Where’s the giant flying spider? Joro goes missing from web

By Mike Sullivan

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    BOSTON (WBZ) — The giant flying Joro spider was nowhere to be found in Boston on Thursday.

The paparazzi have been out in full force on Mount Vernon street, hoping to get a shot of the venomous black and yellow invader with 4-inch legs. But the two-story web on Beacon Hill was empty.

“This is about my third time hoping to get a glance of him,” one spider chaser said.

So is this it for Joro spiders in Boston, or could there be more of them?

“This one could just be a one-off and it dies and then we won’t see another one for another year. It’s hard to say,” UMass Lowell biologist Jessica Garb told WBZ-TV.

They typically live six to eight months. As babies they can use the wind and their silk to parachute to other locations. Some may hitchhike on vehicles.

“Maybe it was just transported because it looks pretty big and we’re only just noticing it now,” Garb said.

She believes this Joro spider is female based on its shape and size.

“If it’s fertilized, then she could make an egg sac, so maybe we’ll have some more,” Garb said.

According to Terminix, there can be up to 1,500 eggs in a sac that’s covered with bright yellow silk. What should you do if you see one?

“It probably should be squashed because we really shouldn’t have Joro spiders here,” Garb said.

Boston’s ecosystem is already so disturbed by development that the city wouldn’t see much impact from an influx of Joro spiders, Garb explained. But they could overtake another ecosystem in a suburban forest.

“It may have possibly beneficial effects, but it may have a lot of off-target effects,” she said.

Garb expects the spiders will stay out of people’s homes as the architecture isn’t conducive for their large webs.

“You don’t need to be afraid of it,” she said. “It’s not coming after you, it’s not going to want to bite you.”

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