Giant, 'Flying' Joro Spiders Have Arrived In MA: Report

BOSTON, MA — An invasive species of giant, flying spider usually found in the south has arrived in Massachusetts, a photo taken by a local photographer confirms.

Joro spiders — large, orb-weaver spiders native to Asia and introduced to the United States in 2014 — are most often seen building their massive golden webs in September and October, according to Joro Watch. They are yellow with blue-green bands, yellow markings, and black legs. Females can measure up to 1.25 inches long, while males are much smaller.

Photographer Joe Schifferdecker spotted a Joro outside a home on Mount Vernon Street in Beacon Hill, near Boston Common. He shared the photos with NBC10 Boston, explaining that he took them on Sept. 10 but didn't know until later what species the spider was.

Schifferdecker's photos depict "the most northern sighting" of the spider yet, University of Georgia researcher Andy Davis, who has been tracking the spread of Joro spiders, told NBC10.

According to Joro Watch's spider distribution map, the vast majority have been found in Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Tennessee.

A few other sightings were reported farther north, including in West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania.

Anyone who spots a Joro spider is urged to report the sighting to Joro Watch.

The good news is that the spiders are not dangerous to humans, David Nelsen, a professor of biology at Southern Adventist University in Tennessee, told the Boston Globe.

"They're not dangerous because the venom is really, really insect-specific, and we’re not insects," Nelson said, adding that for a person, a bite from a Joro spider would simply cause some itching and swelling like a mosquito bite.

And though they have been dubbed "flying" spiders, Joros really only glide as if in a parachute when they first hatch from their eggs.

After leaving their eggs, Joro hatchings will "let out a long strand of silk and wait for a breeze to catch it" before traveling several miles, Ehrlich board-certified entomologist Marc Potzler said.

Even better news? The spiders are much too big to do this once they are fully grown.