Giant Joro spiders can fly for miles and devour butterflies, but they’re also very shy. Here’s what to know as they spread.

You may have heard of some not so interesting poisonous flying spiders that fly with the winds, love to eat butterflies and are already appearing on the East Coast. They’re called Joro spiders – and their lifestyle is as interesting as their appearance.

Perhaps the most intriguing part? Despite their ability to parachute into the air and their large size, researchers have discovered that they are actually super shy — in fact, they may be among the “’shydest’ spiders ever documented,” according to a report published by the University of Georgia last year.

“We wanted to know the personality of these spiders and see if they are capable of being so aggressive,” said co-author Andy Davis said of the report’s findings. “It turns out they’re not.”

Here’s what you should know about these arachnids, as experts say they’re making their way from Georgia to New York and beyond.

What do Joro spiders eat?

Clemson University researchers previously discovered that Joros likes to eat flying insects, but they aren’t too picky about which ones.

“These spiders don’t seem to care what gets into their web; they are just as likely to eat brown marmorated stink bugs as they are a monarch butterfly,” researcher David Coyle said in a university press release, adding that “they are a spider – and if something gets caught in its web, it will be eaten.”

Ultimately, researchers say they’re not likely to bite humans or pets or, if you live in New York City, the giant rats that roam your trash cans. If and when arachnids end up in the Big Apple, they’re more likely to eat cockroaches or wasps.

Where do Joro spiders come from?

The yellow- and gray-bodied Joros are an invasive species, meaning they are not native to the United States. According to the University of Georgia’s Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health, the spiders are native to East Asia and were first spotted in Georgia in 2014. It didn’t take long, however, for them to end up “everywhere.” , Coyle said. .

Coyle first saw them in his backyard a few years ago, noticing he could see one of the creatures every two meters. Since first reaching Georgia, they have expanded their territory considerably.

Where are Joro spiders in the US?

Joros have been observed in several states since landing in Georgia. According to records submitted iNaturalistathe spiders have been seen in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Ohio.

“The data shows that this spider will be able to inhabit most of the eastern U.S.,” Coyle said in October. “This shows that its comfort zone in its native range matches up very well with much of North America. … We expect the range of these things to continue to expand, probably northward, and we’ve already seen that with some populations in Maryland.”

Are Joro spiders poisonous to humans?

Technically, yes – but also no. Joro spiders are venomous, but they are not known for being aggressive and are much more afraid of people than they are of them, which really says a lot.

“They are harmless to people and are reluctant to bite,” says Penn State Extension. “And if bites occur, the venom is weak and not clinically important.”

If a bite were to occur, the organization added, it would be less painful than a bee sting, and any localized pain and redness would quickly disappear.

In a report published last year, researchers at the University of Georgia analyzed 450 spiders from 10 different species to study their responses to minor disturbances. They found that while most spiders freeze for less than a minute before resuming activity, Joro spiders essentially “turn off” and will not move for more than an hour. The only other spider that exhibits similar behavior is Joro’s cousin, the golden silk spider.

“These spiders are more afraid of you than the other way around,” said researcher Andy Davis.

Even though they’re so scared of trying to bite you, Davis’ team found that their fangs probably aren’t big enough to bite through skin.

Coyle said he has held the spiders “on numerous occasions,” as have his children, and there is “really no danger” to people or pets.

Should I kill Joro spiders?

Even though spiders can make you nauseous and look quite scary, arachnids are incredibly shy. Killing them, Coyle said: may not be necessary.

“Pesticides work, but they’re also probably overkill because they kill everything else and there’s a cost involved,” he said, suggesting that spiders be physically moved if they’ve crawled into your home. “They seem to love structures. So I just tell people to get a stick or a broom and remove them.”

Davis found in his research that although spiders are an invasive species, they still do not appear to have had a major impact on local ecosystems. However, more research is needed on this front.

“People should try learn to live with them“, he said. “If they are literally in your way, I can imagine taking out a web and moving them to the side, but they will be back next year.”

Even the pest control service Orkin says that “taking them away from the house or removing their webs may be sufficient.”

How big do Joro spiders get?

According to Penn State Extension, adult female Joro spiders have bodies up to 2.5 centimeters long and leg spans up to four centimeters. For reference, the average length of a human woman’s hand is 6.8 inches — meaning these spiders’ leg spans would take up most of an average woman’s hand.

Adult male Joro spiders are “much smaller,” PennState Extension said, with a body length of just over a quarter of an inch. They also appear much browner than females.

Even bigger than spiders, however, are their webs. Coyle found some webs measuring more than six feet long. There are reports that the webs can have up to 10 feet wide.

Can Joro spiders fly?

They may not have wings, but they like to take to the sky, so to speak. It’s not “flying” per se, but arachnids use a technique called “ballooning,” in which they release their silk into the wind and let the currents carry them on an adventure.

According to Penn State Extension, hatchlings can move “tens to hundreds of miles” with this process, “so a storm blowing in the right direction at the right time of year can move them in big leaps.”