November 26, 2003
Wash Your Produce; Find Bugs Early
One of the stranger things I've read recently:
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BOSTON - Heidi Waite went to the store for grapes. She came home with a poisonous pet. Waite was feeding red seedless grapes to her 1 1/2-year-old daughter this weekend when her father stopped her cold. A black widow spider, the most dangerous type of spider in the United States, was nestled in the bunch of fruit.
Waite didn't panic. She put the arachnid into her children's bug jar, and has kept it there since.
"I couldn't come to terms with killing it," she said Tuesday.
Waite, of Boylston, purchased the California grapes last week at a Shaw's supermarket in Shrewsbury. She said she wanted to get the word out to ensure others are cautious with their grapes.
In response to venomous discoveries by Waite and another customer who bought grapes at a different store, Shaw's supermarkets, a unit of Britain's J Sainsbury PLC, said it would increase inspection of the fruit at its stores and sell the grapes loose, instead of in bags.
"As a result of the growers' efforts to reduce the use of pesticides in the industry, the possibility of finding an insect or spider exists," the West Bridgewater-based company said in a statement.
The current problem of black widow spiders is limited to red grapes because they are currently being harvested, Shaw's said.
The black widow spider's venom is not usually fatal to humans, because only a minute amount is transmitted. But the bite is extremely painful.
hln
Posted by hln at November 26, 2003 05:49 AM | Nutrition | TrackBack
Wait. She said what? "Couldn't come to terms with killing it" ?
Are you sure this doesn't belong under the "Utter and Completely Mad" category?
*shudder* Spiders suck.
Couldn't come to terms with killing it? Oh for heaven sake it's a spider, not some cute furry little creature like a chipmunk. I don't know that I would've ever found out what kind of spider it was - I would've washed the grapes and then if a spider dropped off - just squished it. I'm amazed that people are saving them and calling authories about them!
I heard on the radio that the first woman actually called the police! I can hear the conversation now - "this is 911 can I help you?" "Yes - there's a spider on my grapes, you have to send someone over here to kill it immediately!!!"
Wow!
Posted by: Teresa at November 26, 2003 02:56 PMDeath to spiders!
Oh, and Happy Thanksgiving to you, Heather. :-)
Posted by: Jennifer at November 27, 2003 12:39 PMHappy Thanksgiving, Heather.
And, in contrast to Jen's note, spiders are A-OK in my book--even black widow's. Just don't play with 'em.
Posted by: Victor at November 27, 2003 12:55 PMAll spider must die! Die Spiders Die!
Couldn't come to terms with killing it? What kind of touchy feely crap is that? It's a friggin buf and there are millions of em. It's not like it's the last one on earth. Maybe it serves her right, because she is the type that would advocate organic growth of all food stuffs and no pesticides at all. I wish the spider would have bit her.
Posted by: The Bartender at November 27, 2003 11:14 PM
