‘We should just burn it down’: Brown recluse spiders found in Georgia home
A Paulding County woman told Channel 2 Action News her home is crawling with more than 100 brown recluse spiders.
Every day since Nicole Photianos and her husband bought their first home in Dallas, they said they’ve seen at least one of the venomous spiders.
“I just say we should just burn it down,” Photianos joked to Channel 2, while laughing.
Despite having exterminators spray the house every week, she said her two young boys stumble across them daily.
“Even the exterminator said, ‘We’ve been doing this job for 12 years, and this is the second case of brown recluses we’ve ever seen,’” Photianos said. “I’m like, ‘Great. So it’s really rare.’”
Brown recluse spiders are known for distinctive violin pattern on their backs. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health said bites from those spiders are incredibly rare, but white blisters usually develop and severe lesions can develop, which would require medical attention.
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She and her husband contacted the family that sold them the house, and they said they never had any spider problems for the 10 years they lived there, the news station reported. She believes they became active after their home sat vacant for four months and some mold work was done.
“I think they’ve always lived in the walls,” Photianos said. “They just got out when they did the work.”
For now, she told Channel 2 she would continue spraying her home and praying the children remain safe.
“They’re literally my biggest fear,” Photianos said.
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About the Author
Zachary Hansen, a Georgia native, covers economic development and commercial real estate for the AJC. He's been with the newspaper since 2018 and enjoys diving into complex stories that affect people's lives.
