Local Couple Says Black Widow Spider Was Crawling In Their Grapes
LANGHORNE, Pa. (CBS) -- A Bucks County couple says they found a potentially deadly spider in an unlikely spot after shopping in Langhorne.
The black widow's bite can be deadly to the very young and elderly, and this one was in Amy Reed's container of grapes.
"I saw something moving and it just crawled out," Reed says.
Reed says the grapes were bought Monday at BJ's near Langhorne, Bucks County.
She was washing them last night to give to one of her six children.
She even ate two grapes herself before seeing the black widow crawling around.
She put the spider in a Ziploc bag and put it in the freezer to kill it.
"We emailed pictures of the spider to Penn State's Department of Entomology. Experts there tell me they can't say for certain without examining the spider… it does appear to be a black widow."
BJ's released a statement saying in part: "We are aware of the black widow spider a member found in a pack of organic grapes at our Langhorne, PA location. We have inspected all other grapes and discovered no spiders or other insects. We are taking this matter extremely seriously and working with our vendor to take appropriate measures."
According to the container, the Welch's organic grapes were distributed out of Eden Prairie, Minnesota.
"I was never the type to believe these things until it happened to me," Reed says.
Entomologist say black widows can be found across the United States, including Pennsylvania.
Poisonous females are typically identified by a red hour-glass shape like the one Reed discovered.
Their bites are rarely fatal for normal, healthy adults.
