Giant 'flying' spiders are knocking on New York's doorstep

NEW YORK (PIX11) -- The giant parachuting spiders rumored to be flying to New York may be closer than you think.

Trichonephila clavata, also known as the Joro spider, is a species native to Asia that has invaded the United States.

The arachnid has already made headlines, as media outlets reported that they would be flying into New York in the summer. While that did not happen, recent reports of sightings indicate it is only a matter of time before they enter the Empire State.

At least eight Joro spiders have been spotted in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, just a couple hours away from New York City. The sightings were reported in September and verified on EDDMapS, a web-based mapping system for documenting invasive species launched by the Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health at the University of Georgia.

In addition to Pennsylvania, the Joro spider has been spotted in Suffolk, Massachusetts. USA Today senior reporter Natalie Neysa Alund reported the sighting on September 25. EDDMapS Data Coordinator Rebekah Wallace verified the sighting.

Wallace told PIX11 News it's not yet known how the spiders made it to Massachusetts and Pennsylvania, but it's possible they hitched a ride.

"The individual records in Oklahoma and West Virginia were identified as likely due to a spider catching a ride on a vehicle that originated from an infested area," said Wallace. "For both of those reports, they were near cars that had recently driven from Georgia. At this time, we have no evidence of how the spiders made their way to Maryland, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania."

The sightings in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania are likely from this year, while the sightings in Maryland have spanned years, Wallace said.

"With over 20 observations in a defined area over the last three years, the Maryland population appears to be self-sustaining," Wallace said. "The reporter for the first record in Pennsylvania said that they had seen at least one in 2023, but there isn’t a photo record of that observation. As far as we have records, the observations in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania are new for this year and it is unknown if they will establish."

Assistant professor at Clemson University Dr. David Coyle previously told PIX11 News that the Joro spider could spread beyond the Southeast but there wasn't a specific time frame. Coyle published the study about the Joro spider that media outlets cited when claiming the species were heading to New York and New Jersey.

On the species reaching Massachusetts and Pennsylvania, Coyle said the spiders must have hitchhiked.

"I think that distance would be too far for the ballooning that they do as a hatchling. They either got there via boats from overseas or by hitchhiking on something (automobile, trailer, etc.) from an area where they already live," Coyle said.

While it seems like only a matter of time until the Joro spider arrives in New York, ecologists say they don't pose any dangers or risks to humans.

"There is no evidence that this spider presents any sort of an ecological risk or risk to people or pets of being bitten. The only way you get bitten by orb weavers is if you put your fingers in their faces, and even then, it is rare," said Dr. Linda Susan Rayor, a senior lecturer and senior research associate at Cornell University who also wrote about the Joro spider.