Yes, Giant Joro Spiders Are in Massachusetts—and They’re Spreading

Spiders don't have to spew poison venom or display vampire-like fangs to scare the crap out of people. All they have to do is appear, and that's enough to do the trick.

Many folks, even some of the roughest, toughest dudes I've known, cower in the face of an itsy bitsy spider. It's just something about the hairy little arachnids that generates fear within us. Yuck, spiders!

Imagine my anxiety when I spotted a piece on Fox News Digital that warned, "Spiders the size of a human hand are spreading throughout the US."

The human hand? As in an adult human hand? That's pretty big.

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Now, I know we've warned you in the past about stinging ants that were found in Massachusetts. Don't forget about the many bees, wasps, and hornets that call Massachusetts home. Then, of course, there is the spotted lantern fly. Oh, and did I mention the snakes?

But this is different. It's spiders. Big spiders.

What Is the Joro Spider?

"This eight-legged creepy species, known as the Joro spider, can grow as large as a human hand and has been spotted in at least eight states since 2021, including Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, California, Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania," according to Fox.

Well, add one more state. Massachusetts.

Joro Spider Confirmed in Massachusetts

"A Joro spider has made it to Massachusetts," reported CBS Boston in September 2024. "The giant venomous arachnid was spotted in Boston's Beacon Hill neighborhood."

WCVB-TV 5 confirmed the sighting. "The Joro spider, an invasive species, originally from East Asia, has made its first confirmed appearance in Massachusetts, marking its northernmost sighting in the United States," the station reported.

Those reports were in 2024. Imagine how many of those things are here now?

How Joro Spiders Spread So Quickly

"The spider is spreading through a process known as 'ballooning,' in which the young Joro spiders release a thread of silk that can be captured by the wind, allowing them to be lifted to new locations," according to Fox. "This process allows them to travel for relatively long distances, similar to other spider species." Oh goodie!

Oh, and did I mention the Joro spider can lay between 400 and 500 eggs at a time?

Are Joro Spiders Dangerous to Humans?

Experts say that while Joro spiders have venom, their bites are not deadly to humans but can result in an allergic reaction.