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The Brampton Guardian
Brampton family brings venomous spider home from grocery store
The Brampton Guardian
Friday January 2 2009
By PETER CRISCIONE
 
BRAMPTON - Brampton resident Roseanne Power picked up a little more than she bargained for at the supermarket recently. Power was in her kitchen about to wash grapes she just purchased at a local grocery store when a black widow spider crawled out of the bunch. "I wanted to kill it but my husband told me not to because it wasn't a normal-looking spider"; said Power who lives in the Sandalwood Parkway and McLaughlin Road area. The couple brought the venomous creature to the Emergency Veterinary Clinic at Hurontario Street and Wexford Road. There, veterinary staff explained the family's stowaway was in fact a black widow spider. "We just saved the spider because it looked strange. We took it to the vet," Power continued. Clinic staff told The Guardian they notified the Bovaird and Brisdale Drive grocery store of the incident. Fresh produce may have insects, scorpions, snakes, spiders or other critters in them that may be injurious to consumers, but according to the Canadian Food Inspection agency actually bringing them home from the market is rare. Food inspection officials say black widow spiders are the most common living creatures found in fresh produce that might be injurious to human health as the spider's venom is poisonous. The CFIA says there is an "increased frequency of finding black widow spiders" especially during the fall harvesting season for table grapes imported from California. Although produce is thoroughly checked before entering the grocery store, food inspection officials say critters do get through the odd time. When grapes are harvested, some spiders may camouflage with the grape vines and escape the attention of the farm worker. Grapes are also chilled prior to being transported, causing spiders to become dormant and immobile. The CFIA recommends spiders found in produce should be treated with caution. The black widow spider will bite in self-defence if disturbed. Black widow spiders are distinctive due to their shiny, round body. They are brown or black in colour and have two red or yellow triangles on the abdomen. The legs are long and slender.