Banana Spider
The Banana Spider is known to hide among bananas shipped to the US and is really called the Brazilian Wandering Spider. These spiders are aggressive and very venomous and not intimidated by size (can attack people when threatened).
The odd part about the Banana Spider is that studies indicate only 33% of the spider bites actually contain any significant amount of venom, but those that are injected with venom could be in serious danger!
If you are bitten by a Brazilian Wandering spider (Phoneutria spp.), you should seek immediate emergency treatment as the venom could possibly be life threatening. The Phoneutria not only has a potent neurotoxin, but is said to have one of the most excruciatingly painful spider bites of all spiders due to its high concentration of serotonin.
Despite the Banana Spider’s reputation as the world’s deadliest spider, there are multiple studies that dispute the ability for the spider to actually kill a human and one study suggested that a little over 2% of these spider bites (mostly in children) were serious enough to require antivenom.
On the other hand, there are other studies suggesting that the Banana Spider is indeed the most toxic spider in the world based upon toxicology studies. One of the most notable and thorough studies is presented in the book “Venomous Animals and their Venoms Vol. III” by Wolfgang Bucheral and Eleanor Buckley. This study has some shocking findings that clearly demonstrate how lethal the Brazilian Wandering spider can actually be.
There is an antidote for the bite of a Banana Spider and was discovered by Carlos Chagas from Brazil.
If you see a spider hiding in a cluster of Bananas, you should move right along and possibly inform the store manager that is may be a Banana Spider!
Written by Jim on June 17th, 2007 with
32 comments.
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Does anyone have any data on how people, who have had a serious bite such as the Banana Spider, recuperate? Any unusual physical or psychological problems. I’m particularly interested in someone, who was seriously ill secondary to bite, then, developing a difficult to treat depression, that was not previously a problem for the person.
I’ve looked @ lots of sites, but, there doesn’t seem to be any treatment, except for antitoxin and treatment of necrosis. I have a friend, who had a serious bite, who subsequently, during medical recup, developed a terrible depression. As a psychiatric nurse, I find the serotonin connection interesting. (He’ll be providing the Dr w/ this info.) Anyway, just wondering if anyone has an experience/anecdotes. Thanks.
So these things are in Brazil? Am I not correct?
We live here in the ozarks and last week my husband and I were out in the garage cleaning. I came inside and felt something biting me in the small of my back. I yelled at my husband, “I think something’s biting me”. When I pulled my shorts open I saw twi fabric labels and just assumed that they had scratched me. Later I felt a terrible burning and my left side and all down my hip and buttocks started to swell up.
It stayed like that for over a week. The spider apparently bit me several times because I have about 8 or 9 sores in a small area. The bites are very dark red and burn like their on fire. I don’t remember having any other symptoms. I’ve been treating it with antibiotic ointment and bandages but it doesn’t seem to be in a hurry to heal.
Wow, I didn’t know all this and my step dad has been bitten before by the banana spider, very horrible things, aren’t they?
I really like your website and I urge all your visitors to be careful of these banana spiders because it is easy to be bit by one. These spiders may look sweet to some people but they can produce much damage; trust me on this, my grandfather’s friend has 20 of these spiders and he got bit once so be careful. You would not want to go through the pain my grandfather when through!
I can’t send a photo, wish I could. I’ve had these bites for about three weeks and they are persistant. They itch like crazy and in the beginning were red and hard. First, I felt the itch and I knew it was a spider bite. Location, inside thigh left leg. I’ve been bitten before by the same kind of spider when I was living in North Carolina. Unfortunately I smashed that spider into a pancake and the more recent spider got away without me seeing it.
This always happens at at night and I know it is the same because it itches like crazy, swells, gets bigger and bigger and the skin around it get’s little blisters in a 2 inch radius, but I have some good news on how to calm the redness and the itching while the bite takes it’s course, apple cider vinegar! It is so good. I soak a gause bandage or cloth and put it on the bite for at least 30 mins. It doesn’t make the bite go away but it calms it down. This must be done at least twice a day for daily relief.
