Dangerous, Rare Brown Recluse Spiders Found Living In Michigan Family's Garage

DAVISON, Mich. (WWJ) -- A family in the Flint area got a surprise when they found an unwelcome guest living in their garage.

A family in Davison, Michigan was shocked to find a pair of brown recluse spiders in their unattached, unheated garage -- a strange sight considering the arachnids prefer the warmer climates of southern states.

Brown recluse spider bites can cause a sting or sharp pain, like a bee sting, according to the Mayo Clinic. With severe bites, surrounding skin may die within a few hours.

Howard Russell, an entomologist at Michigan State University Diagnostic Services, was able to confirm that the spiders were, in fact, brown recluse.

"I've been doing this for 30 years," Russell told CBS News. "I've had eight brown recluse out of thousands of spiders submitted, so they're rare."

There are known populations of brown recluse in Lansing, Hillsdale and Flint, but others have been found in Ann Arbor, Tecumseh and now Davison since 2015.

"The interesting question research-wise here: Do these represent sort of a transported population or does this represent the leading edge of a spread of these things to the Midwest?" Russell said.