Scary, giant, invasive spider’s arrival now imminent for NJ

A very scary-looking and invasive spider is making its way to New Jersey, which is very bad news for those who fear spiders or large insects. And recent reports confirm that its arrival to The Garden State is all but imminent.

This, of course, is on the heels of the arrival of another invasive species here in New Jersey - The Spotted Lanternfly. At the time of its arrival, many throughout the Garden State feared the worst.

The spotted lanternfly was known to wreak havoc on crops and trees, raising the alert level for those in New Jersey. Eventually, the lanternfly arrived, just as predicted.

Fast forward to today, and sightings of this invasive species seem to have tampered down. Not only that, but the damage to our crops and trees also wasn't as bad as we initially thought it would be.

So now that we've gotten used to having the spotted lanternfly here in New Jersey, we have to worry about the arrival of yet another, much larger invasive pest. Although our first warning of this one was in 2022, this particular insect has made more progress heading our way since.

Again, for those who fear spiders, this is not welcome news. But it's still important to know how to react should you come across this giant, 8-legged insect known as Trichonephila Clavata, or Joro Spider.

The Joro Spider is not from the United States. It was introduced in our area from across the globe but is steadily working its way up the eastern seaboard.

Here's what to know about this scary-looking spider that's now knocking on the door of The Great Garden State.

The above post reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 Sunday morning host Mike Brant. Any opinions expressed are his own.