Live Scorpion Found In Bananas At Brewer Wal-Mart

[Nomad559]

http://www.bangordailynews.com/news/t/news.aspx?articleid=153171&zoneid=586

A report that a live scorpion was discovered in a bunch of bananas at the Wal-Mart Supercenter in Brewer on Monday was confirmed Tuesday by company officials.

"The critter" was found in bananas in a storage room, according to Marisa Bluestone of the company’s public relations department. "It never got on the floor of the store," she said.

Bluestone said no customers were even aware of the discovery of the poisonous insect. "There were no customer complaints," she said.

When called Monday, Brewer Wal-Mart Manager Brad Roseberry refused to discuss the issue.

"It was nothing," he said, before adding "no comment" and referring all calls to the Wal-Mart customer hot line.

[billyoc]

1. Upon further investigation, it was discovered that it was merely

a top Wal-Mart executive from Bentonville checking up on the anti-union situation...

[bleedingheart]

3. now that ...I believe

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

9. Well, scorpions ARE in northern Arkansas n/t

[datadiva]

10. Son lives in Nevada, they're there too n/t

[TygrBright]

2. hmmm.... Must have been organic bananas? The chemicals they drench...

...conventional bananas in would probably kill the poor critter.

So this is a sort of hopeful sign, right?

puckishly,
Bright

[AmyDeLune]

17. Unless it's one o' those Mutant Scorpions...

like in the the old horror movies (except not as big...).

[Warpy]

4. I'm surprised it doesn't happen more often

with all fruits and veg that are grown in the tropics.

Funny, I've been in the desert 18 years and have yet to see one. The local variety can give a hell of a sting, but they're not deadly. It's like a wasp sting.

I know people west of the river who have found them in the house. SOP is to put a heavy shoe on and stomp them.

[depakid]

16. They're nocturnal- but you can readily find them with a UV lamp!

[Maddy McCall]

5. Scorpions don't scare me as much as those deadly banana spiders do.

:scared:

A deadly spider that bit a chef has been accidentally released by the Bridgwater hospital treating him.
Taunton and Somerset NHS Trust confirmed a full investigation was taking place into the incident.

The spider is not thought to pose a public health risk as experts say it would have died soon after its release into the hospital grounds.

Matthew Stevens was bitten twice on the hand by the Brazilian Wandering spider, as he cleaned behind a freezer.

Mobile phone

Despite the pain Mr Stevens, 23, took a picture of the creature using his mobile so it could be identified before his hand started to swell and he was taken to Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton.

The spider was captured and taken to the hospital where it was later identified by experts from Bristol Zoo.

In a statement, the trust said: "Staff on duty at the time took advice from both the Cardiff Poisons Unit and the RSPCA.

"The spider was released into the grounds as it was believed to be a domestic species."

Mr Stevens, from Bridgwater, said it took him nearly a week to recover from the bite.

The Wandering Spider, whose venom is more potent than the Black Widow, is usually found in banana plantations in the Tropics.

It is believed the spider, which is known for its speed and aggression, reached Bridgwater by stowing away in a consignment of bananas.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/somerset/4499921.stm

[slackmaster]

6. It's an arachnid, dammit!

Not an insect.

:argh:

[mike_c]

7. ok, NOW I'm getting pissed....

Good lord-- not only is the story inaccurate-- scorpions are arachnids, not insects-- but it's an utter NON-STORY! I have scorpions in my back yard, for Pete's sake. What did they do, call the SWAT team? Sheesh.

[mainegreen]

8. Well, it's us here in Maine. Ain't nothing poisonous up here!

And the exoskeleton wildlife tends to be small.

'Course it's a story, much like it would be if one of our Moose was found wandering around Mexico City shipped down in a batch of lumber!

(Actually, that would be great! I can imagine the scratching of heads and some bloke going 'Well, not sure how he got in the crate!')

:D

Plus Scorpions? Ewww!

[valerief]

13. Aren't the Bushes poisonous? nt

[mike_c]

14. ROFLMAO....

Oh! That image! "Damn, I bought some 2x4s and this moose popped out of the stack...."

[doodadem]

11. We sometimes get little scorpions

in the house here in central Calif. You swat them like a bug.

Now, when they find rattlesnakes in the bananas, call me..........

[Gato Moteado]

12. depending on where the bananas came from, the scorpion could have been dangerous....

it would be nice to know if they identified the animal.

if the bananas were coming from costa rica or elsewhere in the americas, the scorpion would have been harmless, producing a sting like a wasp sting. if the bananas came from, say, israel or elsewhere in the middle east the scorpion could have been deadly.

[donsu]

15. you want scorpions? come to the Fl. Keys

thank goodness the cats don't bring them home like they do gekos-lizards, frogs, toads, baby rats, baby snakes - and if they can't find anything live, they bring me a leaf. no kidding!

how about those meerkats(sp.) chomping down scorpions almost as big as them. watching the show of their lives you forget they are only about 6 inches high.