Invasive Joro spider won't leave Georgia any time soon, study shows
Image of the Joro spider. (Ben Frick, co-author of study)
ATLANTA - Remember the Joro spider? Researchers from the University of Georgia say the East Asian yellow and blue arachnids are likely to spread again – and it won't be easy to get rid of them.
Where in the U.S. is the Joro spider?
Joro spiders are native to Japan, but in September 2021, researchers found they had made their way to northeast Georgia. The webs they left behind on powerlines, bushes and mailboxes served as proof.
Related: Joro spiders could soon be 'parachuting' into New York: Are they harmful to humans?
Should Joro spiders be killed?
The short answer is no. Scientists have referred to the spiders as "gentle giants." They do no harm to people.
In fact, an earlier study from UGA shows the Joro spider "may be the shyest spider ever documented."
They're easily startled. One experiment showed they freeze up, sometimes staying still for over an hour when disturbed. Most spiders pause for less than a minute before returning to their regularly scheduled programming.
A female Joro spider is suspended in entomologist Will Hudson's yard in Winterville, Georgia. The invasive spider is harmless to humans, and researchers are examining their impact on local ecology (University of Georgia College of Agriculture & E
Joros will not bite people or pets unless they are cornered. However, their bites are fairly harmless. The UGA report shows their fangs aren't large enough to pierce the skin.
Despite being an invasive species, they are not aggressive. They may be annoying, but there's no reason to kill them.
Why are Joro spiders invading?
Think of the Joro as the house guest who overstays their welcome. They don't know when to leave, and it seems nothing inconveniences them.
Researchers found that the spiders are comfortable building their webs just about anywhere and aren't disturbed by high traffic areas.
"It looks like Joro spiders are not going to shy away from building a web under a stoplight or an area where you wouldn’t imagine a spider to be," said Alexa Shultz, a third-year ecology student at UGA. "I don’t know how happy people are going to be about it, but I think the spiders are here to stay."
Co-authors of the study Kade Stewart, Caitlin Phelan and Alexa Schultz handle a Joro spider. (Credit: Andy Davis, UGA)
Alexa Shultz, Kade Stewart and Caitlin Phelan are all undergraduate students at UGA who are contributing to Joro spider research in Georgia.