Many people in the southeastern United States have started to notice an unfamiliar, large spider with a golden web around their homes and communities. If you’ve noticed a spider like this, chances are this new spider is the Joro Spider or Trichonephila clavata. Read below to learn more about Joro Spiders, as well as how to coexist with this quickly spreading creature.
The Joro Spider, also known as the East Asian Joro spider, is an invasive species that most likely arrived in Georgia in 2013. The spider is believed to have been brought over from Japan in a shipping container. Joro Spiders are native to China, Korea, Japan, and Taiwan.
How to Identify a Joro Spider?
Joro Spiders are usually first identified by their large size and bright yellow markings. Female Joro Spiders are larger than males, and can have a leg span of up to 3 or 4 inches. The top of the abdomen of a female Joro will be bright yellow with grey-blue bands. The bottom will have a large red mark surrounded by yellow line patterns, and the legs are black with thick yellow bands.
Male Joro spiders can easily be confused with other spiders because they are much smaller and lack the bright colors of the female. Male Joros have a leg span of about 1.5 inches and a body length of .3 of an inch. Their body is light brown with dark brown stripes.
Are Joro Spiders Dangers?
When considering the dangers of a Joro spider, it’s important to note two aspects of the species. Can they bite humans with venom and cause a dangerous reaction? Are they a danger to the local environment and wildlife? Luckily, the current consensus from the scientific community is that Joro Spiders do not pose a threat to either.
Do Joro Spiders bite and are they Venomous?
Yes, Joro Spiders can bite and their fangs have venom. No reason to worry though, it’s not as bad as it sounds. A Joro spider’s fangs are tiny, and they can have difficulty piercing the skin to inject venom. If a Joro Spider successfully bites, their venom is weak and non-life threatening. The bite is less painful than a bee sting and it doesn’t spread with isolated redness. All symptoms should quickly disappear without medical attention.
Do Joro Spiders affect the environment?
Joro Spiders build large webs that are very strong. These webs are not only a nuisance, but they pose a danger to local insects and wildlife. Typically, however, smaller flying insects are caught in these webs. This includes invasive brown stink bugs, lantern flies, and lady beetles, leading some scientists to call them beneficial. However, there are reports of bats and small hummingbirds also getting caught in the webs, so it is too soon to tell if Joro Spiders will negatively impact the environment.
How to Get Rid of Joro Spiders?
While Joro Spiders are not particularly dangerous to humans, many people have decided to remove the spiders from their homes. When doing this there are 3 different methods to consider: Insecticides, Joro Spider traps, and physically removing the spiders.
How to remove Joro Spiders with spray or insecticide?
There are several different sprays available to deal with Joro Spiders on your home or business.
- Perimeter spray: This type of insect killer is sprayed in advance of the Joro spider’s arrival and can prevent them from living on your property for up to 12 months. Simply spray in the area where Joro Spiders like to build their webs and the spider will be killed if it interacts with the area that was sprayed.
- Cobweb Eliminator Spray: This spray prevents spiders from building their web. First remove any existing webs and then spray the cobweb eliminator. The Joro Spider will be repelled by the spray and hopefully not build a web in the area.
- Spider Killer: This spray kills the Joro Spider on contact. When shopping for a Joro Spider killing spray it’s important to find a spray with a good range so you can safely reach their tall webs without a ladder.
How to remove Joro Spider with an outdoor trap?
Another method of removing Joro Spiders from your home or business is to trap them. The main benefit of this method is the lack of dangerous poisons and plus there is no direct interaction with the spider. Unfortunately many of the spider traps sold are too small, so this method should be used to capture the Joro Spider when they are small enough to enter the trap. This involves setting up the trap in early spring or late winter before the Joro Spider eggs have hatched.
How to physically remove or kill a Joro Spider?
There are many common household items that can be used to kill or remove a Joro Spider from your home or business. This includes a broom, vacuum cleaner, shovel or any other object that can reach and remove a Joro Spider. One of the best Joro Spider removal tools I’ve found is the BUG-A-SALT 3.0. This tool uses only salt and compressed air to very effectively remove Joro spiders with no toxic chemicals.