I did some looking into this spider a few months ago. Birds probably eat
them, so at least I've discussed birds slightly.

Anyway . . .

While I have heard that the Brown Recluse has been in Washington (and may
be), it is very rare and probably not the culprit of bites that cause
problems around here (they're much more prevalent in the South). We do
have another spider, very similar in appearance, called the Hobo Spider (or
Aggressive House Spider). It too can be rather aggressive if handled (they
don't seek out people to bite, but they appear to be more of a threat to
folks because they move rather quickly and during certain times of the year
(Sept/Oct I think), the males are more active in their search for mates).
A likely scenario for getting bitten is while handling firewood, as they
like dark crevices and corners for making a dense funnel-shaped web, much
like that of the common house spider which is more prevalent, around my
house anyway (also brown, smaller, nickel-size including the legs that have
stripes on them -- bite not usually harmful). If the Hobo spider is
pinched between a hand and a piece of wood, biting is a natural reaction
(woudn't you?). The bite is typically painless (people may not even know
they've been bitten until the skin around the bite turns red. If the red
area hardens or blisters, medical treatment is worthwhile to minimize the
local reaction. If the bite does contain venom (only about 50% do), the
skin area around the bite will essentially die (it's called necrotic
arachnidism). It can take a long time to heal as the skin fluffs off
leaving a depression where the bite occurred.

Ok, is everyone sufficiently paranoid and ready to kill every spider on
sight (and sight-unseen)? Well try to control yourselves. Don't start
spraying poison all over to kill everything. Most spiders around are
beneficial, and many of them, including the common house spider, ****prey
on Hobo Spiders****. The best way to control for these spiders is to keep
areas where they like to lurk clean (wood piles, sheds, garages, etc . . .
), and take reasonable precautions (wear work gloves) when working in areas
where they might be, shake out clothes and shoes before putting them on,
especially if they've been sitting outside.

Chemicals, no . . . common sense, yes.

There are quite a few web sites available to corroborate what I've said and
learn much more. Search for "Hobo Spider", not Brown Recluse, and you'll
get more pertinent information regarding what's what in our neck of the
woods.

Here's a start . . . http://www.ufsia.ac.be/Arachnology/Pages/Hobo.html

Oh look! There's a crow flying nearby. There, I talked about birds twice.
:)

=========================================
Ned McGarry
Research DataWorks
Survey Research Services, Data Processing, Consulting
(425) 820-7389
nmcgarry at gte.net