40 deadly spiders invade Nebraska man's apartment

A studio apartment is typically suited for one occupant. But Dylan Baumann has been forced to coexist with about 40 lodgers in his small living space in Omaha, Nebraska. Even worse, the new tenants are potentially deadly recluse spiders.

"I saw them crawling across my walls, crawling along my floorboards and saw it crawling by my foot," Baumann told KETV.

The brown recluse spiders are rare in Omaha but have been spotted with more regularity, particularly since the area experienced an unusually short winter, according to Dennis Ferraro, of the Douglas County Extension Office.

'We virtually did not have a cold winter this winter, and the hotter temperatures that we're having would probably allow for more reproduction,' Ferraro told KETV.

Yesterday, it was reported that while there are more than 40,000 known species of spiders, that number may be less than half of all the different types of spiders currently living around the world.

Dangerous: Dylan Baumann is sharing his Omaha home with dozens of venomous brown recluse spiders

He has moved his bed away from the wall and pulled up the skirt of the bed to try and avoid being attacked in his sleep.

Every day he shakes out his clothes before putting them on and makes sure none of the dangerous arachnids are hiding in his shoes. After a shower, he shakes his towel before drying off.

Although he is following a peaceful method of co-existence Baumann admits to being ‘terrified’ of being bitten.

He told KETV that he's been catching the creepy crawlies in his east-central Omaha apartment for the past four months.

Terrified: Baumann admits that he is 'terrified' that he will be bitten by one of the spiders. One bite can hospitalise victims, a fatal bite is incredibly rare

 

Invasion: Experts say the higher numbers of spiders and bugs is likely due to a relatively mild winter and higher-than-normal summer temperatures

Ouch! Brown recluse spider bites can result in painful wounds. Baumann has been lucky so far....

Still, even with the near-constant threat of venomous spider bites, Baumann has decided to stay in his apartment until his lease is up in September.

"It's mainly just leaing to cope with them," he said. "Pushing your bed away from the wall, pulling out your bed skirt, making sure nothing is touching the walls, shaking off your clothes before you put them on, after you get out of the shower, shake out your towel, knock out your shoes at night. It's just kind of leaing to not get bit."