being raised on a ranch, I was always taught to guard against snakes and spiders), picked up the papers, carried them against my chest and threw them into the trash. Should have been the end of the story, but driving on the way back to my hotel, I was very gently rear-ended. No big deal - no damage to either vehicle, so I went back to my hotel for the night. When I woke up the next morning, I could not move my right arm at all. I worried that it was from the vehicle accident.My college friends came and got me, then took me to the emergency room.
The Doctors took x-rays, but could find nothing wrong, until one doctor found the "bite mark". They admitted me and I spent the next 7 days scared silly over how much tissue would die. I was very lucky that my bite was not as bad as the pictures above, but almost 30 years later I still carry the scars.
I made a HUGE mistake when I cleaned out that garage. Since it was summer in Houston, I wore a tank top and the little bugger bit me just inside the armpit opening in my shirt when I carried the newspapers up against me....I NEVER felt it bite me!
My college friends went back to their old house and managed to "corral" two more garage spiders and brought them back to the hospital in a jar for the doctors to confirm that it was a brown recluse spider - they were . They looked just like Mark's first picture.
I now wear long sleeves and gloves no matter how hot it is whenever I'm around old stuff in the barn, old hay, the attic or any crawl space. Every week I drop off the newspapers at the recycle bin, I do not let them pile up in the garage. If I have to go into a crawl space or old attic I now go to the extreme of putting on a "hoodie sweatshirt", tightening up the hood (so I look like a total dork) around my face, leather gloves, long pants and boots ....I'd rather pass out from the heat than ever get bit again!
Mark is right, take the extra precaution, you'll be glad you did.
Thanks Mark!