It’s Not Just Giant Flying Spiders: Pests in the News

Has it seemed lately like creepy-critter news just keeps on coming? Arachnophobes from Arlington to Annapolis got a recent fright due to alarming reports of four-inch Joro spiders flying up the Atlantic coast. The freaky creatures—which don’t actually fly but rather ride wind currents—have already been spotted in Maryland and are expected to soon become more common around our area. They’re harmless to humans, but with their vivid hues, hefty size, and three-to-four-foot webs, they can make quite an intense impression. “This is a large, beautiful, but benign spider,” says Michael Raupp, emeritus entomologist at the University of Maryland. “They’ll be spectacular because they’ll build big webs. But they’re not to be feared.”

Meanwhile, invasive spotted lantern flies, which have been a growing problem since they were discovered in Pennsylvania a decade ago, continue to expand around our region, posing a threat to trees and being just generally gross. Raupp says you’re likely to see more and more of them. If you encounter one, stomp on it.

But the biggest buzz around the area this summer is coming courtesy of a familiar dreaded enemy: the old-fashioned mosquito. Rising temperatures due to climate change are benefiting the pests, and this summer’s unusually high thermostat readings have created a skeeter bonanza. “During this heat, they’re going crazy,” says Raupp. Fortunately, we don’t yet have to worry about mosquito-borne dengue fever, which has been traveling north from its traditional locations but hasn’t reached us.

If all this talk is making you feel a little itchy, Raupp is eager to point out some happier news: It’s been a good year for fireflies, which seem to be having a renaissance, possibly due to the mild winter and wet spring. And in general, try not to wig out too much over insects and arachnids, which are, after all, fascinating creatures, even when they’re invasive and/or yucky. If you find yourself nervous about encountering, say, giant flying spiders, “try to keep it in perspective,” says Raupp. “I think these things get a little bit sensationalized.”

This article appears in the August 2024 issue of Washingtonian.

Helen Huiskes

Editorial Fellow