What is the Joro Spider?
Trichonephila clavata, also known as the Joro-spider, is a spider in the Trichonephila genus. Native to East Asia, it is found throughout China, Japan (except Hokkaidō), Korea, and Taiwan, and has been spreading across North America since the 2010s. It is venomous, but it rarely bites humans and its venom is not deadly. Scientists confirmed the first known occurrence of T. clavata in North America in 2014,[3] and as of October 2022, T. clavata’s range spans at least 120,000 km2 (46,000 sq mi), occurring across the US states of Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Tennessee, with additional reports in Alabama, Maryland, Oklahoma, and West Virginia. Its pattern of spread suggests it is primarily driven by natural dispersal mechanisms, such as ballooning, though human-mediated transport cannot be discounted
Although the spider is not aggressive, they will bite to protect themselves. The bite is considered painful, but not life-threatening.
According to a CBS News article dated June 5, 2024, the Joro spider is expected to be in the southern portions of US State of New York and surrounding US states sometime in the Summer of 2024. According to CBS News, the Joro spider has been spotted in the US states of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, North and South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and Ohio. Per University of Georgia researcher, Andy Davis, the Joro spiders “seem to be OK with living in a city,” also stating that he has seen the Joro spiders on street lamps and telephone poles
Read more about the Joro Spider on Wikipedia