A Bus In Canada Had To Be Fumigated After It Was Found Crawling With Black Widow Spiders
The bus was being prepared for use when the creatures were found.🕷
Bus Parked at Cape Breton Transit Depot in Sydney, NS.
Arachnophobes, look away now! A Canadian transit garage recently had to be fumigated after a bunch of western black widow spiders were discovered on a bus travelling from the United States.
In a series of tweets on Wednesday, August 31, Cape Breton Regional Municipality confirmed that Transit Cape Breton’s main garage on Welton Street in Sydney had been closed for fumigation.
The municipality said that western black widow spiders (Latrodectus hesperus) had been discovered in the bus, which had been delivered from California, via Ontario, to Sydney, Nova Scotia.
"The new bus was in the transit garage being prepared for use when the arachnids were discovered," it explained.
The notice said that, as a precautionary measure, the whole facility had been closed down and pest control was brought in to fumigate the entire building.
Fortunately, no disruptions to transit services were reported and the issue was "addressed at the transit facility."
\u201c*Update \u2013 species identified*\n\nTransit Cape Breton\u2019s main Welton Street garage is currently closed for fumigation. The presence of western black widow spiders (Latrodectus Hesperus) was discovered in a bus delivered from California, through Ontario, to Sydney. 1/3\u201d— CBRM (@CBRM) 1661989439
According to the Nature Conservancy of Canada, there are two species of black widow spider that are generally found in this country: the western black widow and the northern black widow.
The former can be found in parts of B.C. through to Manitoba (but mostly in areas close to the southern Canada-U.S. border), while the latter is spotted usually in southern and eastern Ontario.
"On occasion, black widow spiders occur outside of their ranges by hitching a ride on produce such as grapes," the NCC explains.
It says that, generally, people should only be worried about females. However, even then, the small amount of venom the spiders produce can be diluted "quickly" by the human body.
"A black widow bite can, however, cause severe pain at the bite site and lead to painful muscle contractions," the NCC says.
While bites are usually not life-threatening to humans, medical attention is recommended if somebody is bitten.
If you've suddenly got the heebiejeebies, don't worry, as these critters are unlikely to be hiding in your home. Instead, the NCC says they prefer "dark, sheltered spots close to the ground, such as wood, trash or rock piles, or even underneath a house."
Perhaps just check under the seat next time you catch the bus though, eh?
This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.