Northeast States Brace for Arrival of Giant Venomous Spiders That Can Parachute Through the Air

A former president has been convicted of 34 felonies, the current president is finally going to try and address the border crisis (five months before the election), so sure — why not? — let’s throw some giant flying spiders into the mix.The Northeast United States is bracing for an influx of massive venomous spiders with four-inch-long legs that can parachute through the air. Earlier this year, New Jersey Pest Control issued a warning about the incoming Joro spiders, noting that they will be “hard to miss” due to their large size and vibrant yellow and grey bodies.“What sets them apart, however, is their ability to fly, a trait uncommon among spiders,” the company said, according to CBS News. “While not accurate flight in the avian sense, Joro spiders utilize a technique known as ballooning, where they release silk threads into the air, allowing them to be carried by the wind.”An ecologist at Rutgers University’s Lockwood Lab and president of Protectors of Pine Oak Woods, José R. Ramírez-Garofalo, told CBS that it’s only a matter of time before the spiders arrive in New York and New Jersey.A peer-reviewed study by invasive species expert David Coyle, published last October, confirmed that the Joro spiders are “here to stay.” Originally from Asia, the spiders were introduced to north Georgia around 2010 and have been spreading since then.“Anyone that doesn’t sort of like all the creepy crawly things, this has all of the characteristics that makes them squeamish,” Mr. Coyle previously told CBS, saying a press release that “data show that this spider is going to be able to inhabit most of the eastern U.S.”Reports of Joro spider sightings have come from various parts of the eastern United States, including Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, the Carolinas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and Ohio. University of Georgia researcher Andy Davis told the New York Times in December that New York is situated in the middle of the areas these spiders prefer. He believes the spiders could appear in New York and neighboring states this summer.Joro spiders seem to adapt well to urban environments. Mr. Davis has observed them on street lamps and telephone poles, places where regular spiders would not typically be found.Though the spiders are venomous, Mr. Coyle assures that they do not pose a danger to humans. Their venom is intended for the insects caught in their webs, such as butterflies, wasps, and cockroaches. However, they could pose a threat to native spider species.

Northeast States Brace for Arrival of Giant Venomous Spiders That Can Parachute Through the Air

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