A common mix-up: Identifying Joro spiders

GREENVILLE, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - A large, invasive spider received a lot of attention when it started spreading into South Carolina earlier this year - but you may be mixing it up with another common spider in the area.

Joro spiders, which are native to Asia but now invading parts of the East Coast, are most noticeable in the late summer and early fall. They can use their web to create a “balloon” and ride the wind after hatching.

While their large size makes them intimidating, officials say they are not dangerous to humans or pets.

But many Joro spider sightings often turn out to be similar, related spiders - yellow garden spiders, also known as “writing spiders,” or golden silk orb weavers also known as banana spiders.

All these spiders are orb-weavers like Joro spiders, but they vary in size. Yellow garden spiders are, on average, the smallest of the three while banana spiders are the largest.

All three spiders also have yellow and black markings. However, Joro spiders have a red mark on their undersides and legs with bluish-black and yellow bands. They create golden, spherical webs that are up to 10-feet across.

Yellow garden spiders have a wider body than Joro spiders and reddish-brown to black legs with yellow bands. Their webs have a distinct zig-zag pattern in the center. These “writing spiders” are very common in South Carolina.

Banana spiders are also found in the Carolinas, but they are seen in larger numbers closer to Florida and the Gulf states. They sometimes have red markings as well on their underside, but they have tufts of hair at the joints of their legs. Their webs are golden and they have white spots on their thorax.

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