110720_HDH_GrossSpider

Joro spiders, which can be nearly 3 inches across when their legs are fully extended, are roughly the same size as banana spiders and yellow garden spiders, but they have distinctive yellow and blue-black stripes on their backs and bright red markings on their undersides, which are unique.

McDONOUGH — Chances are, if you live in northeast Georgia you’ve come across an East Asian Joro spider this fall.

At almost 3 inches across when their legs are fully extended, they’re hard to miss. While they’re roughly the same size as banana spiders and yellow garden spiders, the distinctive yellow and blue-black stripes on their backs and bright red markings on their undersides are unique. Their enormous three-dimensional webs are a striking golden color and tend to be located higher off the ground than those of other spiders.

Recommended for you

Beth Gavrilles is the public relations coordinator for the University of Georgia Odum School of Ecology.

(0) comments

Welcome to the discussion.

Please log in, or sign up for a new, free account to read or post comments.

Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.