The Joro Spider

Yet another case of people sharing alarmist memes without checking the facts. Even some of the news media are spinning the misinformation.

The Joro Spider (Trichonephila clavata), is related to golden orb garden spiders, which many people are familiar with. The Joro is found in many areas in Asia, but since about 2013 or 2014, it’s been spreading throughout parts of southern and eastern United States. Scientists think they arrived as stowaways on cargo ships.

Female have blue and yellow banded legs and back, and asymmetrical red, yellow, and black markings on their abdomen. Males are plain brown.

Like many other spiders, baby Joros will spin a parachute-like web to catch air currents. They can drift on the wind for dozens of miles before landing on a tree, often near a home or in a patch of woods. Adults do not “fly”. Once an adult establishes it’s territory, it stays put.

Their very large size and bright colors make them look scary to most people, but they are not dangerous. They have a weak venom for immobilizing their prey, but if a person happens to get bitten, they usually only feel a mild sting, and sometimes the bite site will blister. Of course, a small number of people may actually have an allergy to the venom, which can result in a medical emergency.

That being said, bites in humans are extremely rare. Joros are shy and try to avoid humans. If they feel threatened, they will play dead. They will bite only as a last resort. If you see one and don’t want to get bitten, then just leave it alone.

Stop sharing memes designed to scare people when there’s no basis in fact.