Asian Spider Takes Hold in Georgia Sends Humans Scurrying
If youve been in North Georgia lately you may have noticed something new hanging in the trees. Big bright yellow and black spiders with webs that seem to stretch everywhere. Meet the Joro spider. And yes they are as unsettling as they look.
The Joro spider – scientific name Trichonephila clavata – is native to East Asia. Researchers believe it arrived in Georgia around 2013 or 2014 probably hitching a ride on a shipping container. Since then its population has exploded.
According to researchers at the University of Georgia, Joro sightings have been reported across at least 25 counties. The spiders seem to thrive in Georgias climate which is similar to their native habitat in Japan.
Now for the important question: should you be worried? Not really. Despite their intimidating size – females can have leg spans up to four inches – Joro spiders are relatively harmless to humans. Their fangs are small and they rarely bite. Even if one did bite you it would be comparable to a bee sting. Unpleasant but not dangerous.
What is concerning to scientists is the potential ecological impact. As an invasive species the Joro competes with native spiders for food and habitat. The full effects wont be known for years but any time you introduce a new species to an ecosystem you risk disrupting the balance.
Some homeowners have taken matters into their own hands destroying webs and killing spiders wherever they find them. Entomologists say this is largely futile – the population is too established to control through manual removal.
One researcher I spoke with suggested just learning to coexist. “Theyre not hurting anyone,” he said. “Theyre actually eating a lot of pest insects. If you can get past the initial creep factor theyre not bad neighbors.”
Easy for him to say. Some of us are just going to scream and run. And thats valid too.
