If hearing about bugs makes you squirm, you are probably going to pee your pants just a little bit if you read this story.  Why?  Well, a bug that is said to parachute from the sky...I need to back up...a bug THE SIZE OF YOUR HAND is said to parachute from the sky and it seems to have adjusted to climates with cold temperatures.  You know what states are cold, right?!  Yep, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, get ready because it is just a matter of time before the parachuting spider makes a visit to our state.

Canva
Canva
loading...

What exactly is a parachuting spider?

According to Wikipedia, the true name of a parachuting spider is the Trichonephila clavata.  The adult female is between 17 to 25 mm and the male is between 7 and 10 mm.  When the female is full of eggs, the abdomen can be as big as a human thumb.

Although the spider looks disgusting and super scary, it isn't aggressive.  Caution though, they will bite you if they feel like they need to protect themselves.  No worries though, the bite is not going to threaten your life but some have said it is quite painful.

The adult female individual has stripes of yellow and dark blue, with red toward the rear of the abdomen. In autumn, smaller males may be seen in the webs of the females for copulating. After mating, the female spins an egg sack on a tree, laying 400 to 1500 eggs in one sack. Her lifecycle ends by late autumn or early winter with the death of the spider. The next generation emerges in spring. - Wikipedia.com

Canva
Canva
loading...

Where in the United States are the parachuting spiders now?

Lawnstarter.com mentioned that the United States first saw a glimpse of the parachuting spider way back in 2013.  Georgia was the lucky state for that first sighting.  The rumor is that the spider is adapting to the cold temperatures though and is most likely going to impact the East Coast, although it has already been found in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.

The midwest may not be a target for this spider now, but as this spider continues to climb and fly its way to the Northern states, the closer it will be coming to us.

Canva
Canva
loading...

Why are these spiders called "parachuting" spiders?

The reason why this spider got the nickname of "parachuting" spider is because of how it travels.  According to lawnstarter.com, the spider lets out silk as it falls from a higher location.  When that happens, the wind catches it and as a result, the spider could fly as far as 100 miles.

Get our free mobile app

MORE TO EXPLORE: The 17 Snake Species of Minnesota

More From 106.9 KROC-FM