How's this for a surprise

[drewlowe]

How would you like to find this next time you went shopping???

http://www.msnbc.com/news/998332.asp?cp1=1

[Cockroach]

Next time I go shopping for grapes, I'll take a jar so I can catch 'em if I see them:D.


laters,
Bill:D

[Vanan]

lol! Yea, I'd join Bill too! lol! Just imagining two guys dressed in a safari suit with jar, creeping up to a bunch of grapes in a supermarket! :D

[drewlowe]

Originally posted by Vanan
Just imagining two guys dressed in a safari suit with jar, creeping up to a bunch of grapes in a supermarket! :D

LMAO i completly pictured seeing that!!!!

[SerpentLust]

LMAO And with a net too!

Jenn

[ranmasatome]

I totally had one of these guys go onto my hand while pulling an old bike out from the shed at my uncles home in Australia...it was hiding under the seat and i put my fingers literally centimeters away from it...it decided to crawl over them and i looked...and flicked....it fell onto the ground...scared the **** outta me.

[ryan337]

This summer I bought a crate of grapes to make wine, and there was a Black Widow spider in it.

[Tarcan]

I worked 10 years in a fruit and vegetable department (when I was a student) and I picked up a total of 3 black widows in grapes from California... I was a very happy customer!LOL They are now dead but I never enjoyed the fruits as much!

Ranmasatome, you were in Australia you are the luckiest person in the world, not much because of the Australia trip but because this might have been what they call a Red Back. I do not remember the latin name, but this is truly a deadly species much more venomous then Latrodectus mactans (L. mactans must feel like a mosquito bite in comparison to it's Aussie cousin!)... do you remember if it had a long red stripe on the abdomen (not the hour glass) if yes, this must have been the time you were the closest to your death! But they have anti-venom down there...

[ETET]

I should get some more grapes to see if lucky enough to pick up one or two. is there anyone keeping latrodectus here?

ETET

[ranmasatome]

Trip?? i don't really do trips there...i go for visits...half my family is there...so i'm there quite often...but yeah...i know what you mean...i've seen many of these guys over there..and frankly speaking...i dont really like them..this was the only time it ever made contact with my body...as in touched me..the rest of the times..they were just like next to me and stuff...
a walk into my uncles shed and you can easily find 3-7 of them if you try...almost as common as those damn funnelwebs.
Australia is filled with tons of venomous stuff..in fact almost all the most deadliest snakes are from there...needless to say spiders as well..with funnelwebs and what not...But i workin my way to be a herpetologist...i gottal love the place 'mate.

[ranmasatome]

and yeah...they are red backs...the conversation went something like...
"man you reckon it was a red back?"
"it right there go check it out!"
my cousin and i walk over.....
"geez 'mate...good thing you didn't panic!"
"i'd say..."...whew...

[Tarcan]

he he, yep Australia is the place, hopefully I will go there once in my life...

[Brodie]

haha living here.... we see em all the time (red backed spiders) and most people regard them as pests and kill them on sight.... I don not personally like spiders at all.... but i just put em in a jar and take em out the back.... next time i find one... ill be sure to post pics up for u guys :)
Cheers

[ranmasatome]

hahaha...thats awesome brodie... you do the jar thing also?hahahaha...i remember the jar "overflowing" a few times in the house....it was hilarious...my cousin and i freaked!..hahaha..

[Brodie]

hahaha yea heeps scary! i had a red back crawl on my arm out of a jar that didnt have the lid on properly once... VERY SCARY..... oh wells i just sat still with it on my arm and it eventually crawled on to the jar..then i just tossed into the bushes....haha... ill stick with my snakes thanks ;)

[daver676]

Australia has ALWAYS been on my list for places to visit. Has anyone been to Steve Erwin's Reptile Park?

[ranmasatome]

Man brodie...if i ever...ever move to australia..i'll look you up...know any breeders there?? i so wanna get some centralians and Darwin carpet pythons.

[Removed_2815]

This has also reached Ontario! There was a Black Widow found in some grapes in Brockville and another one found in some grapes in Peterborough (of which I am now the proud owner of).
My new Black Widow is very interesting and already feeding just fine. The tensile strength of their silk is incredible! I read some time ago that the silk was used for the crosshairs in some rifle scopes, pretty neat.
Anyway, I would love to post some pics of her but for some reason I cannot upload pics onto the net anymore (even hotmail will not let me attach files), anyone have any idea if this is a problem with my browser settings?
I have some awesome shots, just can't show them to you....
Cheers,
R

[Brodie]

Yea man I know plenty of breeders up here... also I always find Darwin Carpets out the back of My place :D.. The breeder I know has just about every species of python natvie to the Northern Territory and most of the monitors and other snakes... And yea Centralians (Morelia Bredli) are great snakes... I have one atm and he was me first snake.. Beautiful.... I also keep the odd scorpian :).... And some of my friends keep funnel web's and Bird Eating spiders and stuffs..... Yea Daver i Have been To Australia Zoo :D

[ranmasatome]

Woot!! i'll be sure to hook up when i go back..:)

[TheRedDragon]

Hmmm...I'm going to buy a pound of grapes... :D

[reptile boi]

hey!
My eng teacher showed my whole class an article in the newspapers 2 days ago and there is a 3rd reported case of a black widow found in grapes in ottawa in like 3 weeks! Im guna go to my local supermarket n look for critters tomorrow, wish me luck :D



Thanks,
Ben