by If you’ve been outside in North Georgia recently, you might have seen a palm-sized spider floating on the wind or, worse, the golden glimmer of a web strung between trees. The Southeast is now home to the invasive East Asian species known as the Joro spider. And according to experts, it’s only getting worse from here.
In 2013, reports of the first Joro spider in the United States came from Hoschton, Georgia. Only a year later, in 2014, ecologists confirmed the initial encounter. Eleven years later, you can find these black and yellow spiders—well, everywhere.
What are they?
Trichonephila clavata is an East Asian native that is found in China, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. The Joro gumo and Japanese culture are the sources of the common name, Joro Spider. The mythological Jor gumo has the ability to change into a stunning woman with spider-controlling abilities. The spider’s legs are striped in black and white, and its abdomen is primarily yellow. Additionally, the back of the abdomen of females may be both blue and red.
Female spiders are significantly larger than males, as is the case with most spiders. Although they can grow up to 1.5 across the abdomen, most females top out at about 1. They are a rather intimidating insect to have dangling from your outdoor swing because their fully extended legs can reach an astounding 6 or somewhat more across.(Photo by Tyler Penland) Joro spider
As eggs that hatch in the spring, they spend the winter. As is customary with spiders, the youngsters spread by releasing a web that transports them along any breeze. This phenomenon is called ballooning.
Are they dangerous?
The short answer is no. Humans are rarely bitten by Joro spiders unless they are very angry. Rarely may you get bitten just by strolling into their web. When they do bite, their venom is very mild to humans, causing a temporary sting that resembles a cross between a mosquito bite and a bee sting.
Webs, by the way, are sticky. Joros are spiders that form spiral webs and are members of the orb-building family. Anyone who has ever had the unpleasant experience of walking into a Joro web will tell you that they are especially strong. With even longer support strands, they can reach a width of up to ten feet. In the area, they are frequently observed growing between electricity wires, on lamps, and on trees. Since this poor woman had to be evacuated from her position, I can confirm that they are powerful enough to interfere with a meteorological station’s ability to operate.
Additionally, the webs are typically golden in hue, which can give them a lovely appearance in the early morning and late evening light.
Are they bad for the environment?
It is thought that joro spiders are an invasive species. Native populations are declining as a result of them becoming the dominant orb weaver in regions where they have expanded. In addition to other invasive species, they will consume anything that lands in their webs, including other spiders.A Joro spider couple adjacent to one another. (Image courtesy of Tyler Penland)
The Joro spider has the advantage that other native spiders haven’t been able to effectively suppress them yet because they find the invasive stinkbugs, which are also from the same places as them, quite appetizing. They also consume invasive beetles and the extremely troublesome lanternflies, which are not yet in Georgia but will probably arrive shortly. Compared to native species, which are not used to such huge prey, they can more easily capture larger beetles and stinkbugs because to their robust, sticky web.
The spiders have just been around for ten years, so it’s unclear what long-term impacts they might have on the ecosystems in our area. The spiders’ annual range increases by around 10 miles on their own, without any hitchhiking, and the females can lay up to 500 eggs. Native people will undoubtedly suffer from them, as is already the case, but will the benefits exceed the drawbacks? We’ll see, I suppose. Our new neighbor, the Joro Spider, will be with us for a very long time.A Joro spider is suspended on a few web strands. (Image courtesy of Tyler Penland)
