What may sound like something out of an old low budget horror film could soon become a reality for residents in the Hudson Valley and the entire East Coast. Spiders that can parachute? Scientists say they'll spread everywhere because they can even survive the colder climates. Sounds like an arachnophobes worst nightmare. But are they really so bad?

They're called the Joro Spider, an ugly yellow three-inch-long arachnid that hails from Japan. Scientists from the University of Georgia say the eight-legged pests will spread up and down the entire East Coast because there's nothing to control their population in this environment.  WESH says that they can use their webs like a balloon and ride the wind, which will only increase their spread further. Experts say that they've been spotted all over the Southeast, and other states can start to see their webs by May or June. The larger female webs show up by early fall.

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How long before they work their way up north to the Hudson Valley? Depends. They were first spotted in North America in 2013.

The Good News...

Scientists say that these ghastly-looking creatures may elicit a few terrified screams or yells, but they're not harmful to humans. They are venomous, but their bite is not life-threatening and produces little actual venom. Most experts also say that they appear to have little effect on local food webs or ecosystems, Wikipedia says that they've even been observed catching stink bugs, which could be a good thing for many.

Perhaps they'll go after other pests? Least they're not these things.

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