Invasive Species Of Giant, Parachuting Spiders Spreading Across East Coast

[mr.d]

Invasive species of giant, parachuting spiders spreading across East Coast, experts say

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by ZACHARY ROGERS | The National Desk

Saturday, March 5th 2022

 

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The joro spider, a large spider native to East Asia, is seen in Johns Creek, Ga., on Sunday, Oct. 24, 2021. The spider has spun its thick, golden web on power lines, porches and vegetable patches all over north Georgia this year – a proliferation that has driven some unnerved homeowners indoors and prompted a flood of anxious social media posts. (AP Photo/Alex Sanz)

 

ATLANTA (TND) — An invasive species of spider has made its way to Georgia, and will likely spread out to more states along the East Coast, according to experts with the University of Georgia (UGA).

The 3-inch long "Joro Spider" is native to Korea, China, Taiwan, and Japan, according to Smithsonian Magazine. The spider thrives in Japan, which has a similar climate to the southeastern United States.

A previous publication from UGA researchers says Joro spiders are about the size of a human hand and are an "orb weaver" species, which means they weave webs into parachutes and ride the wind around to travel.

UGA says the arachnid first arrived in Georgia sometime in 2013, and soon spread across the state.

"There’s really nothing we can do to stop them. But that’s not necessarily bad news," says UGA in a release.

"It doesn’t have anything that’s controlling its population size in the new habitat, but it has perfect conditions to spread," says UGA's Benjamin Frick.

Frick, a graduate student at Georgia's Odum School of Ecology, co-authored a study on the spiders. His co-author, Andy Davis, is a research scientist at the Odum School.

Davis says Joro spiders "don’t appear to have much of an effect on local food webs or ecosystems," and people should just "try to learn to live with them."

Joro spiders are resistant to the cold, making their spread across the United States more likely, according to the study. Despite their size, they are not likely to harm humans.

“Its fangs are so small relative to most human skin that it probably won’t be able to get its fangs into you even if it wanted to,” Frick says.

"There’s really no reason to go around actively squishing them," Frick says. "Humans are at the root of their invasion. Don’t blame the Joro spider."

To the credit of the Joro spider, the species is said to do something other spiders don't: eat stink bugs. That may be enough for some people to see the Joro spider as a welcomed guest.

The study says the East Coast can expect to start seeing more Joro spiders by the beginning of summer, and the noticeably large female webs will start appearing during the fall season.                                                                                                                                                                                 SEE PICTURES, VIDEO   ;   https://wjactv.com/news/nation-world/invasive-species-of-giant-parachuting-spiders-spreading-across-east-coast-experts-say-joro-spider-japan-university-georgia-uga-arachnid

[Pappy]

sorry I dont care. I see a 3 inch spider i may just take a shotgun to it.

[lavender]

Stinkbugs or parachuting spiders as big as my hand?  I think I’d rather cohabitate with the stinkbugs.