Are Giant Joro Spiders Invading Your Town?
The news articles are akin to the invasion of the 50 foot woman. But is this spider really invading your town and is it dangerous?
The news would make us think, absolutely! '“East Coast braces for invasion of palm-sized venomous spiders capable of flying”
and “Joro spiders, giant, venomous flying arachnids, are here to stay, pest experts say”
The short answer is we have as much to worry about as we did from the 50 foot woman. These spiders will not attack you or drag your dog into their giant web. The bad news is they are spreading like wildfire in the eastern U.S. and may take down your pollinators or other beneficial insects.
The Joro spider, known as the Trichonephila clavata is from east Asia and can grow to the size of a palm. It is likely that the spider was a stowaway in a shipping container from one of those areas and eventually landed in the seaport in Atlanta, Georgia, according to a 2015 study.
Mature female Joro spiders can spin yellow or golden webs that are extremely strong, while spanning up to 10 feet.
The baby spiders carry a thread that helps them travel more than 100 miles floating through the air - called ballooning.
Are Joro spiders dangerous?
Most spiders are venomous, but a bite from Joro is not deadly. Joro spiders are actually shy and gentle. Having said that, people generally don’t keep them as pets, like jumping spiders, affectionately referred to as spooders.
Like an opossum, when threatened, Joro spiders will play dead for around a minute but can stay motionless for as long as an hour, according to a study by the University of Georgia.
If you do get bit it feels like a bee sting and may become irritated for a time. Wash it with soap and watch for any changes.
Pesticides work, but, also, they are probably overkill because it will kill everything else, and there is a cost involved; it’s just as easily to physically move them if they are on your house. They seem to love structures. So, people can take a stick or broom and remove them.
