Michigan Woman Finds Black Widow Spider in Grapes

Alexis Gentile, who found and killed a black widow spider in a bag of grapes, was luckier than a Vermont woman, who was hospitalized after one of the venomous arachnids crawled out of a bag of grapes and bit her. (Photo by Flickr user theloushe via Creative Commons)

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An Oakland County woman says a frightening discovery in a bag of red seedless grapes isn’t going to change her grocery shopping habits – even though she could have felt miserable for a while after a recent purchase.

Alexis Gentile of White Lake Township told WXYZ-TV that she had rinsed the grapes thoroughly. As she and her brother prepared to eat them, they saw nestled in the cluster what turned out to be a large black widow spider.

When they decided to document the spider because it its sheer size, the camera’s flash illuminated the distinctive red hourglass marking on the arachnid’s underbelly – verification that the spider was indeed a black widow.

Gentile said the management at the Commerce Township Kroger’s store has been helpful, has promised to follow p with the grape supplier, and she wouldn’t dream of taking her business elsewhere – or of giving up grapes. She told the television station she wants to make sure other people are aware they may buy more than fruit.

Gentile and her brother are luckier than a Vermont woman who was bitten by a black widow spider from a bag of grapes. The spider crawled up her arm when she reached into the bag, according to a report on USA Today.

The woman, 21, spent the night at a hospital and was released Saturday. Black widow spiders are venomous, but their bites are lethal in only about 1 percent of cases. Common symptoms include muscle aches, nausea and breathing difficulty that can linger for several months. The very young and old are most susceptible.

Finding venomous arachnids in produce has become more a common experience among consumers as some growers, bowing to pressure reduce chemical use, introduced black widow spiders as natural predators to eat invasive insect species.

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In 2013, black widow spiders were found in grapes in several states, including Michigan, where a family found a live spider in the produce they’d purchased at a Kroger store in Brighton. The discovery occurred just two days after the Aldi’s chain pulled its entire stock of grapes in Milwaukee after a shopper found a live black widow. Similar incidents were reported in Minnesota and Missouri that year.

Now that the spiders are established, the only way to eradicate them is with pesticides – which defeats the original purpose. So it comes down to being careful, The Consumerist advises.

Grocers say it’s a good idea to closely inspect produce from the southern United States and Mexico, where the black widows are typically found.

The shiny black females are about 1.5 inches long. Males, which are more muted in color, are about half as big as females, and have pink or red spots on their backs.