Joro Spider Not as Scary as It Looks
go.ncsu.edu/readext?853285
en Español / em Português
El inglés es el idioma de control de esta página. En la medida en que haya algún conflicto entre la traducción al inglés y la traducción, el inglés prevalece.
Al hacer clic en el enlace de traducción se activa un servicio de traducción gratuito para convertir la página al español. Al igual que con cualquier traducción por Internet, la conversión no es sensible al contexto y puede que no traduzca el texto en su significado original. NC State Extension no garantiza la exactitud del texto traducido. Por favor, tenga en cuenta que algunas aplicaciones y/o servicios pueden no funcionar como se espera cuando se traducen.
Português
Inglês é o idioma de controle desta página. Na medida que haja algum conflito entre o texto original em Inglês e a tradução, o Inglês prevalece.
Ao clicar no link de tradução, um serviço gratuito de tradução será ativado para converter a página para o Português. Como em qualquer tradução pela internet, a conversão não é sensivel ao contexto e pode não ocorrer a tradução para o significado orginal. O serviço de Extensão da Carolina do Norte (NC State Extension) não garante a exatidão do texto traduzido. Por favor, observe que algumas funções ou serviços podem não funcionar como esperado após a tradução.
English
English is the controlling language of this page. To the extent there is any conflict between the English text and the translation, English controls.
Clicking on the translation link activates a free translation service to convert the page to Spanish. As with any Internet translation, the conversion is not context-sensitive and may not translate the text to its original meaning. NC State Extension does not guarantee the accuracy of the translated text. Please note that some applications and/or services may not function as expected when translated.
Collapse ▲
The Joro spider is a large, yellow-striped spider spreading across the Southeast. Image: Christina Butler.
.jpg){kind=link}
Similar to murder hornets in 2020, the Joro spider is having its five minutes of fame! Recent headlines across the U.S. describe this yellow and black spider as “venomous” and “expected to drop from the sky”. Despite the scary headlines, there’s no need to panic. Yes, they’re big, and yes, they are spreading and likely to come to North Carolina. But, they are harmless to humans and pets and could even be considered a beneficial organism.
Native to Asia, the Joro spider was first detected in the U.S. in 2013 in Georgia and has since spread into South Carolina. Isolated reports suggest the arachnid may already be in North Carolina, but these have not been confirmed. It is a large spider, reaching 3 inches in length, with a large yellow and blue striped body with red markings on its side. Its legs are long with yellow banding. As the headlines imply, it can get as large as your palm, with a sizeable web size to match.
There is good news! Despite being a non-native species, research from the University of Georgia suggests Joro spiders have little to no effect on local food webs and ecosystems. They could even be viewed as beneficial, contributing to pest reduction as they prey on plant pests and as food themselves to birds and other predators.
As far as the scary headlines, Joro spiders are venomous in terms of how they subdue their insect prey; they are not harmful to humans. In terms of dropping from the sky, like many spiders (and as showcased at the end of Charlotte’s Web), newly hatched Joro spiders produce silken strands used to ride the wind to new areas.
The only real threat they post is as a nuisance pest. Joro spiders are large and many people consider spiders unwanted or scary. On the flip side, Joro spiders are seen by many as pretty and beneficial. However you see them, the reality is they are on their way and will likely be something you’ll have to learn to live with.