An Austrian supermarket was evacuated after the store manager caught sight of a spider on the banana. The manager couldn’t just flick the crawler off the fruit and carry on with his day either. He had to shut the place down after adopting the belief that spider bites are capable of causing permanent erections in men.
The supermarket was located in Krems an der Donau, Austria, and the appearance of a four-inch black and red spider was enough to frighten the management into closing the store.
Emergency responders were called to the supermarket and they informed the staff that the large spider could have been a highly venomous Brazilian Wandering Spider. The spiders reach Europe by hiding in bunches of bananas so it’s not surprising to spot them on the fruit.
The Brazilian Wandering Spider is known to be one of the most venomous spiders in the world. Their bites can be fatal, resulting in symptoms like “hypothermia, blurred vision, convulsions and erections.” A study revealed that a bite from the Brazilian Wandering Spider can give men a painful four-hour erection.
An exterminator was called to deal with the situation and the banana crates in the store have been sealed. The store had to remain closed for another week before resuming operations.
A spokesman for the Rewe retail group said that “comprehensive cleaning and disinfection measures” are in place before opening the store for customers. Officials reassured people that after an extensive search, they haven’t seen any more spiders.
Men no longer need to be paranoid when entering the store for their shopping needs.