We went looking last week for the new, invasive orb-weaving spider, the Joro, that is overwhelming numerous Atlanta-area yards this fall. Actually, I was tagging along with my friend Bob Pemberton, a retired entomologist with the USDA Agricultural Research Service, who is conducting independent research on the exotic spider.
Our search was in the Kirkwood Urban Forest Preserve in Atlanta’s Kirkwood neighborhood. It’s one of more than two dozen sites in the Atlanta area where Pemberton is doing surveys to gather baseline data to help determine if Joro spider populations are increasing, declining or holding steady.
During his 1.5-hour search in Kirkwood, he found 37 Joro webs, compared to 43 there last year. Similar surveys are being conducted by University of Georgia scientists and others elsewhere in the state.
The large, palm-size female Joro is conspicuous. In addition to her size, her black and yellow legs and yellow coloring with greenish bands on her abdomen make her distinctive. Her yellowish web is strong and “supersized,” sometimes reaching 10 feet wide or more.
The spider, a native of Japan and East Asia, was first documented in the United States in northeast Georgia in 2014 — apparently a stowaway in shipping material. Since then, the species has spread more than 100 miles in all directions from its initial detection point. UGA researchers, however, say there may be no obstacle to the Joro’s spread throughout the Southeast and the entire Eastern Seaboard.
Scores of metro Atlanta homeowners say their yards are inundated with huge Joro webs this fall. The spiders appear to be harmless to humans and pets. A major concern, however, is that the invasive arachnids could displace native orb-weaving spiders and wreak ecological havoc — especially on pollinating insects that are snared in the webs.
A new circular from the UGA Extension Service sums up the latest information on Joros and possible ways to control them. See it at bit.ly/3PGIYpF.
IN THE SKY: From David Dundee, Tellus Science Museum astronomer: The moon is in last quarter. Venus rises in the east a few hours before sunrise. Jupiter rises in the east just after dark. Saturn also is in the east after sunset. Mercury and Mars are not easily visible right now.
Charles Seabrook can be reached at charles.seabrook@yahoo.com.
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