Business & Tech

Coventry Resident Discovers Venomous Spider in Grapes

The Black Widow spider found in the Coventry home is likely to be the most venomous species in the region.

 

According to WJAR, James Sylvia of Coventry was caught off guard on Thursday morning when he discovered a venomous Black Widow spider in a bunch of grapes that his wife had purchased at Stop & Shop.

Apart from the dangerous nature of the spider, another unnerving part of the story is that Sylvia found it while his wife and 1-year-old son were washing the grapes in the kitchen sink. He identified the spider by the distinctive red hourglass marking on its abdomen.

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"Next time you wash your grapes there may be a black widow spider, so you may want to be careful," Sylvia told NBC 10

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), A bite from a black widow releases a neurotoxin that produces pain at the bite area and then spreads to the chest, abdomen, or the entire body. Since 1950, there have been approximately 63 reported deaths from this type of spider bite in the U.S.

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The report went on to note that the Stop & Shop chain regretted the incident and released the following statement: "Due to consumer concerns around pesticides, they have been used less over the years which makes the fruit more attractive to insects … and that (Stop & Shop) works closely with its suppliers to ensure proper inspection and trains its (workers) to check grapes when stocking shelves."


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