Will it Bite Me?! Handling a Brown Recluse!

It brings a sigh of relief each time this guy uploads because it means he is still alive

the fact that this man can lecture and give informative info about spiders whilst holding one of the most venomous spiders, takes balls of STEEL

*right after video ends*
Coyote: “alright, cut, we’re done”
Spider: “phew, I was worried I would do bad”
Coyote: “nah you did great little buddy!
Spider: “I might give this acting thing a chance after all”

I love how it crosses its legs in the beginning at first. Like such a classy little spider!

if we didn't have spiders, you would notice with all the extra insects everywhere. Remember, they provide a free service for you as bug catchers, respect them.

I've had the misfortune of being bitten by one while hiking (walking mostly) an overgrown trail in 2011. I had a black hole in my leg the size of a nickel. But I also had the misfortune of getting a poison oak rash on the exact same spot, from the same trip, so it's hard to tell which sent me to the ER three different times with two conflicting diagnoses, before being hospitalized due to the swelling. Miserable time and kept getting flare ups of blisters during the months-long healing process. It's a miracle I don't have a single scar left now.
((Important advice: if you're sensitive to poison oak, don't eat mango or cashews...))

I still love how he treats all animals with gently and loving touch. Respect for this man!

I've actually made friends with jumping spiders when I was a kid and fed them bugs im definitely fascinated with a lot of creatures of course i would never handle a deadly spider but i have done it exclusively with jumping spiders because they are definitely friendly i love this channel because I get to see some cool creatures im definitely already subscribed been subscribed for a while can't wait to see what's next

I really like that the spider just chilled on his thumb as if coyote was his hype man.

Mad respect to the man who has done something that most of us will never do

I love how he spends eight minutes telling us they bite when they’re threatened or pressed on, and then right as he’s signing off, he stabs a finger straight toward the thing quite suddenly - and still doesn’t get bitten

I just moved here in Kentucky, first time seeing a B. Recluse, and I experienced a million cleaning out my large shed. Pretty easy to identify, really- but not only the 'violin', as other spiders can appear to have that feature. The legs are always single color (no bands or spots that almost all others have) and the abdomen seems to have a pale brownish/grayish dullness. They have 6 eyes, but that's nearly impossible to see. Surprisingly unintimidating looking compared to other spiders. I got bit by a recluse and treated it with baking soda/Hydrogen peroxide paste, an effective remedy for insect bites. Turns out it works especially well for recluse bites, as the Hydrogen Peroxide is converted to pure oxygen when exposed to your flesh. The 'necrosis' from recluse bites (only a percentage of all bites) is due to oxygen deprivation in the tissue (a fact that apparently very few experts know). The peroxide oxygenates it immediately. Baking soda alkalyzes the area and may extract some of the venom, therefore having several healing properties. Combined they're a powerful antiseptic. I don't know if I got one of the 'lucky' bites, or if my treatment cured it, but there was NO necrosis. Also had one on my face (sure way to experience arachnophobia!), and fortunately that one didn't bite me. They are quite timid and docile, but can move fast to get away. Also, not only 'won't' they bite you without pressing them to your skin, but they actually can't, as their fangs are too small. Wear gloves, long sleeve shirts, etc., and don't let them get between your skin and the clothing (my bite was on the arm where it got under my shirt sleeve). I probably had dozens on me (outside the clothes) and wasn't aware of any other bites. Knowledge will ease arachnaphobia significantly, but you still need to be careful with these beasts! Ticks are far more dangerous, but less feared.

Me with my anxiety: *gets nervous paying for food*
Coyote: *holds an incredibly venomous spider and can still hold his hands steady*

I live in Kansas, and have been living with recluse infestation for at least 20+ years. I don’t like to use poison in the house, so I put down sticky traps to keep there populations in check. I usually swap out the traps every few months, and there are usually 20 to 30 recluse’s in them. The females get much larger than the male’s and are a little darker in color. They are a lot bigger than a quarter as well. They actually followed us from our old house to our new one. They love boxes. They have been in my close, and right against my skin, many many times, and not me or my family have ever been bitten by one. They eat each other to survive, and we have absolutely no other insects in our house. Natural roach deterrent.

