RIVERSIDE, KS (KAKE/CNN) - When 7-year-old Greyson Bryant-Stuckey found an Iron Man costume in a closet at home, he couldn’t resist putting it on. But he didn’t know a brown recluse spider was calling the outfit its home.
The poisonous spider bit Greyson, resulting in first a welt, then a rash that quickly spread across his back.
"It started to hurt and hurt and hurt more and more," Greyson said.
Greyson’s doctor immediately knew the cause.
“She said it was definitely a brown spider bite,” said Greyson's mother, Leanne Bryant. The family later found out it wasn’t only a brown spider, but a brown recluse. That type of spider rarely causes death with their venom, but Greyson’s doctor said that venom can cause pain and scarring.
"It would have started eating away underneath the skin," Bryant said.
Experts say brown recluse spiders like to be in places that people aren’t. Exterminator Craig Betts has seen his share of brown recluse spiders.
“This time of year we tend to see a lot of brown recluse, and the fact that people are moving residence, buying new houses, doing spring cleaning” tends to bring the spiders out of hiding.
Betts said store-bought bug spray might kill the spider if you spray it, but it won’t keep more spiders from coming back.
“It’s like anything else. If it’s left undisturbed, they're going to multiply rapidly and create a bigger problem," Betts said.
Thankfully, Greyson is getting better and now he is doing what experts suggest - shaking the fabric before it comes in contact with his skin, just in case another spider is lurking inside.
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