Joro Spider: For years, a bright, invasive species of spider known for creating gold-coloured webs has been spreading across Georgia, and scientists warn it’s not going away anytime soon.
The Joro spider, a palm-sized arachnid with yellow stripes, is native to Asia, yet it has been spotted in large numbers in northern Georgia this year, less than a decade after its discovery.
According to reports from the University of Georgia, the first sightings of the spider occurred between 2013 and 2014.
Joro Spider Known for Creating
In 2015, scientists utilised DNA research to confirm the sightings as Joro spiders, and collections director Rick Hoebeke of the Georgia Museum of Natural History tracked them as they expanded across the state.
Hoebeke told the University of Georgia that his “best hypothesis” for how the spiders arrived in the United States was through a shipping container.
According to Michele Hatcher of the University of Georgia Department of Entomology, the spider has grown to “extreme numbers” in Georgia, observing around 25 counties. In addition to North Carolina, creepy crawlers have been seen in sections of South Carolina.
Pest control is a term used to describe the process of removing the pest.
The spider may appear menacing with its nearly three-inch length and vibrant colours, but specialists say it isn’t interested in biting humans.
According to Nancy Hinkle, an entomologist at the University of Georgia, they can be useful “pest control.”
“Joro spiders provide us with wonderful prospects to naturally control pests without the use of chemicals,” says the author, “According to Hinkle. “I’m attempting to persuade people that zillions of huge spiders and their webs are beneficial.”
Mosquitoes fly, and even stink spiders eat bugs.
I believe that people should make peace with Joros and welcome the spiders because they are here to stay,” says the author Hoebeke said.
Joro spiders do not need to be killed, despite their invasive species status. Experts predict that their rapid population increase will be naturally curbed shortly in addition to the pest management benefits they give.
According to Hinkle, the spiders will mostly die off in November, but not before laying sacs full of eggs, potentially increasing their population in the spring.
Scientists from the University of Georgia have found no harmful effects on local, native species in their brief time in the United States, fearing the Joro spider’s arrival. Clemson University experts claimed they couldn’t say whether the species would hurt the local environment in neighbouring South Carolina.
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