Brown Recluse Spider (Maybe) Bites Michigan Teen

It's summertime in Michigan, so everyone is dealing with bugs - mosquitoes, ticks, bees and spiders. There should be no brown recluse spiders in Michigan, but every year there are reports of those being sighted in Michigan. These reports are usually spotty and from the southern part of the state and even then, the theory is that most are transported here from other locations There's speculation that brown recluse spiders could be moving further north, yet there's no proof of that either. To drive the point home, last year, the Rose Pest Company was offering $300 to anyone in Michigan who could prove they had a brown recluse in their house.

The latest possible brown recluse "incident" in Michigan occurred recently when it was reported that 19-year-old Clayton Friend, from Antrim County (west of Gaylord - so, way up north) had been bitten by a brown recluse - even though he wasn't aware of it the time. Clayton had bite marks, a fever and chills, so he went to an E.R. According to UpNorthLive, the doctor at the E.R. he visited thought it was "definitely a recluse bite". But, there's no way to prove that without the spider being examined. Clayton's going to fine, but he had delay his enlistment in the Coast Guard.

Stay safe, Clayton. Out on the Seven Seas, you'll definitively know what bit you.

Here's the story.