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A species of invasive spiders continues to spread up the East Coast and is expected to invade the Northeast, reaching New York and New Jersey this summer.
The Joro spider is from East Asia and was first seen in Georgia in 2014 after arriving in shipping containers. When they hatch, the spiders can travel hundreds of miles by gliding through the air with the wind.
The spiders can grow up to eight inches long and have legs up to four inches long. The female spiders are larger and can be identified by their bright yellow bodies and gray or blue stripes, while the males are typically smaller and brown in color.
Despite their large size, the venomous spiders are relatively harmless to humans. They are generally docile and prefer living outside rather than inside peoples' homes. Even if they do attack, their venom is relatively weak, and their fangs aren't long enough to puncture human skin.
The spiders are also known to feast on pesky insects like mosquitoes and biting flies.
However, they can also disrupt local ecosystems by eating the native spiders.
"These are not just benign spiders coming to catch and kill bad things; these are pushing out native species and catching and killing whatever happens to get in their webs," David Coyle, a scientist and assistant professor in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Conservation at Clemson University told WNBC. "Are they bad or good? It's very nuanced depending on your perspective."
In 2023, Coyle published a research paper that found the Joro spiders are "here to stay" and are spreading fast.