Keep your head up! Millions of hand-sized spiders are making their way up the eastern coast. With their flashy black and yellow coloration and 4-inch leg span, these spiders are not subtle.
Joro spiders (Trichonephila clavata), native to East Asia, most likely hitched a ride to the United States on a shipping container.
According to Science American, these arachnids were first spotted in Georgia 2013 and have already spread to Tennessee, and both North and South Carolina. However, there is no need to panic because, without human assistance, these spiders would naturally disperse at 10 miles per year. There is no need to worry, because these spiders are not dangerous to any animal or human that is large enough to not get caught in their web.
Joro spiders travel by “ballooning,” which involves using a thread of silk to catch the wind and float, similar to a dandelion seed. Contrary to social media rumors, adult spiders cannot do this! Only the young spiderlings can travel this way. Amazingly, these youngsters need no guidance or educational trip forms for their journeys.
These spiders are not an invasive species, according to the National Invasive Species Information center, and are unlikely to cause any ecological harm. Joro spiders, like most spiders, will eat any small insect that happens to get caught in its web. In fact, they may even eat the spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula), which is a truly invasive species.
