Check Your Bingo Cards: Huge, Floating Spiders Are Set To Invade New York City This Summer

Murder hornets? Zombie cicadas? Hyper-sexual Zombie cicadas carrying sexually transmitted diseases? (We love that one … just not up close.) It's been a while, but get ready, America, for our next wave of nightmare fuel from the insect world. Or, in this case, from the arachnid world. That's right. Giant, venomous, floating spiders from Asia are about to descend on the Northeast and New York City. “Invasive Joro spiders that can float in the air expected to land in NYC this summer.” Sweet dreams, New York City. You earned this. Of course, The New York Post is going to create New York Post-style SCARY headlines, but as usual, the truth is always a little more harmless.

The Joro spider IS an invasive species from Asia, but they have been in the U.S. for more than a decade, mostly in the South, but as far north as Maryland. And while they are venomous, their bites are not particularly dangerous for people or even moderate-sized animals. They also generally don't grow as large as a human hand (though it is not unheard of). But it is cool how they parachute using their webs. “The species is also known for its ability to travel using wind currents – though [Clemson University professor David] Coyle clarified that the parachuting is limited to a specific time in the spiders’ life cycle. 'That only happens right after the eggs hatch – that has already happened for the year, there’s no more parachuting happening,' he explained.”

“After the spider eggs hatch in the spring, the poppyseed-sized spiderlings can let out strands of silk, which are then picked up by the wind and allow them to float across the sky, Coyle said. This 'ballooning' effect is 'high-risk, high-reward,' as most of the spiderlings don’t actually survive the initial trip, he added.” - 'Ballooning' is also not unique to the Joro spider. Many species use this technique, not to carry themselves across distances, but to start the anchor line from which they will create their webs. The reactions on Twitter to a new species of spider invading New York did not disappoint. (…)

• More at: Twitchy - Check Your Bingo Cards: Huge, Floating Spiders Are Set to Invade New York City This Summer
https://twitchy.com/grateful-calvin/2024/06/05/check-your-bingo-cards-huge-floating-spiders-set-to-invade-new-york-city-this-summer-n2396985
Twitchy: CBS News: Hyper-sexual 'Zombie Cicadas' With STDs - Yes This is a Thing That Happened
https://twitchy.com/gordon-k/2024/04/07/cbs-news-hyper-sexual-zombie-cicadas-with-stds-yes-this-is-a-thing-that-happened-n2394847
New York Post: Invasive Joro spiders the size of a human hand that can float in the air are expected to land in NYC this summer
https://nypost.com/2024/06/04/us-news/parachuting-joro-spiders-expected-to-creep-in-ny-this-summer/