If bitten, remain calm, collect the spider, if possible, for positive identification and get medical attention immediately. (Contact your physician, hospital and/or Poison Information Center.)

First aid is of limited help. Application of a mild antiseptic such as iodine or hydrogen peroxide prevents infection.

Persons younger than 16 and older than 60, especially those with a heart condition, may require a hospital stay. (Health and lung failure may result in death.)

A physician can give specific antivenin or calcium gluconate to relieve pain.

Healthy people recover rapidly in two to five days.