“I’m going to place this basic brown spider off to the side”
Basic brown spider: ☹️

I live in FL. The brown recluse is definitely here..I encountered a ground nest with thousands of them, they where extremely docile and never took a threatening stance and simply ran from the area..w/ that said I also was bitten by one while I was sleeping on my leg. I suspect I rolled or something and almost crushed it but didn't as I never found it's body...but the bite first turned red then scabbed then became swollen growing in size until the fang areas started to grow into a rather large hole that became infected..I simply treated the bite w/ hydrogen peroxide and alcohol(as it became severely infected)
Also with Lidacaine ointment eventually the hole quit growing(about the size of a nickel..maybe a quarter inch deep) the redness subsided shortly after(about baseball size) and took about 2 months to heal up..to say the least this spider encountered is not aggressive and indeed is unlikely to bite you...but most bites from these are not encountered as my previous example of encountering a burrow but rather while this guy is for whatever reason, creepy crawling it's way in your bed looking for a comfy spot while you obliviously crush it's fangs into yourself....

Nice one Coyote , Loxosceles 6 Species in USA the more Robust L,reclusa in the Mid west to eastern states is the one you DONT want to be tagged by! And the ones in Chile are even worse! But not as bad as Wandering Phoneutria would you handle one C..????

I’ve handled them several times. They’re actually very docile.

Coyote, you're amazing and literally my Daughters hero. Never stop doing what you do!

This man has essentially become a legend. He is in fact my favorite outdoorsman and wildlife observer since the late Steve Irwin. Thank you for keeping this wild adventure thing alive Coyote. Your a pure delight.

When the spider jumped at 4:08 seconds, I got shockwaves and goosebumps all down my arms. Holy crap.

Him telling me to admire spiders from a distance: Meanwhile my friend and I going to parks and finding spiders and letting them crawl all over our hands 💀
There have been multiple times where I've picked up a brown recluse and we've never gotten bitten (though we also have researched handling spiders and all that)

You will indeed die to the animals you love so much, so I am going to give you your flowers now while you are alive -- Thank you Coyote, you are a wonderful human being. I am certain you are one of the bravest among us and thank you for dedicating your life towards education on these amazing creatures. I am sure its been painful.

Thanks for the video, I found it rather insightful!
I actually just (hopefully!) Finished wrapping up a Brown Recluse infestation at my house in Southwest Iowa.
By the number of egg sacs I should think they have been here awhile, we had no idea until I was bitten on my face (it's now healed and gone) and even in that case, I personally believe I may have rolled over on it in my sleep or something to that nature

The reason why he doesn't get bit is because the spiders can sence the poison in his blood and realize if they bite him they'll be poisoned as well

Wow the timing of this video. My mom was pulling weeds two weeks ago and accidentally pulled up a brown recluse nest. Her skin reacted horrifically to a bite, and within days the infection was spreading deep and all around the area of venom injection. She had to have emergency surgery to prevent sepsis from the wound. Absolutely terrifying and I've never seen anything like it- black, yellow, pus-y, necrotic.... yet wasn't painful. Just crazy. Thank you for mentioning that everyone's body reacts differently, and that these spiders bite out of defense- my mom's situation was just a very unfortunate and uncommon accident.

When I was a child our neighborhood had tons of brown recluse spiders because of all the wooden shake roofs. We saw brown recluse spiders walking across our floor every day. In fact, before we knew what they were, there would be one or two in my bathroom sink every morning. I'd play with them a bit with the water before I would then wash it down the sink. My older sister ended up getting bitten about six times (I never did), but we had heard that tea tree oil nullified the poison, so that's what we would put on the bite. The bites all went away without any problems and eventually everyone in the neighborhood changed their roofs from wooden to a different material and the recluses left. I also remember having sticky traps and there would literally be 50 to 100 recluses covering the multiple traps in our home!! Crazy to think there were so many of them.

Love this video! We need more educational information out there like this!

Dude, I can't imagine being as calm and awesome as you are. This is some serious badassery. Absolutely love your channel!

Can we just respect how this man does insanely dangerous things that no one else would do for this channel? Mans a legend

You have no idea how much I appreciate this episode.

I've watched and played countless Horror Movies and Games, but nothing gets my heart rate going than when this absolute mad lad handles the real dangerous creepy crawlers. Coyote has no damn fear, and his balls are composed of metal stronger than adamantium 😳

I lived in Oklahoma for a few years, and I found so many recluses in the apartment, but they never bothered us. It made me worry less when I learned they weren't aggressive, so it was easier to handle them. It pays to do a bit of research!

I would like to call out a error in your Recluse locations. I live in southern Ontario Canada. We have brown recluse as a invasive species and they are surviving up here in cellars and basements. They made their way through the shipping of fruits and veggies from Texas and other US States that have them. They have been spotted in Michigan also.

Thought I knew a lot about recluses, learned a lot more than expected. Still would never free handle in a million years, but gained a lot of love for the species. Thanks Coyote

I've been bitten by a brown recluse years ago on my hand. Never even felt the bite and weeks later I noticed the bite and had to stay in the hospital for a week because of the venoms progression. Definitely hope I don't encounter another one lol.

