If you're an arachnophobe living on the East Coast, you may want to hunker down in your bunker for a while: The Joro spiders are back. NJ Pest Control had warned earlier this year that the invasive species also known as Trichonephila clavata would likely be returning to the New York/New Jersey area, and they'll be "hard to miss," with yellow and black stripes and a leg span of up to 4 inches. The Joro spider also does something not typically seen in the arachnid world: They can fly, though it's not flying in the traditional sense, but rather "ballooning," in which the spiders "release silk threads into the air, allowing them to be carried by the wind," per NJ Pest Control (think the baby spiders in Charlotte's Web).
The Joro spider is native to Asia but started popping up in Georgia around 2010. They've since been spotted in nearly a dozen other states in the eastern part of the US, per CBS News, and New York is "right in the middle of where they like to be," University of Georgia researcher Andy Davis told the New York Times late last year. Both USA Today and NorthJersey.com have primers on what to expect in the tristate area, including how the spiders could affect local ecosystems.
USA Today notes that there's no real way to get rid of them and that we may just have to acclimate to their presence. "In the face of the unprecedented Joro spider invasion, communities must unite, educate, and adapt," NJ Pest Control notes. "The delicate balance of ecosystems requires a nuanced understanding of these arachnids, emphasizing coexistence and responsible management." The good news in all of this: The spiders' venom isn't particularly potent, so most humans and pets shouldn't have too much of an issue if they're bit, other than discomfort or a possible allergic reaction. (More spiders stories.)
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