Second Scorpion in Maine Wal-Mart Bananas

Wal-Mart may have a history of Scorpions in and near its fruits. An article that ran last year in the Bangor Daily News (Bangor, ME) written by Sharon Kiley Mack, entitled "Live scorpion found in bananas at Brewer Wal-Mart" reported that one of the spiders was found among bananas at a Wal-Mart Supercenter in Brewer, Maine. Wal-Mart confirmed to the newspaper that the story was true. The incident was reported to have occurred in August of 2007.

This week a twelve year-old girl was stung by a scorpion while reaching for watermelons at a Wal-Mart in West Virginia as reported by Associated Content (SEE HERE.) West Virginia and Maine are not typical locations to get stung by a scorpion, but like most insects they can arrive in boxes and crates of any type, including those holding bananas and watermelons.

The girl that was stung in West Virginia is recovering. For an idea on how it feels to be stung by a scorpion's tail check out "What it feels like to Be Stung by a Scorpion" (SEE HERE), on Associated Content.

It may be disconcerting that at least two people have encountered scorpions in or near Wal-Mart fruit, but it is doubtful much can be done about it. The West Virginia spider was reported to have come from Mexico. Other insects have traveled the globe in shipments from all continents on earth. It was recently reported that a new species of ants had invaded Texas. The ants are believed to have arrived from an overseas shipment that arrived at the Port of Houston.

The Bangor Daily News article said in part, "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."

It has not yet been reported on extensively if poisonous spiders have also been found at other major stores, but it is likely, especially considering the wood products that home improvement stores carry.

It may have been reassuring at the time that no customer complaints were made. The girl that was stung in West Virginia and any future Wal-Mart customers stung by a scorpion may change that very soon.

This was a Zane Waltz Opinion

Sources

Sharon Kiley Mack, Live scorpion found in bananas at Brewer WalMart, Bangor Daily News (Bangor, ME)

Zane Waltz, WalMart Scorpion Stings Child, Associated Content, Inc.
Zane Waltz, What it Feels Like to be Stung by a Scorpion, Associated Content, Inc.