You know you've just saw a extremely dangerous organism when Coyote doesn't even wanna get bitten by it

Coyote: “I think you’ve earned your entertainment”
Me: “No Coyote, I’m okay just looking at it. Please don’t do it!”

Hey Coyote!👋🏻 I live in South Africa 🇿🇦 and I see these guys ATLEAST once a month in my house. I always identified them as the "violin spider", which i only recently found out was another name for the brown recluse. I have always been afraid of the violin spider, and after finding out that they're the same species as the brown recluse, makes my skin crawl even more

The way the spider ran around his thumb like that gave me chills and I’m not even afraid of spiders. 😳

I live in the Appalachian mountains and weekly I see brown recluse spiders and black widows. I’ve been bit before from a recluse, thankfully my body fights the narcosis. More then likely growing up and constantly being exposed. I still don’t like these spiders tho 😅 I regularly keep wolf spiders around when I can find them they run off the bad spiders.

I’ve been bit by a brown recluse as soon as I saw it my heart dropped. My bite wasn’t that bad being it was caught early the bite at first looks like an ant bite. That’s something most don’t know.

I had the same desert recluse in my room and I immediately new it was something dangerous because of how fast it could move and I know it’s a desert recluse now because it looks exactly like the spider handled in the video

I have arachnophobia and I've seen pictures of a brown recluse bite. I was tense and nervous this entire time, and this actually helped a lot. It's good to know that if I don't bother it, it won't bother me. I may try to shoo it out of the house though lol. I also live in an entirely different country, so... that helps. But if I ever do go travelling to a place I know has recluse spiders, I just won't bother them. So long as they're outside, that's their territory. I do like having less pesky bugs outside and if they just stay out of site and don't bother me, they'd be welcome. More or less. Lol.

The thing I will NEVER forget about the first time I saw a Brown Recluse spider was how freaking fast it was. Wolf spiders are very fast but....the brown recluse makes wolf spiders look like they run in slow motion.

I notice the biggest difference between the brown recluse and the desert recluse is the abdomen on the brown recluse is larger. Been around brown recluses all my life. I know them and they don't worry me although I'll still squish them. And I've had them crawl on me many times but never been bitten. It's good that they're a docile species.

I've definitely seen them. One crawled across my living room in front of the entertainment center (yeah, it was that long ago). I had taken a Home & Garden Insects class in college. Covered the 2 medically important spiders in our area: Black widow and brown recluse. So I knew to look for the violin. At least the recluse has the courtesy to wear its identification on it's back. Widow has hers on the underside.

Dude, I live in New Mexico and grew up handling these spiders all the time.I believe they are in every house in Albuquerque and surrounding areas. Here they’re known as the Apache Brown. Often people think they are daddy long legs.
As a child I was naïve of the danger. But once I learned what they were, I grew a great respect for them and their generally calm demeanor.

Okay all jokes aside- I’ve been watching this man since I was like 7 and he has had such an impact on me, like, it’s not even funny anymore.

He has passed every test of aranchnophobia

Good video! It clearly showed me a close identification of this spider that I never knew before.

I’ve been bit twice in the last 1 1/2 years. The holes are still healing and only went about an 1/8th of an inch down. But they take forever to heal.

Great video! You seem to know a lot about spiders! Are you self taught or do you have a degree of some kind?
This video should come with a don't try this at home!😲😟
Glad you were ok!😊
Came here after reading in a tabloid about a crew member from the movie Rust having been bitten while shutting down movie!

this is literally the bravest man on planet earth

Id just like to take a moment to appreciate your insane bravery for interacting and handling so many dangerous creatures.
You are truly a living legend, Coyote

I found one in the basement of a apartment I lived in once. Seeing this one in the vid made me tense up as it was identical to that one, save for the butt being more shriveled up. But I live in Mid-Michigan, where our basements can been cool and damp year round.
Then, we surprisingly, found a cluster of them of various sizes of growth, in the basement where I live at now. They were found when doing a hoarder's cleanup and they had all clustered around a cardboard box, which hadn't been touched in years. Freaked us all out. But it freaked me out more as I had almost just grabbed that box to chuck it in a bag before noticing the spiders on it and pulling back at the last second. I was not only astounded, but in disbelief. So, we all checked, double-checked, and triple checked by looking through identification sites to make sure that was what they were. Needless to say, we had fun spraying and fumigating the heck out of that basement afterwards, especially since I even react to sac-spider bites.

