Whenever an exotic plant or animal is introduced and begins expanding its population across the landscape it is often impossible to know far it will spread and what, if any, affect it will have on native species. Unfortunately, far too often foreign introductions have a deleterious impact on our native flora and fauna.
In the 17 August 2022, I provided an update on the rapid spread of the Joro spider across North Georgia. In response to the blog, Julie H. posted a thought-provoking response in which she described the impact the spider appears to be having on the some of the wild animals living on her property.
I found her comments so insightful I decided to share them with each of you. Below you will find this posting.
Blogger Julie Hemminger replied to the August 17th post…
I completely disagree with the low key/ low threat assessment of the joro spider. I live in the Hoschton area, where they were first discovered. I have lived in this home & area for 18yrs, so I have a decent long range perspective. I am an avid gardener & love bugs, insects, etc. As a result, I notice all these wonderful creatures in my garden & enjoy them all. Unfortunately, *ever since* the joro spider began showing up in my wooded yard & garden, 8yrs ago, I no longer see the beautiful garden “writing/zig zag” spiders that I so enjoyed, or the cool orb spiders that would appear in the fall, or many other delightful small spiders.
The joro spiders are highly invasive in my observation. It has been at least 7yrs since I’ve seen the garden writing spider! I’m not mixing them up either. To me, it’s very easy to tell the diff btwn the garden & the joro spider, even though many people do get those 2 spiders mixed up. The easiest way is the joro spider has a red dot on it’s underside, the garden spider does not.
This June ‘22 summer, I killed a joro spider up in WNC, @ Lake Santeetlah, near Robbinsville, NC – when we there vacationing. I was angry to see it now in NC. I will kill every joro spider I see. They have thrown off the spider status quo in our area where they first appeared. They’re just about the only spider you ever see now & that does not appear to be a good sign at all. Everything in our environment needs balance. There is no balance with the joro.
Recently I received a post from one of our fellow bloggers that lives in the Athens area voicing concern that spiders might pose a threat to hummingbirds. In response to her communication, I have tried to uncover any reports of hummingbirds being caught in the large, sticky webs constructed by Joro spiders.
For those of you that that are not familiar with the Joro spider, this large spider is native to Japan, Korea, Taiwan and China. It first appeared in the United States in Hoschton, Georgia in 2013.
This long-legged foreign invader has spread rapidly and is now weaving their large, sticky webs in at last 25 counties in North Georgia. The spider has also been found in nearby South Carolina.
Experts tell us that Joro spiders do not eat birds. However, it is well known that hummingbirds are caught in the webs fashioned by a variety of native spiders. In such cases, unless an unfortunate hummingbird can break free or rescued, it dies of either from starvation or dehydration.
To date, I have not found any documentation of a hummingbird being caught in a Joro spider web. However, that does not necessarily mean that this does not occur. If you have seen and perhaps photographed such an event, please let me know.
SPIDER-JORO-2-Dorothy-Kozlowski-UGA-Sept-2021
Since the joro spider has not been in the country very long, experts are unable to determine the impact, if any; this spider is going to have on native animals. In the meantime, Richard Hoebeke, an entomologist and curation with the Georgia Museum of Natural History, offers this advice, “Spiders are beneficial, they are feeding on insects that a log of people consider pests, yellow jackets, stink bugs, mosquitoes, other insects that people don’t want to see around the house, they would be happy to have them in their webs. And a lot of them do end up in their webs. So, I consider them beneficial, I would just simply leave them alone. Don’t get in their way. Don’t aggregate them. Just let them be.”
For more information on the Joro spider, go to Search on the right side of this Blog and type in either Joro spider or Spider alert.
Remarkably, spiders annually eat more insects than bats and birds combined. In spite of this, they are one of the least appreciated animals that inhabit our yards.
With that in mind, the next time that you spot a spider in your garden, don’t kill it. Spiders play a key role in the ecology of our yards. As such, they help control all sorts of insects and other invertebrates. In addition, they are important sources of protein for scores of animals such as birds. For example, tiny ruby-throated hummingbirds and great crested flycatchers are just two of the birds that dine on spiders.
I know that you are going to be elated to learn that a new spider has taken up residence in Georgia. This large colorful arachnid is the joro spider and is native to China, Korea, Taiwan, and Japan.
According to University of Georgia biologists, that spider was initially located in Hochston, Georgia in 1983. The current range of the joro spider in the Peach State includes Hall, Jackson, Gwinnett, and Madison Counties in Georgia’s northeast quadrant. The spider has also turned up in Greenville, South Carolina.
While nobody knows how it made its way to the United States, Richard Hoebeke, curator of the University of Georgia’s Museum of Natural History believes that the showy spiders probably hitched a ride to Georgia on shipping crates transported on container ships from ports in Japan and China.
JORO SPIDER photo submitted by D. Kizlowski/UGA
The joro spider is not a spider that lurks in the dark corners of old barns or haunted houses. While in has been found living in plain sight in woodlands; it also seems to prefer to live near humans. The first indication that joro spiders are living nearby is often the appearance of a large orb-shaped web. When the light catches these webs just right, they take on a golden sheen.
The female joro spider has a body that measures 0.68-0.98 inches in length. In addition, when spread out, its eight legs span anywhere from three to four inches.
