TEEN'S TRIUMPHANT JOURNEY TO ROWAN UNIVERSITY. I'LL EXPLAIN, BUT WE BEGIN WITH PARACHUTING SPIDERS THAT COULD BE LANDING IN OUR AREA JUST IN TIME FOR SUMMER. >> YOU OKAY? NO. OKAY WELL, YOU'VE SEEN THE HEADLINES NOW ABOUT THESE SPIDERS COMING TO NEW JERSEY, BUT THERE'S NO NEED TO PANIC THIS AFTERNOON, WE ARE UNTANGLING THE WEB OF MYTHS AND MISCONCEPTIONS GAINES. >> AND YOU WILL HAVE TO LOOK AT THESE SPIDERS ALONG WITH US. NEW JERSEY CORRESPONDENT TRISH HARTMAN LIVE IN PENNSAUKEN. NOW WITH MORE ABOUT THESE FLYING SPIDERS AND WHEN THEY MIGHT ARRIVE. WE'RE LISTENING VERY INTENTLY. TRISH >> YEAH. SO, BRIAN, SARAH, THE CONSENSUS AMONG THE EXPERTS THAT WE SPOKE WITH, EVERYBODY REMAINED CALM. IT'S GOING TO BE OKAY. SO THE FLYING OR THE BALLOONING OR PARACHUTING, A LOT OF SPIDERS DO IT, NOT JUST THIS ONE SPECIES AND THEY MOSTLY DO IT WHEN THEY'RE YOUNG SPIDERS. SO IT'S VERY UNLIKELY THAT YOU'RE GOING TO BE SEEING GIANT SPIDERS FLYING AROUND. SO THAT'S THE GOOD NEWS. STILL, MANY PEOPLE THE IDEA OF ANY NEW LARGE SPIDER COMING INTO OUR AREA IS CREEPING SOME PEOPLE OUT. THIS IS THE JORO SPIDER NATIVE TO ASIA, BUT FOUND ITS WAY OVER TO THE US A FEW YEARS AGO, AND IT'S CREEPING CLOSER TO OUR AREA, MUCH TO THE DISMAY OF SOME PEOPLE IN SOUTH JERSEY. >> I'M SCARED OF SPIDERS. I HAVE NOT SEEN ONE KNOCK ON WOOD. >> I'M NOT GOING TO. I DON'T WANT TO SEE IT EITHER. >> AND THIS SPIDER CAN USE ITS SILK THREADS TO PARACHUTE OR FLOAT THROUGH THE AIR UP TO 100 MILES. >> IT'S ONE OF THE SCARIEST THINGS I EVER HEARD. I HOPE TO NOT ENCOUNTER THEM AND HOPE THEY FLY RIGHT OVER NEW JERSEY. >> EXPERTS WE SPOKE WITH SAY THEY'VE BEEN SPOTTED AS FAR NORTH AS MARYLAND, BUT DON'T EXPECT A LARGE INVASION. >> IT'S UNLIKELY THAT YOU'LL SEE THEM ANY TIME SOON JUST BECAUSE THEY'RE GOING TO, WHEN THEY FIRST COME, BE AT SUCH LOW ABUNDANCES. >> BUT IT'S DEFINITELY POSSIBLE CAMDEN COUNTY'S ENTOMOLOGIST IS KEEPING TRACK OF THEM, BUT SAYS THEY DO NOT POSE A PUBLIC HEALTH CONCERN THAT HAS THE CAPABILITY OF BITING. >> BUT THESE SPIDERS ARE NOT AGGRESSIVE, AND EVEN IF IT DOES BITE, IT'S NOT OF ANY MEDICAL SIGNIFICANCE, SHE SAYS. >> SPIDERS TYPICALLY ONLY BALLOON OR PARACHUTE WHEN THEY'RE BABIES, AND SHE POINTS TO THE FACT THAT JORO SPIDERS, LIKE OTHERS, WILL USE THEIR WEBS TO EAT. SOME OF THOSE BUGS WERE CONSTANTLY SWATTING AWAY. THEY'RE DOING US A FAVOR. >> THEY'RE EATING PEST INSECTS. AND THIS SPIDER ACTUALLY WILL EAT STINK BUGS, WHICH IS PRETTY RARE NOW. >> SHE ALSO SAYS THERE'S SOME RESEARCH SHOWING THAT THEY MAY EAT THE SPOTTED LANTERNFLY. SO THERE'S ANOTHER POTENTIAL SILVER LINING HERE. NOW THERE'S A WEBSITE WHERE YOU CAN REPORT ANY SIGHTINGS IF YOU SEE ONE FOR RESEARCH PURPOSES, AND YOU CAN FIND THAT AT 6 ABC .COM/ LINKS. WE'RE LIVE IN PENNSAUKEN, NEW JERSEY. TRISH HARTMAN CHANNEL SIX ACTION NEWS TRISH. >> SO YOU KNOW I HELD BRIAN'S HAND THROUGHOUT THAT. >> SO JUST TO BE CLEAR I KNOW WE'RE SAYING LIKE IT CAN'T ARE YOU OKAY I'M GOING TO BE FINE IN THE END. ULTIMATELY BUT WHAT WE'RE SAYING IS IT'S TEETH CAN'T BREAK THE SKIN, WHICH IS NOT THIS IS NOT DOING ANYTHING FOR ME. OKAY >> IT'S GOING TO BE FINE IF YOU STAY AWAY FROM THEM. THEY'LL STAY AWAY FROM YOU. >> OKAY? AND THEY EAT THE STINK
