Have You Heard About The “Horror Movie” Spiders Coming To MA?

Here's a strange question for you, fellow Massachusetts residents: Do any of you reading these words right now suffer from arachnophobia? I'm talking about...THE FEAR OF SPIDERS!

Research suggests that it's a fairly common fear that affects a sizable portion of the human population. Also, it tends to affect women more than men. Studies show that almost 90% of arachnophobes are female.

That is certainly true when it concerns my soulmate Tonya and me. She and I have an understanding. She takes care of the bees and wasps because I will run like a terrified child if even ONE of them starts buzzing around me. True story.

So she swats the bees (or at least keeps them at bay). Meanwhile, I take care of the snakes...and the mice...and the spiders. Tonya does not like spiders. Me? I'm not bothered by them. I kind of like them because they tend to keep the insect population down.

Keep in mind that I'm talking about normal everyday spiders. I'm not sure how I would react if I ever came across a FLYING SPIDER. These atrocities actually exist, my friends.

I know I've used the phrase before but seriously, "flying spiders" sounds like the deranged plot of some low-budget horror movie, right? Well, according to several reliable news sources, that "horror movie" could very well become a reality.

Time Magazine recently reported that Joro spiders, a species native to East Asia that started to gain a foothold in the States around 2014 in Georgia, are now starting to spread up the East Coast.

Some Joro spiders (particularly females) can be quite large with leg spans of 4 inches. Technically speaking, Joro spiders don't actually "fly". They propel themselves via a "ballooning" technique, where they shoot web strands into the air, allowing the wind to carry them. Still a scary thought though, right?

These spiders are venomous, however, experts say that their venom is not dangerous to humans or pets. Some experts even call them "gentle giants", which may be oversimplifying things a little bit.

Joro spiders are an invasive species which means they certainly pose a threat to other species such as butterflies, grasshoppers, beetles, wasps, and other spiders. The spiders are expected to appear in New Jersey and New York sometime this summer.

There's no timeline yet on states that neighbor New York, but Massachusetts can probably expect them sooner than later. For more on the story, visit Time Magazine's website here.