Fun Facts

The Giant “Flying” Joro Spider 

The East Coast is bracing for an invasion of a very large venomous spider native to East Asia, specifically China and Japan. The spider rarely bites humans. The venom is not deadly to humans. Presently the spiders are found in Southern states like Georgia, the Carolinas, and Tennessee. The spider likes living in the city, for it is often found on street lamps and telephone poles.

The larger female body is almost 1 inch while the smaller male is under a half inch but they can be up to 3 inches when their legs are fully extended. They spend the winter as eggs, then emerge as juveniles in the spring. Both male and female have large abdomens with long legs while the female has stripes of yellow and dark blue, with red near the abdomen. In the fall the males stay in the web for copulation where the females lay 400 - 1500 eggs in an egg sack located on a tree. Her cycle ends in the fall when she dies and the next generation emerges in the spring.

Not a great deal is known about this spider but it has been seen eating an invasive stink bug that other spiders have avoided as well as eating mosquitos and flies so the hope is this spider will have a positive effect on the environment. Although frightening to see because of its size, its bite does not pose a threat for the venom is too weak. In Japanese folklore the legendary spider transforms into a beautiful woman who breaths fire and controls all spiders. She seduces males, binds them in her silk, then devours them (Wikipedia).