This week’s headlines warn of the arrival of a venomous spider, about the size of a human palm, and heading through the air toward the D.C. area.
The Zoro spider, a large spider found in East Asia, is seen in Johns Creek, Georgia, Sunday, Oct. 24, 2021. The spider has spun its thick, golden web over power lines, porches and vegetable fields across north Georgia this year — a spread that has forced some worried homeowners indoors and prompted a flood of anxious posts on social media. (AP Photo/Alex Saenz)
AP Photo/Alex Sanz
FILE – Zoro, a large spider found in East Asia, is seen in Johns Creek, Georgia, Sunday, Oct. 24, 2021. Researchers say the large spider that spread to Georgia in 2021 could spread to much of the East Coast. (AP Photo/Alex Saenz, File)
AP Photo/Alex Sanz, File
This week’s headlines warn of the arrival of a venomous spider, as large as a human palm, that’s spreading through the air and heading to the D.C. area.
But there is no need to panic. These creepy creatures will not create a scene like the movie “Arachnophobia.”
“You certainly don’t need to run for the hills in fear of the Zorro spider,” said Mike “The Bug Guy” Raup, emeritus professor of entomology at the University of Maryland.
Raup said that although the spider is venomous, it is a peaceful creature and experts believe its fangs are so small they cannot penetrate the skin of humans or pets.
The spiders were found in Maryland’s Howard and Anne Arundel counties last year. “Nobody was bitten, nobody died,” Raup said.
According to Raup, this invasive species of spider, originally from Asia, also comes with some benefits.
“They trap a number of invasive insects, including pests such as spotted lanternflies and brown marmorated stink bugs, which they love to eat,” Raup said.
These spiders have settled in the southern states and also have populations in the D.C. area.
The insects attract more attention this time of year, when there are more storms, because young Zoro spiders ride those storm fronts in what entomologists call “ballooning flight.”
Orb-weaver spiders are known for this method of travel. A famous example of this is the spider in the book “Charlotte’s Web”, where her children take flight.
“These spiders can actually sense changes in wind speed and electrical currents. When they sense these changes, they shoot out a thread of silk. This silk then acts like a parachute. They are lifted up into the atmosphere, and they can ride stormy winds for hundreds of miles before falling out of the air,” Raup said.
These spiders are accustomed to tropical and semi-tropical climates, but as the climate warms, they are traveling north along with other insect species.
“Some of the southern species, like other insect species that originally evolved in southern latitudes, will move north now that our winters are milder, and perhaps in the long run they will be able to survive in climates like Maryland,” Raup said.
The conclusion is that the colorful spider is nothing to be feared, but rather should be admired, Raup said.
“These are not spiders that will attack people. They can be seen up close. These are very beautiful spiders,” he said.
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