A Rhode Island man says that when his wife and 1-year old son were washing newly-purchased grapes recently, they got a nasty surprise: a black widow spider, which had hitched a ride on the fruit.
Luckily, James Sylvia says, the arachnid was spotted before anyone was bitten. The black widow’s venom is extremely dangerous and can result in a painful death, especially in young children or elderly people.
“They’re more common than you’d think but they’re not often encountered because of their secretive habits. They’re probably the most venomous spider in this region…It’s very harmful however towards children, and my son is 1 year old, and he and my wife were washing grapes in the sink inches from the spider,” Sylvia said.
Spiders and other creepy-crawlies are an unfortunate side effect of farmers refusing to use pesticides on their crops due to consumer concern; luckily, dangerous creatures are not a common occurrence. Still, with each new story that pops up about a scary experience, people get antsy about their produce.
Earlier this year, a venomous spider was found curled around some bananas in a supermarket in Scotland; no one was hurt.