Make sure you keep the area clean and use an antibotic ointment while the bite does it’s own thing. So far, so good. If the leg starts rotting off I’ll let ya’ll know. Just kidding, but us spider bite folks know how this thing goes and it doesn’t go fast.
Any natural remedies out there would be greatly appreciated. I did not find out about the vinegar until several days after the bite, but it is working. Thank God!
I have 2 beautiful female banana spiders in my backyard. Can anyone tell me what the big brown pods are that hang next to the webs? One spider has one pod, the other has two. Please reply. Thanks! Diana
Wow. That is amazing. I have gotten bit by one of these banana spiders and never had no clue.
Just wanted to make a comment, there is a difference between the common North American spider called the Golden silk spider, or Banana Spider and the Brazilian Wandering Spider, also called the Banana Spider.
The North American version is huge, with legs it can be the size of an adult’s hand. The body is bright yellow and the shape resembles a banana of sorts. It’s relatively non-harmful and non-aggressive.
The one from Brazil is very dangerous and can result in death from a bite. Although death is rare, the bite is extremely painful and will take several days to over a week to recover. The Brazilian wandering spider usually has a black or gray fuzzy head and a dark brown thorax. Their bodies are up to an inch in length and three inches with legs. They have been known to make it into the US from Brazil on shipments of bananas, hence the name.
They are extremely fast and incredibly aggressive. If you believe that you have been bit by this South American spider, I would recommend seeing medical attention immediately.
just wondering about some bananas i brought they seem to have a silk like stuff on them with a hard pod in the middle. there is no sign of a spider do i need to be worried !!
this site is amazing i could read on for hours.
About 2 weeks ago i got a little bump behind my leg, i first thought it was a ingrown hair or mosquito bite. over a period of 24 hours it swelled up and became extremely inflamed. A black center imerged and about .5cm in diameter. I could feel how the pain was spreading over my leg. I went to a Doctor and he suggested it was a absis. How do i know what it was, was it a Banana Spider?
I was walking into my trailer the other day and as i was walking toward the steps, I noticed a Huge Spider under the steps. I backed away immediately, called my husband to look at this big big spider. He said he didn’t know what kind it was but he didn’t like it. I went inside and got my digital camera out and took a picture of it and sent the picture to my daughter who said it looked like a banana spider.
I have attached the picture above in hopes that someone can help identify this spider which is still there under my steps! I am afraid to get too near it..lo!
Please, if you have any idea what type of spider this is, please let me know.
Thanks!
I just got bit by a banana spider today and I was wondering if i should worry about it? Are they really dangerous? I have burning in bite area and it is really red and swelling.
In response to Vickies question (#12) about the spider she found by her trailer, it is a garden spider sometimes called a orb spider. I live in Oklahoma and they are very common here. They are harmless and non agressive however they might bite if you grabbed it…lol But they are not considered poisonous, they actually help to rid your garden or yard of other insects!
the picture above is a garden spider and is nothing to woory about they are nice and are not easily threatened so its okay i used to feed them at my grandfathers house
its called a golden silk spider not a very painful bite and not deadly and threaten put in a jar and throw it out but if u distroy the web it will rebuiled
its web i have been bit by one and i read about this spider alot
This spider (Vickie’s photo) is also known as a “banana spider” not to be confused by another of the same name which is the brazilian wandering spider–it’s bite is extremely painful and toxic; though the bite should receive medical treatment.
Brazilian wandering spider’s bite is very painful and can be deadly rush to the nearest hospital. They are called banana spiders because they sometimes are shipped on banana ships all over. Make sure you ask where the bananas you bought are from.
