Joro spiders? There goes the neighborhood.

Wildlife. In Boston.

There have always been rats, of course. And there are also mice. And racoons. And pigeons. And other birds, like starlings, robins, bluejays, and even hawks. And ducklings. Nuisance-wise, we have Canada geese and wild turkeys. Someitmes there are coyotes. Insect-wise, if you're unlucky, there are cockroaches. And if you're really unlucky, bedbugs. And there are ants, yellow jackets, mosquitoes. And silverfish, and daddy-longlegs, and itsy bitsy spiders. 

And now we have Joro spiders to worry about? 

We're not talking about "somewhere in New England, " here. Or "somewhere in Massachusetts." Or even "somewhere in Greater Boston." We're talking about Beacon Hill. On Mount Vernon. Right around the corner from where I live. 

Sure, tell me all you want that they're harmless, but Joro spiders a two-minute walk away? That's way, way, way too close for comfort.

Photographer Joe Schifferdecker was the first to spot and document this invader:

“It’s pretty cool that it’s in the middle of Boston,” he said. “It hasn’t been sighted at all in Massachusetts.” (Source: Boston Globe)

I beg to differ: no bright-yellow spider with a 1.5 inch body and a wing span of up to 5" is "pretty cool," unless it's behind glass in an insectarium. If it's in my home, or staring through a window (like the creepy luna moth staring at us through the screened window of a NH AirBNB a couple of years ago), or one my front steps, it's scary and creepy. 

This is the furthest north a Joro has been sighted. Last year, they only made it as far as Baltimore. This year, they were last seen outside of Philadelphia. (In case you're wondering, Joros are an invasive species, native to Asia, and first arrived about 10 years ago, most likely via shipping containers. Hope we're enjoying all those iPhones and Trump Bibles!)

Sure, they're interesting looking. And I guess I'll take the scientists' word that they're not harmful. 

David Nelsen is a biology professor from Tennessee, and his words are somewhat assuring.

“They’re not dangerous because the[ir] venom is really, really insect-specific, and we’re not insects.”

And a bite is no big deal, at least according to David Coyle, a Clemson professor of "forest health and invasive speciies."

...for a person, a bite from a Joro spider would be similar to a mosquito bite, causing some itchiness, redness, and swelling, he said. “Whereas something like a black widow or brown recluse, you get bit by one of those, you need to see a physician because that is a very different venom.”

But, but, but, if I encountered a Joro I'd still be freaked.

It's not exactly the size of a silverfish or a drain fly, or an itsy bitsy little brown house spider you can just crush with a piece of Kleenex and flush down the toilet. What are you supposed to do if you have a close encounter in your home? Yuck!

Joro spiders just around the corner? There goes the neighborhood.