Subject: Found in grapes
Location: Southeast Michigan
June 1, 2017 7:28 pm
My wife was bitten in the finger as she was packing some grapes in a bag. We live in southeast michigan but not sure where the grapes come from
Signature: Bill Lowry
Brown Widow Spider
Dear Bill,
This sure looks like an immature Brown Widow Spider, Latrodectus geometricus, to us, but viewing through the plastic bag is somewhat distorting. Here is a BugGuide image for comparison. The Brown Widow is a recently introduced species According to BugGuide: “World wide in the tropical zone. It was introduced in Florida and has since been observed moving north through Georgia, and into South Carolina; it has also been officially recorded in California, Alabama, Mississippi, and Texas.” If the grapes were imported from California, it is entirely possible that a Brown Widow was imported with them. BugGuide also notes: “Widow Bites: NOTE: It is recognized that this particular species of widow is most likely not medically significant (not an immediate medical concern to those who are bitten). The brown widow produces clinical effects similar to that of the black widow but the typical symptoms and signs being milder and tending to be restricted to the bite site and surrounding tissues. Brown widow spiders usually curl up into a ball, and drop to the ground as a primary defense. It is highly recommended that people leave this spider alone; observe, but don’t touch. The brown widow is an extremely timid spider which has rarely been reported to bite.”
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