In a story that's enough to turn you off the yellow fruit for life, a British woman was told to "burn everything" after she found eggs from one of the world's most aggressive and venomous spiders in a bunch of bananas.
Essex resident Abby Woodgate found eggs from the Brazilian wandering spider in her kitchen recently, following a delivery from her local Tesco.
She initially thought that the fruit had grown mould when she noticed a white lump. When she used a toothpick to poke at the mound, a cocoon opened with dozens of the eggs inside. Though Abby threw the fruit in the bin, a number of the eggs dropped on the floor, which she vacuumed. When she informed the supermarket, they said they would come back to her house to collect them. This was followed by another call to say pest control experts were on their way.
According to The Guardian, Woodgate, 30, was told by pest control experts to "burn anything that came into contact" with the spider eggs, including her vacuum cleaner and bin.
The venom of the Brazilian wandering spider can cause loss of muscle control and breathing problems, which has been known to result in paralysis and asphyxiation. The arachnid is often found hiding in banana shipments. As such, it is also known as the banana spider... a rather friendly name for such a terrifying creature.
