A little spider is making big news these days.
A black widow spider has been discovered in a bunch of grapes recently in Toronto after hitching a ride to the area from a more southern climate.
With that in mind, its hard to believe, that the Bruce Peninsula is home to, black widow spiders.
That is according to Royal Ontario Museum entomologist Antonia Guidotti who tells Bayshore Broadcasting News our local black widow spiders are very timid and reclusive and the chance of coming across one are very remote.
However, Guidotti says if you do happen to be bitten by a local black widow, it can be painful as the venom contains a neurotoxin that can cause muscle cramping, abdominal pain that can last anywhere from three hours up to three days.
She says while people may have a serious reaction to a bite, it is not usually fatal.
Guidotti says only about one cent of the bites are fatal and that usually involved an allergic reaction or the person has a compromised immune system or they are either very young or very old.
She says the imported black widow, like the one discovered on the grapes in Toronto has a much more dangerous bite and a person should get to the hospital right away to seek treatment.
Guidotti says once again these bites are not usually fatal, but they can be very very painful.
She points out only the female black widow spiders are the ones that bite.