THIS photo shows a nest of ‘venomous spiders’ that were found in a banana skin, according to a Worcester News reader.
Nick Southam, aged 49, noticed a lump on the banana skin as he was eating the fruit before discovering it was a spider’s nest.
Mr Southam, from Droitwich, said: “Halfway through, I noticed a lump on the banana skin.
“I cut the lump open after finishing it, and tiny spiders came out.
“They were not very active - they would not survive well in our climate.
“There were only a few alive ones – most of the spiders were dead.”
Mr Southam said the affected banana was one of four he bought loose from Lidl in Droitwich on Monday, March 2.
He added: “It had small eggs on the side of the banana. They were very tiny things – I didn’t know where they came from.”
He ate the banana which had spiders infested in the skin the following day.
Mr Southam said it was only the one banana in which he found the spider eggs.
He said he managed to get a photo of one of the spiders and posted it on iSpot - a website used to identify wildlife.
He said the results came back over the weekend and the spider was identified as a Brazilian Wandering Spider, also known as a Ctenidae.
Brazilian wandering spiders are known for being aggressive thanks to the alarming toxicity of their bite. This type of spider appears to be the most venomous in the world, expert say.
Mr Southam added “It was only after I realised when I researched ‘spider in banana’ that this has happened before.
“There have been a few incidents over the past few years of people finding spiders in banana skins.
“I did some research and looked at photos of them when they’re grown.
“I also found out they’re the deadliest spider in the world. I find it interesting, really.”
Mr Southam said he ate the whole banana before disposing of the skin in his bin.
He said he hasn’t been back to Droitwich Lidl yet, but it hasn’t put him off returning to the supermarket because he does not see the incident as the shop's fault.
The Worcester News contacted Lidl for a comment in response to Mr Southam's claims but did not receive a response before our deadline.
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