Creepy, crawly cargo gets ship removed from Guam port

Stars and Stripes: "TOKYO — Guam officials Friday afternoon ordered a commercial ship from South Korea to leave port after thousands of spiders poured out of cargo intended for a construction site where a facility is to be built to house crews that will one day build new U.S. military bases on the island.

The spiders were discovered Wednesday evening, shortly after the ship arrived, officials said. It left the port soon after but moored off the island as officials investigated.

By Friday afternoon, it remained unclear what species the spiders were and whether or not they were venomous or posed any danger to the island. No injuries or bites had been reported, officials said.

The about-face of the M.V. Altavia was issued after the Guam Department of Agriculture ruled the spiders an “invasive species” too numerous to destroy or contain, according to Joseph Torres, the department’s director.

“It was because of the quantity,” Torres said of the spiders, the largest of which had bodies as big as quarters. “It behooved us to take the most extreme measure"

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I personally don't mind spiders individually and I can tolerate a bakers dozen in one room, but a shipload of spiders? YIKES!!