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Karakurt — black female with a globular abdomen

Reptiles

Spider bite in Georgia — what should you do?

If a spider has bitten you, the first step is 112. This page is educational and does not replace a clinician or emergency care.

Call 112Spiders

Emergency action

Bitten by a spider? Call 112 immediately

If a spider has bitten you in Georgia, call 112 and seek emergency medical care. Stay calm. Wash the bite with soap and water. Do not cut, suck, or catch the spider.

  • Call 112 — Georgia's single emergency number.
  • Wash with soap and water; a cold cloth or ice may ease pain.
  • Do not cut, suck, or try to remove venom.
  • Do not catch the spider. Identify it only if safe — from a distance or a photo.
Emergency help112

Only medical staff decide treatment. The steps here are educational first-response points from 112 and CDC/NIOSH public guidance — not a medical protocol.

What to do

What to do after a spider bite

  1. 01Call 112

    Immediately. 112 is Georgia's single emergency number. Do not wait for symptoms.

  2. 02Stay calm

    CDC/NIOSH: remain calm. Extra movement is not needed while you wait for help.

  3. 03Wash with soap and water

    Wash the bite. That is cleanliness, not venom removal.

  4. 04Cold cloth or ice

    CDC/NIOSH names a cold cloth or ice to reduce pain. This is not treatment.

  5. 05Seek professional care

    Home methods do not replace care. A photo of the spider can wait if it is safe — 112 comes first.

What not to do

What not to do

  1. Do not cut the bite

    Cutting the wound does not remove venom and causes harm.

  2. Do not suck the bite

    Sucking venom by mouth or device does not work. CDC/NIOSH rules out trying to remove venom.

  3. Do not catch the spider

    Catching it often causes another bite. Identify only if safe.

  4. Do not burn the bite or use folk remedies

    Burning, alcohol, or unproven methods are not treatment and waste time.

  5. Do not delay 112 to identify the species

    Call and seek care first. The profile can wait.

Symptoms

Possible spider-bite symptoms

Symptoms depend on the species. Below are possible signs, mainly karakurt latrodectism (Nentwig et al.) — not a diagnostic list.

Do not wait for symptoms before calling 112. Absence of symptoms does not mean the bite is safe.

  • Pain at the bite — in latrodectism often severe and lasting
  • Pain that worsens in the first hour; often radiates into a limb or the abdomen
  • Sweating
  • Nausea
  • Fever or neuromuscular signs — in fewer cases
  • Raised blood pressure — in fewer cases

Nentwig et al.: pain is severe and lasting in about two thirds of cases; pain usually 1–2 days, other signs 1–4 days. Death is rare in modern European material — that does not make the bite mild. The list is not complete.

Risk

When is a spider bite especially concerning?

Every suspected bite is a 112 case. The High-risk species on this page is the karakurt.

  • Severe lasting pain, sweating, nausea, or other general signs.
  • Children often experience heavier effects because of smaller body mass.
  • If the spider looks like a karakurt, or the bite happened among stones and debris.
  • If you did not see the spider but suspect a bite — still call 112.

Georgia

Is every spider bite the same?

No. The medically significant species in the atlas is the karakurt. Argiope is Harmless. The false karakurt is Harmless in the atlas; steatodism is milder — that is Australian Steatoda material (Isbister and Gray 2003), not a Georgian series. Species comparison belongs in the venomous-spider guide, not at the bite scene.

The brown recluse (Loxosceles reclusa) is not in this atlas for Georgia. Do not import American names onto a bite here.

If you did not see the spider

What if I did not see the spider?

Still call 112. Do not delay the call for identification. A distant photo can help later if it is safe. Do not catch the spider.

Species comparison later — in the venomous-spider guide, only after 112 is underway.

Atlas

Which spider on this page is High risk?

Below is the atlas's 1 High-risk spider — the karakurt. Full context: spiders hub. After a bite, 112 first.

Venomous spidersSpidersRisk to humans

Sources

What this page is based on

Medical advice cites external authoritative sources. Species come from the atlas. This page is not a medical institution.

External sources

Biology and species (Reptiles.ge)

  • Venomous-spider guide and karakurt profile

    Risk level and identification from atlas data — not a medical protocol.

  • Editorial interpretation

    Page structure is prepared by Reptiles.ge from the sources above.

Related guides

Continue with related pages

Identification, range, safety, and species indexes — stay in the same topic instead of returning to the homepage.

Safety

Venomous spiders in Georgia

Karakurt is medically significant. Argiope is not a black widow.

Spider guide

FAQ

Spider bite — frequently asked questions

Short answers. Detail is above; medical decisions belong with 112 and clinicians.

Call 112. Stay calm, wash with soap and water. Do not cut, suck, or catch the spider.

No. CDC/NIOSH rules out removing venom. Cutting and sucking cause harm.

No. Catching it often causes another bite. A distant photo is enough if safe.

No. The High-risk species on this page is the karakurt. Argiope is Harmless. A false-karakurt bite can hurt. Do not judge risk yourself — call 112.

The syndrome after a karakurt bite. Nentwig: pain is severe and lasting in about two thirds of cases; sweating is common; nausea and other signs less so. Death is rare in modern European material, but the bite is not mild.

No. Harmless in the atlas. Steatodism is milder — Isbister and Gray 2003 is Australian Steatoda material, not a Georgian series.

Loxosceles reclusa is not in this atlas. Do not import American names onto a Georgian bite.

Still call 112. Do not delay the call for identification.

Next step

After 112 — the atlas

Species comparison is on the venomous-spider guide. After a bite, 112 still comes first.

SpidersAll species