Just when the Northeast U.S. thought it was done with pest invasions following the spotted lanternflies and cicadas, a new, more terrifying invader is on the horizon: Joro spiders – giant venomous spiders that can parachute via air.
These spiders, familiar as Joro spiders, are set to make their presence known with their striking look and unique method of travel.
Prior this year, New Jersey Pest Control sounded the alarm about the incoming Joro spiders, warning that these arachnids will be “hard to miss.”
Female Joro spiders can reach up to four inches in leg span and are distinguished by their vibrant yellow and grey bodies.
What sets them apart, but, is their ability to fly, a trait uncommon among spiders,” the company explained. “While not same flight in the avian sense, Joro spiders utilize a technique known as ballooning, where they release silk threads into the air, permitting them to be carried by the wind.”
José R. Ramírez-Garofalo, an ecologist at Rutgers University’s Lockwood Lab and president of Protectors of Pine Oak Woods on Staten Island, emphasized the inevitability of their arrival in New York and New Jersey.
“It is a matter of when, not if,” Ramírez-Garofalo told SI Live.
A peer-reviewed study published last October by invasive species expert David Coyle authenticate that the Joro spider is “here to stay.”
As per to the study, these spiders, native to Asia, were introduced to north Georgia around 2010 and have been spreading ever since.
In spite of warnings since 2022, no Joro spiders have been detected in New York yet, but experts believe it’s only a matter of time.
“Anyone that doesn’t sort of like all the creepy crawly stuffs, this has all of the characteristics that makes them squeamish,” Coyle told CBS News.
In a press release, he included, “data show that this spider is going to be able to inhabit most of the eastern U.S.