Brazilian Wandering Spiders were found in bananas purchased from a Sainsbury’s supermarket in the UK, and we’re willing to admit it makes us never want to buy fruit (or at least bananas) again.
The discovery was made by Consi Taylor, a mother and wife, who initially thought the fruit was moldy. On closer inspection, Taylor saw the tiny marks dropping onto the carpet and scurrying away.
The Mirror reports that the mom recalled , “I though it was mold, but when I had a closer look I saw some funny looking spots.” She explained that the tiny spiders were “hatching out on the table, scurrying around on my carpet.”
Sainsbury’s initially offered her a £10 voucher for the spiders in her bananas and only realized the danger her family was in when she sent a photo of the spiders to a pest control company.
The London Evening Standard notes that the pest control company responded to Taylor, telling her and the family to leave their home immediately. The fuzzy critters turned out to be Brazilian Wandering Spiders, which the firm warned is “venomous and should be considered dangerous. We have to take huge care and diligence.”
The Brazilian Wandering Spider has the most toxic venom on Earth. It can cause loss of muscle control and breathing problems, along with paralysis and asphyxiation. Consi, her husband, Richard, and their two children were forced to live in a hotel while their house was fumigated and all of their clothes were dry-cleaned.
Since then, Sainsbury’s upped its offer from a £10 voucher to £1,000 to cover the cost of the hotel stay, dry cleaning, and fumigation. The supermarket also apologized to the family. While the family did accept the apology, Consi Taylor commented, “I now have a phobia of buying bananas. We don’t know whether they’ve all gone.”
Well, Consi, we do too.
[Image via ShutterStock ]
