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An Outbreak of Venomous Spider Bites in a Citrus Grove

An outbreak of necrotizing spider bites in citrus groves in the Aravah valley of southern Israel is reported. Bites were clinically diagnosed to be due to the brown recluse spider Loxosceles rufescens (Dufour, 1820) (Loxoscelidae), one of the most common spiders identified in the groves. The distribution of L. rufescens in this area appears to be restricted to one locality, suggesting that it was a point introduction. This report suggests a previously unreported risk for workers in citrus groves and describes an ecologic intervention consisting of tree pruning and clearing of ground cover that appears to have been successful in reducing the incidence of bites.