There's a Spider in My Grapes

(HealthDayNews) -- Spiders thrive in grape vineyards, so reports of people finding black widow spiders nestled in imported table grapes are less surprising than they may be alarming.

If you find a spider in your bunch of grapes, you should get rid of it without touching it or its web, advises the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. U.S. grape growers acknowledge an ocassional black widow being found in domestic grapes, too.

Wash your grapes thoroughly by placing them under running warm water. This will likely immobilize any live spiders by washing them off into the sink. If a spider falls into the sink, kill it; don't capture it. If necessary, report the incident to the appropriate inspection agency.

After getting rid of the spider, you can eat the grapes. The spider doesn't damage or poison the fruit.

-- Felicity Stone