A close call at the Jose D. Leon Guerrero Commercial Port after venomous spiders were discovered crawling among cargo shipped from Hawaii.

Guam Customs and Quarantine's Biosecurity Task Force responded swiftly to an alert from Port Authority personnel on July 15, uncovering not one, but two, species of live spiders, including a confirmed Black Widow. 

Officers inspected the open flat rack and its shipping vessel, then turned specimens over to Guam’s top entomologists. While one spider was confirmed to be the highly venomous Black Widow, the other was identified as a juvenile orb weaver, less threatening but still concerning.

Experts warn that flat racks, unlike sealed containers, pose a higher risk for invasive species to sneak in and spread. The site was treated on the spot, and the vessel was cleared without further issue.

Officials from CQA, the Department of Agriculture, and the Port say the coordinated response shows the strength of their biosecurity protocols, and the importance of protecting Guam's borders from harmful species that threaten our environment, agriculture, and way of life.