I went to my local grocery store and bought some bananas plus other items. When I got home, I found a cocoon/sac on the bottom of several bananas. There were some eggs in the sac. I also saw a live spider. I contacted USDA. I know some bananas come from South America. Of course, I was pretty concerned.
2007-03-01 06:31:27 · 17 answers · asked by sewoh123 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Zoology
It's not uncommon. It doesn't happen every day, but since most fruit and vegetables in the store started out in a field, orchard or even greenhouse far away from the store itself, there are often little insect and arachnid hitchhikers that make their way into the stores and people's homes with the produce.
Some of the more interesting ones we've had brought into our lab include:
Black widow spiders - from grapes usually
Tarantulas - usually from bananas
Giant crab spider - harmless, but scary looking, that was found in some raspberries
Small anole lizard - also with grapes
Bark scorpion - with a shipment of PVC pipes from New Mexico
The coolest critter was a blind worm snake that came in with a potted plant from a major hardware/home outfitting chain. Bizarre looking little thing. Unfortunately, the woman who found it killed it with Raid before we saw it.
Contacting the USDA (or CFIA in Canada) was definitely the right thing to do. Agricultural pests introduced from other countries can do considerable damage to domestic agriculture if the pests become established, and this is a potential means of them escaping into the environment and becoming established. Even if the critter is harmless (which it usually is), it's still a good idea to let them know so they can identify it.
2007-03-01 07:02:55 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I'm surprised it doesn't happen more often. Many species of tarantula and spider live in the banana trees of Central America. The growers and shippers make a great effort to remove as many as they can, but some can sneak through and hitch a ride to the states.
The real issue becomes that these normally docile creatures are left with no food source in a noisy, cold environment until placed on your store shelves, and needless to say are rather crabby. However, most do not survive the voyage from the grove to the supermarket, and are relatively harmless.
2007-03-01 06:36:42 · answer #2 · answered by Peter N 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The last time i found a spider on a banana at the grocery store I was in the men's room. It was really embarrassing and I prefer not to talk about it. Let's put it this way, it was a SWELL experience after it bit me. Good Luck!
2007-03-01 06:35:37 · answer #3 · answered by smartazz 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
For a couple of months during collage my son worked in a banana packing factory,they were always finding spiders among them,they got used to it but were always aware that they maybe poisonouse.iv heard nothing about anyone being bitten or harmed by one yet though.Also when he was little he felt a stabbing pain in his toungue,when he ate a pistachio (in shell type)took him to A,E,who also had spider checked (by usual people),but he was fine but tired for day,probably shock LOL.But it scared us all so much.You was right to have it checked you never know do you.
2007-03-01 06:47:09 · answer #4 · answered by patsy 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No but, I found something inside a head of iceberg lettuce. It was the exact same color of the lettuce about an inch in diameter. If it didn't move , I would have eaten it. To this day, I haven't a clue as to what it was. Lot of legs!
2007-03-01 06:51:18 · answer #5 · answered by ? 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Was it a tarantula? Six foot seven foot eight foot BUNCH!
Daylight comes now me wanna go home..
Once my mom was rinsing fresh raspberries from the store and she found a honeybee (expired) wedged head first in a raspberry..poor little thing got in but couldn't get out.
2007-03-01 06:34:23 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
A friend of mine found a black widow spider with his bananas, Luckilyhe was not bitten or it could have been goodnight.
2007-03-01 06:37:42 · answer #7 · answered by The exclamation mark 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I found a lady bug on some apples I bought.
2007-03-01 06:35:18 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
that's disgusting!!!!! I hope you contacted the store you brought them from. what did you do with the bananas?
2007-03-01 06:47:41 · answer #9 · answered by goddess 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yer every day.. comes with buying fresh fruit. put a bunch of bananas in my fridge.. low and behold next day a bloody monkey jumped out and robbed me roast dinner.. hate those damn bananas he said,, whats your gravy? bisto i said,, aaaaaaaaahhhh bisto.. me favourite he said.,
2007-03-01 06:39:31 · answer #10 · answered by valda54 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