Niamh Shackleton
For those of you who have arachnophobia and live on the East Coast, you might want to brace yourself.
I hate to be the bearer of bad news folks, but huge spiders are reportedly making a home for themselves in parts of America - with New York and New Jersey expected to see an influx of the eight-legged insects.
Called the Joro spider, these arachnids' legs can grow to be as big as four-inches long and, making things arguably worse, they can fly too.
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They're also venomous, but (fortunately) a Joro spider's venom isn't thought to be dangerous to humans or pets.
If their size and flying capabilities wasn't enough to identify these arachnids, Joro spiders also boast vibrant yellow and grey bodies.
They were originally found in countries like Japan, Korea, Taiwan, China, but are reported to have since travelled to parts of northern Georgia in 2010. The first Joro spider in the area wasn't spotted until around 2014, however.
While they've been inhabiting parts of the East Coast for some time, Joro spiders are said to be spreading.
In a study published last year, David Coyle, a scientist and assistant professor in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Conservation at Clemson University, said Joro spiders are 'here to stay' in the US.
"This spider is going to be able to inhabit most of the eastern US," he went on. "Their comfort area in their native range matches up very well with much of North America."
In regards to the large spiders arriving in New York specifically, José R. Ramírez-Garofalo, an ecologist at Rutgers University's Lockwood Lab and the president of Protectors of Pine Oak Woods on Staten Island, said that 'it is a matter of when, not if' they make their way over to the city.
While the spiders won't do you any harm, many won't necessarily want one of them making themselves comfortable in their home.
In a bid to control Joro spiders, Coyle said: "Pesticides work, but, also, they are probably overkill because it will kill everything else, and there is a cost involved; it’s just as easily to physically move them if they are on your house. They seem to love structures. So, I just tell people to take a stick or broom and remove them."
Meanwhile, Lookout Pest Control advises that you keep a tidy home, don't leave food out, vacuum up spider webs and seal up any cracks or points of entry into your home in a bid to prevent Joro spiders getting in.