Millions of palm-sized flying spiders, a species known as Trichonephila clavata or Joro spiders, could take over the East Coast, a new study shows.
Last September, the 3-inch, yellow-striped arachnids swarmed Georgia in millions, suggesting the same could happen elsewhere.
The spiders’ hatchlings disperse via web parachutes that can fly up to 100 miles, riding strands of silk along spring winds. Researchers suggest that the Joro spiders won’t stick to traditional means of flying along with the breeze to colonize their new home. Instead, they might opt to be stowaways. While its bright yellow color and red underbelly markings are stunning to the eye, the Joro spider seems menacing both in web size and lore — but it’s deceiving. The arachnid is not strong enough to bite through the skin of humans, cats or dogs, posing no threat unless they’re allergic.It might be the silver lining in the terrifying news, since the spiders are poised to spread across the country.