I've had a couple spiders freeloading in my apartment. Ever since spiders helped drive out a fly and gnat infestation I once had because of owning Guinea Pigs, I've considered them allies. lmao There's a really small one that's always in the corner with a web on an un-used candle and I'm just letting him chill, he isn't going to reproduce in here so I figured just let him live out his life and drive out any pests that get in. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, that's how people should consider spiders. They're certainly not something to fear and they're not going to chase you down like an angry bear so just mind you're own business and they'll mind theirs.

I had brown recluse all over my room at the time I was living pinetop, I had a lot of wood furniture and walls so they loved that, specially spotting them when I turn on the bathroom light see them get defensive & run. Hated all spiders after that.

I find four to give a month in my house, usually in the fall/ winter when the bark scorpions start coming back in the house as well. And coyote there is actually no medical evidence that the brown recluse causes any necrosis and is possibly getting the blame for another insect or spider.

The house I lived in when I was growing up use to be infested with brown recluses. I lived in Tennessee around a wooded area. My family and I never got bite. We were pretty scared of getting bite though. We had some even crawl on us while we were sleeping and never got bite. They’re pretty intimidating though and my mom always made us keep our clothes and such off the floor. That house was also haunted so there’s that lol. Spiders and demons.. not a good combo

Give this man an Oscar.

The fact that he can handle spiders like that is crazy I would’ve been running still

Wish we could have a Steve Irwin and Coyote Peterson collab :(

"never interact with a spider"
I couldn't agree with you more.

I had been catching these on glue traps inside for months before I knew they were brown recluse spiders (SE oklahoma). I just thought they were a house spider. If I found live ones in drawers or whatever would just pick them up and toss them outside. I have caught many inside and know there are more but also have not been bit yet. I think the spindly legs make them way more identifiable than the violin thing.

I wake up to atleast 10 of these on spider traps every morning during certain parts of the year most of the time i notice them when they make bigger trips like across the kitchen floor whats ridiculous is i have 2 dogs and a cat and they will notice them first n just stare like they know they dont wanna mess with them😂
I enjoy having them tho keeps other bugs out👍

When I moved in to my place like six years ago, I moved into a brown recluse infestation. In the first week I killed 55. Within the next couple weeks I got another 70 more. I still see them every once in a while, but you are correct. Even with an infestation I never got bit one time.

In my experience unless you restrict/step on one - they usually do not bite by just crawling on you

The moment the recluse dashed up to your thumb, I jumped so hard I nearly fell out of my chair. It scared the crap out of me, my heart was racing fast as hell. Also I love your vids, I have been a fan for ages since 2014 and to watch this channel grow over these 7 yrs, makes me happy, I love everything you do keep it up you absolute legend. :)

The only time they're really a concern is when you're out camping where they live, because they sometimes like to hide out in the toes of boots or in sleeping bags. Always check your boots before putting them on, and give your sleeping bag a shake before climbing in.

Woke up one evening to the sensation of one of these crawling on my hand. You do not take chances when what's riding on the line is a potentially debilitating bite that could hurt worse than anything you've ever felt, for days. Really wish they weren't reliably the main critter we see indoors where I live.

7:43 You may want to take off the wrist band, imagine right as he's saying "they only bite if they feel pressure" as the spider goes under the wrist band and gets trapped, OUCH LOL :)

Great episode. Love the message in this vid

Seeing as I am in an area that sees these very often I have to add one thing you need to add - The CA Brown Recluse is not so much found in ground crevices as it is found in wood piles and higher elevation (ie: off the ground a bit) crevices. Nearly all the recluses around here are typically wedged in wooden fences or piles of this/that in peoples yard. Thankfully it's apex predator also roams the same locations (wolf spider) so never kill the wolves if you see them. They are harmless and take out the bad guys in your yard en masse.
Fun fact: Apparently ancient spider DNA that has been analyzed was most closely related to the recluse. In other words, it apparently is the modern spider that most closely resembles the prehistoric types. I always thought that would be the funnel web but I guess it's this guy.

My grandpa got bit by one of these and his whole hand was a blister for weeks, im glad to say he’s better now after resting and taking care of it.

Honesty maybe it's because I live like really close to the geographical location of these spiders but I can pretty easily identify them (that being brown recluse). Also depending on where you live they're like seeping from every crevis.

