By Stephen Smoot
The national media marked the arrival of the native Chinese Joro spider to the Northeastern United States with typical breathless irresponsibility. Headlines screaming about giant flying venomous spiders terrified readers last week, but missed the mark on accuracy.
David Nelson, a professor of biology at Southern Adventist University, told WRAL in North Carolina that “this is one of those things that checks all of the boxes for public hysteria.”
Joro spiders, which can grow up to eight inches in size, arrived in the United States in 2013 aboard a cargo ship that docked in Georgia. Since then, the nearly hand sized arachnids have found the Peach State an agreeable home.
The bright yellow, blue, and black orb weavers carry a rather weak venom. Despite their size, their miniscule teeth cannot penetrate the skin of a human being or conventional pets.
Andy Davis, a researcher from the University of Georgia, wrote in a study that “it looks like the Joros could probably survive throughout most of the Eastern Seaboard.” Unlike other large insect species, the Joros have a 77 percent higher metabolism and heart rate that enables them to withstand cold.
He also wrote that “these spiders are really more afraid of you than the reverse.” They thrive in urban areas, but avoid the inside of man-made structures, such as residences.
Joro spiders travel in two main ways. They move from place to place as travelers on human vehicles but they also, Spider Man like, can manufacture parachutes from their webs. Using this means of locomotion, they can travel on the wind as much as 100 miles.
Naturally shy toward humans, the Joro spiders have a voracious appetite for any and all insects. They will eat butterflies, moths, stinkbugs, mosquitoes, and any other insect that lands in their web.
The biggest threat they pose seems to be to other species of spiders. David Coyle of Clemson University wrote that though non-aggressive, they displace native spider species, but scientists are not clear how or why.
Some reports indicate that the Joro spider first entered West Virginia in 2022.
