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Spider bites: first aid, the signs, and when to get care
For anyone who was just bitten by a spider, is looking after someone who was, or is about to clean out a shed, a garage or a woodpile. This page passes on, by name, what CDC’s page Venomous Spiders at Work says (from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, NIOSH) and what the MedlinePlus summary on spider bites says (from the National Library of Medicine): first aid, the signs, when to get care, black widows and brown recluses, how to keep from being bitten, and tetanus. It builds the words to tell a nurse or doctor and prints a card to fill in.
Right now
- Trouble breathing, or signs of a severe allergic reaction? Call 911. CDC lists difficulty breathing among the symptoms of a spider bite; the 911 line is ours.
- Stay calm, and wash the bite with soap and water (CDC).
- Put something cold on it: a cloth dampened with cold water, or ice in a cloth, to reduce swelling; raise the bitten area if you can (CDC).
- Do not try to remove the venom (CDC). Identify the spider only if you can do it safely (CDC).
- Get care for a small child, for severe symptoms (MedlinePlus), and for a sore from a brown recluse (CDC). CDC’s worker page says every bitten worker should seek professional medical attention.
More help
- A severe allergic reaction: the signs and what to do. An emergency of another kind: First aid: what to do right now.
- Before a visit: Get ready for your appointment. No insurance: When you need a doctor and can’t pay.
- Other bites outdoors: After a tick bite · Snakebite.
- All our free tools.
This page and its wording were written with AI (Claude) for Scarlet Beast (our AI policy). No doctor or nurse has reviewed it. The facts were read on October 14, 2026 on two government pages: Venomous Spiders at Work on cdc.gov, from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (updated and reviewed September 28, 2026), the main source, and the summary of the MedlinePlus health topic Spider Bites, from the National Library of Medicine. Where they differ: CDC’s page, written for workers, says a bitten worker should seek professional medical attention; MedlinePlus says most spider bites are harmless and to seek treatment for small children and adults with severe symptoms. The guide gives both. Medicines: MedlinePlus names over-the-counter pain medicine and antihistamines; no brand and no amount is given here. What we left out: pictures of spiders, look-alike spiders, spiders outside the US, bites to pets, and what a hospital does (that is its work). The page does not name a poison center line, because neither page does. This page saves nothing and loads no trackers.