# Giant spiders are invading the Southeast {Joro Spiders} **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 5, 2022, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-spiders-are-invading-the-southeast-joro-spiders/960491 "2022-03-05T00:52:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2022, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-spiders-are-invading-the-southeast-joro-spiders/960491/21 "2022-03-09T23:03:05Z")
It says they eat stink bugs. And they’re cute. (In a TROMP TROMP TROMP “I be Spiderzilla and I coming for your stinkybugs” kind of way) ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2022, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-spiders-are-invading-the-southeast-joro-spiders/960491/22 "2022-03-10T01:34:01Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > Large Joro spiders — millions of them — are expected to begin “ballooning” up and down the East Coast as early as May. Could be worse: > **["The Far Side" by Gary Larson. That there Bison on the right is currently...](https://www.pinterest.com/pin/542965298823321162/)** > > Jan 7, 2019 - "The Far Side" by Gary Larson. That there Bison on the right is currently recovering, after a mighty hefty landing. Hooves must have hit the balloon. ... ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2022, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-spiders-are-invading-the-southeast-joro-spiders/960491/23 "2022-03-10T04:08:37Z")
Woud this be a joro spider? [![Imgur](https://live.staticflickr.com/1056/1463241651_b993d019c8_b.jpg "Lunchtime") ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/zyada/1463241651/) ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2022, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-spiders-are-invading-the-southeast-joro-spiders/960491/24 "2022-03-10T04:33:46Z")
I don’t think so. The color patterns don’t look right to me. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2022, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-spiders-are-invading-the-southeast-joro-spiders/960491/25 "2022-03-10T04:40:33Z")
See the bottom photo in this set for side views of the same spider at three different stages. [https://m.imgur.com/gallery/bUgThQV](https://m.imgur.com/gallery/bUgThQV) ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2022, 8:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-spiders-are-invading-the-southeast-joro-spiders/960491/26 "2022-03-10T08:58:50Z")
Well, great. I’m 3 states away. Yeah, I’m moving. Goodbye, Arkansas! ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2022, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-spiders-are-invading-the-southeast-joro-spiders/960491/27 "2022-03-10T09:35:52Z")
looks like a Golden Orb Weaver (_Nephila_ species) ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2022, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-spiders-are-invading-the-southeast-joro-spiders/960491/28 "2022-03-12T04:20:56Z")
Preach it, P.Z.! > **[Shut up about Joro Spiders, already](https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2022/03/10/shut-up-about-joro-spiders-already/)** > > OK, enough with the spider freakout. I’ve been rolling my eyes so hard for the last few weeks that my ocular muscles are sprained. I’m talking about headlines like this: Don’t jou… ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2024, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-spiders-are-invading-the-southeast-joro-spiders/960491/29 "2024-09-01T00:42:29Z")
Discovered a new Joro tonight. This is my first since the original in 2021 (and still relatively small). [![](https://i.postimg.cc/htLcV22R/Joro-20240831-185527764-crop.jpg) ](https://i.postimg.cc/htLcV22R/Joro-20240831-185527764-crop.jpg) [![](https://i.postimg.cc/Y2D9SDsX/joro-20240831-185743-crop.jpg) ](https://i.postimg.cc/Y2D9SDsX/joro-20240831-185743-crop.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2025, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-spiders-are-invading-the-southeast-joro-spiders/960491/30 "2025-01-02T00:59:05Z")
This year I ended up with a number of Joro, half a dozen or more. And the last one is surprisingly still alive. Here it is in a photo from November 22nd, when it had already survived a couple of nights in the low 20s F. [![](https://i.imgur.com/mDGEuUq.jpeg) ](https://i.imgur.com/mDGEuUq.jpeg) And here it is today, having made it into the new year. [![](https://i.imgur.com/oqkKvui.jpeg) ](https://i.imgur.com/oqkKvui.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2025, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-spiders-are-invading-the-southeast-joro-spiders/960491/31 "2025-01-02T03:00:10Z")
Note there is a close relative which already lives in the southeast, _Trichonephila clavipes_, common name is the [Golden Silk Spider](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trichonephila_clavipes). The “smaller” spiders in a given web may be the male mate to the dimorphically larger female, for both species. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2025, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-spiders-are-invading-the-southeast-joro-spiders/960491/32 "2025-01-02T03:03:04Z")
Really attractive spider! ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2025, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-spiders-are-invading-the-southeast-joro-spiders/960491/33 "2025-01-15T05:41:09Z")
The last Joro finally died in the last few days. It managed to stay dangling in the web, which I hoped would happen so that I could find it for closeups. The abdomen has already began to develop cracks. It must have been pretty empty inside since its last meal must have been several weeks ago. [![](https://i.imgur.com/ttJOQJt.jpeg) ](https://i.imgur.com/ttJOQJt.jpeg) [![](https://i.imgur.com/HX3IIBb.jpeg) ](https://i.imgur.com/HX3IIBb.jpeg) [![](https://i.imgur.com/LX70NtT.jpeg) ](https://i.imgur.com/LX70NtT.jpeg) [![](https://i.imgur.com/ielQo5f.jpeg) ](https://i.imgur.com/ielQo5f.jpeg) [![](https://i.imgur.com/Br9Vjai.jpeg) ](https://i.imgur.com/Br9Vjai.jpeg) [![](https://i.imgur.com/Psls2Wi.jpeg) ](https://i.imgur.com/Psls2Wi.jpeg) [![](https://i.imgur.com/wboLTEJ.jpeg) ](https://i.imgur.com/wboLTEJ.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![El\_DeLuxo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_deluxo/32/9043_2.png) [@El\_DeLuxo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_DeLuxo)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2025, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-spiders-are-invading-the-southeast-joro-spiders/960491/34 "2025-01-15T06:49:17Z")
The way their colors fade when they die is startling. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2025, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-spiders-are-invading-the-southeast-joro-spiders/960491/35 "2025-10-11T05:38:09Z")
So this year I have at least 6 adult females along the path I normally walk through my yard (and have to remember to duck under). Definitely got to be more undiscovered elsewhere. That’s pretty typical for this part of South Carolina now, with them being pretty much anywhere there are suitable spots to spread their webs. Anyone seeing them in your area now where you didn’t 2 or 3 years ago? ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2025, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-spiders-are-invading-the-southeast-joro-spiders/960491/36 "2025-10-13T11:53:53Z")
Great little article. Thanks for the updates. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2025, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-spiders-are-invading-the-southeast-joro-spiders/960491/37 "2025-10-13T13:31:39Z")
> “Remember there could always be giant ants, like in Santa Clara in 1950!” > > ```Ray > > ``` ```Ray ``` [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-spiders-are-invading-the-southeast-joro-spiders/960491.md?page=1)