My dad's house was infested with brown recluses. I found them under my pillow, in the sink, and stuck in the ceiling fixtures. Needless to say I told him my family wouldn't visit until he fixed it. Thanks to sticky traps his situation is much better now. Now I only see 1 or 2 when I visit which is a big improvement. But it just goes to show how shy these animals really are. He lived with this infestation for roughly 5 years before it was remedied and never once sought medical attention. ....the ceiling fixture in the guest bedroom is still full of dead brown recluses, it's.....horrifying. No telling what the attic looks like.....

the brown recluse can be found in norther ontario. definitely not limited to the states

Coyote, we actually have this same brown recluse in the southern regions of Brazil.
We are advised by the local news to always look inside our shoes or our clothes before wearing them.
They are normally common in wood houses, home attics or dark places where people normally store stuff. They are known as "brown spider".

I actually got bitten from a brown recluse when i was 9 years old. Let me tell you how it went for me.
I woke up one morning to find a small bite on the top of my wrist that looked like it came from a mosquito so i paid no attention. Later I started getting sick and my mother took me to a doctor, by that time the bite was getting bigger and uglier, the doctor said he thought it was a spider bite and told my mom to watch me and if i got any fever to take me back. I think it was the next day that i got a fever and at that point there were red streaks going from the bite all the way up my arm and if you touched anywhere from my wrist to my shoulder I would just scream in pain. So my mom took me to the doctor and right away he sent me to the emergency room. I was so weak my parents had to stand on either side of me and hold me up just to get to my hospital room! I spent 2 nights there when i finally could come home. And fun fact i never remember getting bitten! they said it probably happened while i was sleeping. I love all the insects I even have some pet millipedes! but to this day i hate spiders and go nowhere near them! So if i were you i would do the same!

Even the spider thinks this man‘s voice is comforting😌 not gonna lie, this man deserves to be on a bigger screen

Coyote in my old school there was I think a brown recluse! We were freaking out and a teacher got it out. I realize now there was nothing to be afraid of because of your channel! You are the best coyote!

Thank you for doing this so that no one else thinks they have to

"When in doubt, never interact with a spider and admire it from a safe distance...
Okay, now I'm gonna pick it up."

4:09 *heartbeat intensifies* coyote is shaking lol, I’m not worried though, out of all the bites and stings he’s been through, he probably built up an immunity to the poison.

He’s just sitting on his thumb loving being the center of attention like “hey guys 😇”

Wow, just wow. Thanks for this, but I wouldn't feel comfortable doing this. But good to know if I ever have to face this.

Coyote: admirer it from a distance
Coyote: i do not want to receive a bite from it!
Also Coyote: come here on my hand ✋

People who remember the bite or sting series are the true legends.

We got the brown recluse here in iowa as soon as you walk outside you can find one with ease. You can identify them by the violin shape mark they have on their backs, they're not aggressive but they are scary.

Me: "Hey, want to watch Coyote let a recluse crawl on his hands?"
Wife: "Aww hell no! What's wrong with you?!"

Spiders are fantastic and deserve our respect. Spread the word, Coyote! 🌞

I was bit on the leg by one years ago. Left a large black spot on my calf. Doctor told me the most effective treatment was actually Echinacea because there wasn’t an antivenom for recluse. I took a bunch of echinacea and the spot reduced by half in one day and was gone a few days later.
Not saying this is the way to go for everyone but that’s what worked for me.

"To identify the spider you will have to get very close"
Most people: SMASHY SMASHY

I'm now braver and wilder, thank you Coyote

2:29 And it's looking at you!
Also any data trying to make venomous spiders less scary is worthless because as one who dislike spiders I'm definitely going to be part of that 10% that ends up having their limb cut off due to a bite.

Ive seen a bunch of these here where i live, they love to hide in corners and specially inside shoes, i always give my slippers/shoes a good shake before putting them on mainly cuz a coworker lost a toe to one of those buggers.

"It all depends on how your body reacts to the venom"
Would you're body even react at all? Pretty sure it would be like "Was that a mosquito?" You're blood is already 45% venom! Heck the spider would probably die after biting you

My least favorite part handling a brown recluse is the fact they don’t want to get off your hand once you let them on 😂
I appreciate you mentioning that their venom affects people differently. For the vast majority of KNOWN bites, 90% are nothing more than a slight localized redness. Most of those “bites” we see are actually MRSA or staph and unfairly blamed on these guys. They are so misunderstood and unfortunately under studied and villainized.
I suggest checking out Rick Vetter’s work if you want to know more.
But these guys are awesome! Appreciate this video.

Currently dealing with one of these bites. From Canada working in Kansas state. Putting on my hard hat (left in work truck) nailed me twice in my right temple. Can’t really explain the pain. Been to the ER twice in two weeks. Thanks fully wounds aren’t getting bigger. Hopefully it doesn’t. To say the least I’ve had my fill working down south. Back to the snow I go 😂