I found a spider in Australia which looks exactly like the Banana (Brazilian Wandering/Phoneutria) Spider (at the top of the page) . The museum in Brisbane (here) says that it is a wolf spider, however in my research I cannot tell them apart. Does anyone know how to tell the difference? (or is the picture here incorrect) I will get a picture and add it (except right now I cannot see how to add it)
PLease anyone with a picture of an egg sack from a banana spider please notify me!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have two toddlers in my house and found a sack on my bananas. My husband said he killed a baby and and I am freaked out that there are more in my house.
I work in a grocery store in the bay area, in northern California. I was stocking DOLE banana’s from Ecuador, and one of these banana spiders crawled on my hand really fast and fell on the rest of the banana’s. I was freaked out because i had no warning that the Banana Spider even exists. Though i was lucky,and did not get bit…What if a kid were to say, “hey banana’s” grab some and one of these nasty spiders bit them. It freaked me out and i have to stock banana’s everyday in the produce department. Please leave comments if you’d like !!
I like to eat banana spiders, all the time!!!!!! spiderrs rule!
My mom just went to eat a banana, and noticed a huge (about 4cm long), hard, pod shaped thing attached to a banana! We think it might be a spider egg, but we aren’t sure. We’ve been looking all over for pictures of what a spider egg might look like, but can’t find anything! Have you seen anything like this before, and if you have, what does it look like? Thanks!
I found a fuzzy egg sac attached to a banana, should I still eat it?
i found a white sac on the side of a banana. it looked like a woven spiders nest. i am very curious about this and would like to know what kind of spider layed the eggs on the banana
When I was real little I found a large spider(fit in palm of hand)It was mostly black with a single Yellow stripe (LIKE what a wood bee has) It was slightly fuzzy (Like a tarantula) At that time I lived close to a city market. (Indianapolis, Indiana)
I took a jar and scooped the spider with a stick into the jar. I put insects in the jar but it wouldn’t eat them so I took it to a teacher that taught earth science. He told me it was a fruit spider. They are poisonous if they bite, but they only bite when they feel threatened. The spider loved bananas.
Has anyone seen this spider close to them? I would like to know the actually name of this spider.
Hi
I have just opened a pack of bananas from the Dominican Republic and found a white woven sac on one of them, thought it might be a spider sac so opened it up with the point of a knife and lots of little spiders ran out. I panicked a bit and ended up disposing of them with a lighter - cruel I know, but I am arachnophobic and it was almost an automatic response. Anyone know what spiders these might be from DR?
I am doing a project in my computer class and I cannot find out what banana spiders eat! I have looked on basically every website I could find. If someone could tell me, I would appreciate it! Thanks, Taylor.
Ian, I thought the very same thing, the spider at the top look exactly like the wolf spider EXCEPT for the red fangs. We have the wolf spiders here in Ohio, they get real big and are fast and very smart. They are related to tarantulas. I had one in my kitchen, and my cat was going after it and this spider raised up on its hind legs after my cat! They are not afraid of people (or cats) he ended up as a pancake spider! lol
Hi I know this has nothing to do with the Banana spider but I’m hoping you might answer anyway. Is it true that no matter where you are in life there is always a spider at least 5 feet away from you? I’m pretty paronoid right now so if u could answer soon that would be great.
Thanks,
Ellie
Vickie, trust me, i am a interjection profestof the archafadite at the desert county of gerorgia and that is a garden spider, it will not hurt you unless you trap it in your shoe or any clothes for that matter and it feels trapped or cornered. do not attempt to pick up the spider but you can just kill it of some how.
For those of you describing spider bites: Most all of you are describing the results of the bite of either a brown recluse or a hobo spider. These spiders typically infest out-of-the way places (like a garage or storage area), or a drawer (such as your pajama drawer). I have seen several of these bites, and all were as described in your comments. I would suggest you seek medical care. These spiders’ venom causes tissue necrosis or death, and can be very dangerous.
And as far as I know, all spiders are carnivorous and eat other living things. I have read that the South American banana spider actually eats small birds!
Also, the wolf or funnel spider of Australia is extremely venomous and aggressive.