According to local papers two entomologists studied the creature and determined that this creature was more likely a huntsman spider, which is large and brownish like the Brazilian wandering spider, but is non-lethal to humans. Spiders are going to be found anywhere that there are insects for them to eat, and according to spider experts there can be plenty of insects surrounding bananas and grapes. They're also very common in vineyards around the world. Grape arbors provide great support systems for spider webs, and they are perfect for cobweb-building spiders like the black widow. The grapes themselves make great hiding places. Since Black widow bites can be toxic to humans people need to exercise care when picking through the produce.

There are two common groups that are referred to as "banana spiders," but they are totally different from each other. The first group is the wandering spider, which is the family Ctenidae, or ctenids. The other is an entirely different family, the Sparassidae, which are the huntsman spiders. They're both big spiders in that have relatively long legs. They can both easily be the size of the palm of your hand, and they can and will crawl into small dark spaces. Fortunately spiders don’t naturally attack humans, so the risk of getting bitten is very low.

How dangerous are Brown Widow spiders?

What's important to keep in mind is that only a small portion of spiders are dangerous to humans. Most spiders can't do a whole lot. They can't break the skin or their venom which is designed by nature to kill small insects doesn't react with human physiology. It's estimated that 50 percent of all spider bites don't even inject venom, and they are unlikely to go after humans. Still, you wouldn't want to be bitten by a wandering Brazilian spider.

About The Author:

Read:   The World's Most Dangerous Bugs (Edge Books)

This artice was written by Mark Soveign who owns and writes for Wertheim Communications LLC as well as Mooker.Com