A Laval resident stung by a scorpion hidden in his Costco bananas

A Laval resident was stung by a scorpion’s stinger hidden in his bananas purchased at Costco in Boisbriand on Sunday.

This scorpion which would have found refuge in Costco bananas comes from Guatemala, in South America.

Also called the “Banana scorpion”, it is regularly found on this fruit. “These are scorpions which are imported from the southern United States or Central America and are frequently found on bananas or grapes,” notes the entomologist at the University of Montreal, Étienne Normandin, in interview with TVA Nouvelles.

“I removed the paper around the bananas and I got stung by the scorpion,” explains Benoit Sanscartier. He adds that this sting hurts “extremely”, or “twice the pain of a wasp sting”.

• Listen to Yasmine Abdelfadel’s news editorial via QUB :

The cause behind this discovery would be the storage of bananas. “In these countries, they are placed in carts or in large warehouses. They can sneak in and be transported here. In a few days, the scorpion can survive the cold, because they are kept in stable conditions,” says Mr. Normandin.

Mr. Sanscartier quickly called 811. After more than an hour of waiting, they went directly to the hospital.

Benoit Sanscartier also contacted Costco for more information. “They told me they only had a protocol for employees. “It’s the first time they’ve seen that for a client,” he comments.

The man kept the scorpion in a jar.

How did this scorpion get all the way to Canada? The Canadian Food Inspection Agency will carry out an investigation to elucidate the causes behind this incident.

Finding an insect in a fruit “happens frequently,” continues Mr. Sanscartier. However, finding a scorpion in Quebec and being stung “is very rare,” knowing that the sting “is quite devastating.”