Are Joro Spiders Coming to Brevard County?

You may have heard the hub-bub on the news about an invasive new spider called “the Joro spider”. Its described as a “palm-sized” or “huge” spider which “parachutes its way into your yard”. This spider originates from Asia and first made its way to the United States in a shipment of goods back in 2014. But it wasn’t until last year that an explosion of this species was noted. It occurred mainly in Georgia.

So the question remains, will the Joro spiders make their way to Brevard County? We think there is no reason for them not to. Georgia shares much of the same climate as Florida, especially northern Florida. Some insect & arachnid experts are expecting for this spider to make its way up and down the entire eastern coast all the way up to New York.

The advice from experts is for you to go ahead and get used to seeing this spider now and prepare to learn how to live with it. Andy Davis, a research scientist at the University of Georgia, said in a statement: “People should try to learn to live with them. If they‘re literally in your way, I can see taking a web down and moving them to the side, but they‘re just going to be back next year.” This truly is disheartening news for you arachnophobics out there.

The spider really does spread by making a parachute tuft of spider web and floating in the wind. It can travel up to 100 miles this way. This method, combined with hitching rides on vehicles are the main way that this spider expands its population.

The good news is that the spider is not dangerous to humans or pets. It is not strong enough to bite through human or pet skin. The spider instead feasts on insects such as mosquitoes and could actually help cut down on the number of bugs you will suffer each summer.

Have you seen this spider in Brevard County yet? If so, please feel free to leave a comment below. Thank you. See more images of this spider here