Joro spiders are making their way from Georgia northward

AUGUSTA, Ga. – The large, brightly colored invasive species called the Joro spider is on the move in the United States.

They’ve been in Georgia since 2014, and many researchers think it’s only a matter of time before they spread to much of the continental U.S.

But spider experts say we shouldn’t be too worried about them.

“My sense is people like the weird and fantastic and potentially dangerous,” said David Nelsen, a professor of biology at Southern Adventist University who has studied the growing range of Joro spiders. “This is one of those things that sort of checks all the boxes for public hysteria.”

But experts said they are probably more scared of you than you are of them.

Joro spiders have venom like all spiders, but they aren’t deadly or even medically relevant to humans, experts say. At worst, a Joro bite might itch or cause an allergic reaction. But the shy creatures tend to stay out of humans’ way.

According to the University of Georgia Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health, the Joro spider is native to east Asia and was found in three counties in northern Georgia in 2014.

Now now they are starting to migrate to northern states.

These yellow-bodied spiders are known to be shy they tend to tense up or run away from you if you come in contact with them.

The bigger spiders are the females, whereas the male Joro spiders are much smaller.

Expert Rebekah Wallace from University of Georgia’s Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health explained how these eight-legged creatures fly through the air.

“When they are small, very small little spiderlings, a lot of spiders including this one can send out a strand or thread of web and it will catch on the breeze like a kite and it will spread out a little bit almost like some plants their seeds will float on the breeze,” said Wallace.

Their central population is primarily in Atlanta but expanding to the Carolinas and southeastern Tennessee. A satellite population has taken hold in Baltimore over the past two years.

Scientists instead worry about the growing prevalence of invasive species that can do damage to our crops and trees — a problem made worse by global trade and climate change, which is making local environmental conditions more comfortable for pests that previously couldn’t survive frigid winters.

“I think this is one of those ‘canary in the coal mine’ type species where it’s showy, it’s getting a lot of attention,” said Hannah Burrack, professor and chair of the entomology department at Michigan State University. But the shy critter poses little risk to humans. Instead, Burrack said, introduced pests like fruit flies and tree borers can do more damage.

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