BOSTON — To some people, this news will sound like everything a nightmare is made of.
A spider native to East Asia that can cover the palm of a person’s hand has been spotted in Boston’s historic Beacon Hill.
It’s the most northern sighting yet of the Joro spider and the first time one was spotted in Massachusetts.
Andy Davis, research scientist at the University of Georgia’s Odum School of Ecology, believes the yellow, green, and black spider is a female and said it’s likely she’s not the only Joro in Boston.
He said the parachuting eight-legged creatures are skilled at catching rides on cars and trucks and have been traveling up the East Coast.
A big reason for the spread north is the spider’s ability to “fly” by releasing silk that catches wind currents, allowing it to conduct non-precise flight guided by the wind.
“It doesn’t surprise me at all because I think there’s more of them in the same area, and I think we’re going to start seeing more of them,” Davis told Boston 25 News.
Before arriving in Beacon Hill, the most northern Joro spider sighting was in Pennsylvania.
Joros are venmous, like all spiders, but Davis said they’re not harmful to humans or pets and that their bites are less painful than a bee sting.
“These spiders are actually some of the shyest spiders every documented. They are more afraid of you than you are afraid of it,” he said.
Joros first invaded Georgia nearly a decade ago and have been rapidly multiplying.
“It seems right now the Joro spiders don’t have any predators that are taking them out,” he added. “That may change and, in fact, we’ve already had some evidence that there’s native birds here starting to capitalize on the Joro spider.”
The Joro spider that’s been spinning its web outside the six-floor Greek Revival home on Mount Vernon Street in Beacon Hill has been attracting a lot of attention.
Some said they initially mistook it for Halloween décor in the Boston neighborhood that takes decorating seriously.
“It looks like a Halloween decoration that somehow got lost on the street to be honest,” said Ella Pickard.
The natural habitat of Joro spiders ranges into northern Japan, which has a colder climate that’s similar to the northeast.
Some researchers are predicting that Joros will continue traveling north into Canada because of their ability to thrive in frigid temperatures.
Davis urged the public to report Joro spider sightings here.
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