East Coasters, prepare to see more giant yellow spiders this year. Joro spider eggs are hatching across parts of the Southeast, continuing the spread of the invasive species first documented in northeast Georgia in 2014, reports USA Today. Native to East Asia, the spiders have since turned up in states including North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee, and at least as far north as Massachusetts. Sightings also have been reported in several national parks, including Great Smoky Mountain and Congaree.
Officials say the spiders are steadily moving north, likely introduced via shipping containers and now hitching rides on vehicles. One silver lining: "While they're large spiders, they don't have large fangs," Ian Williams, an entomologist with Orkin, tells Fox News. "And, so, it's difficult for them to bite humans." A bite, if it happens, is typically comparable to a bee sting, though—as with bee stings—rare allergic reactions can occur. The larger concern for scientists is ecological: as Joros move into new areas, native orb-weaving spiders have been observed declining due to competition.
Female Joros are easy to spot: they're orb-weavers with bodies up to 1.5 inches long, with bright yellow bodies and blue-black markings. Males are smaller and duller in color. The spiders spin expansive, sometimes messy-looking webs closer to the ground between shrubs and low branches, where they trap flying insects. At this point, eradication is seen as impossible, but wildlife authorities are still interested in tracking their spread through crowd-reporting sites such as Joro Watch.
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
