It’s straight out of a horror movie. Giant venomous spiders with a 4-inch leg span are heading to the Northeast. A New Jersey pest control company recently issued a warning about the incursion of the Joro spider, a giant arachnid that was believed to have infiltrated the southern U.S. from Japan and has been steadily making its way north.

According to CBS News, the spiders are easy to identify, not only for their lengthy legs but also for their distinct vibrant yellow and grey bodies.

“What sets them apart, however, is their ability to fly, a trait uncommon among spiders,” said NJ Pest Control in its warning. “While not accurate flight in the avian sense, Joro spiders utilize a technique called ballooning, where they release silk threads into the air, allowing them to be carried by the wind.”

Ecologists say that that “it’s a matter of when, not if" the spiders arrive in New York and New Jersey. David Coyle, a scientist at Clemson University in South Carolina first spotted the spiders in his backyard four years ago and began collecting data on the species. He and his colleagues summed up their research.

“These things are here to stay,” Coyle said, adding that pesticides work to control them but would probably kill everything around your home. It’s best to take a stick or broom and remove them from structures they tend to cling to. Coyle adds that Joro spiders don’t want to enter your home but make their webs on the exterior of the house or other structures.

People have spotted the spiders across the eastern U.S. and Andy Davis, a University of Georgia assistant research scientist, says they could appear across New York and neighboring states this summer. “They seem to be OK with living in a city,” he says.

Coyle adds that while Joro spiders are venomous, they do not pose any danger to humans. They use their venom to kill hapless prey caught in their web, from butterflies to wasps and cockroaches.

“We have no evidence that they’ve done any damage to a person or a pet,” he said.