Many folks are afraid a spider will bite them. Fortunately, the joro spider is not aggressive. However, for some unknown reason if a joro spider bites you, unless you are highly allegoric to its venom, the bite will give about the same amount of discomfort as a bee sting.
Based on how far the joro spider has expanded its range in well less than a decade, it appears it will continue its range expansion unabated. Meanwhile, the UGA biologists working at the Museum of Natural History are requesting our help in plotting the spider’s marc across the state.
With that in mind, if you spot what you believe to be a joro spider, take a picture of it, and send it to Richard Hoebeke at rhoebeke@uga.edu along with the date and location of your sighting.
There are many superstitions surrounding Halloween. Quite a few of these folktales deal with the mistaken belief that spiders consort with witches, ghosts, and goblins. Let’s look at one of these tall tales.
One of the stories I have heard is that spiders are more abundant around Halloween because they gather with witches and unsavory characters this bizarre holiday. The truth of the matter is that chances are people are more likely to see more spiders around Halloween than they might during the spring, summer, and winter. However, this has nothing to do with Halloween. Instead, there is a scientific basis for spiders being more abundant in the fall of the year. Halloween just happens to celebrated during this season.
There are two reasons why we are more apt to see spiders in the fall. First, this is the mating season for a vast number of spiders. Consequently, spiders are more prone to be out and about then looking for mates. This increases the likelihood we will encounter them.
Another reason is when spiders emerge from eggs in spring they are extremely small; this makes them difficult to find. Throughout the spring and summer, they continue to increase in size. Once they reach maturity by fall, it is much easier for us to spot them. This gives us the false impression that they are actually more abundant.
I lament the fact that so many people cringe whenever they see a spider. As a result, untold numbers of spiders are killed because we fear them. Their perceived association with Halloween helps perpetuate our animosity toward these beneficial invertebrates. In truth, the vast majority of the 35,000 species of spiders found around the world pose no threat to humans. In contrast, they are important predators that help control insects and other invertebrates that humankind considers detrimental.
Ever since my daughter was a little girl, she has been fascinated with the natural world. It mattered not whether we were on vacation or just exploring our backyard, her inquisitive mind and sharp eyes enabled her to find something fascinating wherever we happened to be. More often than not, she would be the first to make such a find. As such, on a recent visit, it was no surprise that, while walking around the deck of our home with my wife, she spotted something hanging from beneath one of the deck rails. Immediately she exclaimed, “What is that?
Below one of the rails, she just happened to notice what looked very much like a small, brown paper bag measuring an inch or so in diameter. The object was suspended from the rail by a number of slender filaments.
Within minutes, my granddaughter and I joined my wife and daughter on the porch. Each of us marveled at how well the small, round object was camouflaged dangling next to the deck’s brown wood.
As has been the case so many times over the years, finding a backyard treasure perked our curiosity. We just had to find out what we were looking at.
I suggested it might be a spider’s egg case. Armed with this possible identification, my wife searched the internet looking for photos of spider egg cases. In just a few minutes, she emerged from our home office and announced she was convinced it was a yellow garden spider’s (Agiope aurantia) egg sac.
I then retreated to my natural history library to learn more about the yellow garden spider and its egg sac.
Leafing through the pages of several books I learned the female yellow garden spider creates one to four of these impressive egg cases per year; most are constructed from late summer to fall. Working under the cloak of darkness she lays anywhere from 300 to 1,000 or more eggs on thin sheets of silk. She then wraps them up forming a tough, brown silk ball. The rugged covering protects the eggs from both the elements and predators.
In the spring, the young spiders emerge from the egg sac and venture out into the world. As you might expect very few of these tiny spiders survive long enough to reproduce. Some of the spiders eat each other, still others are caught by predators such as mud daubers and birds.
It was truly amazing how our daughter’s backyard discovery led to a memorable event shared by three generations of our family. In addition, it reinforced our appreciation for the amazing variety of life that lives just outside the backdoor.
I guess you can see why I will never tire of hearing a family member say, “What is that?”
To many, hummingbirds and spiders represent a classic example of beauty and the beast. In spite of that, spiders play a key role in the life of the ruby-throated hummingbird. The thing that bonds these two very different creatures together is the spider web.
Spider webs are extremely strong, sticky, and flexible. Remarkably, based on weight, the strength of the web’s high tinsel strands is equal to steel. Spiders use their amazing webs to capture food.
The ruby-throated hummingbird visits spider webs to steal small insects that are captured by the web’s sticky fibers. In addition, they will also actually prey on small spiders.
When the female rubythroat is building her nest, she plucks bits of the web to construct her nest. In fact, spider webs are one of key materials used in nest construction. The fibers help anchor the nest to the limb on which it is built. They also cement the other construction materials that form the nest. In addition, the stretchy fibers allow the nest to expand. This is extremely important as it helps prevent rapidly growing young hummers from falling out of the nest.
Spider webs also pose a risk to hummingbirds. Each year countless hummingbirds become ensnared when they become entangled in a spider web as they try to glean nesting material or food. In addition, others accidentally fly into a spider web spread across a woodland path or bed of flowers.
When this happens, the likelihood of a hummingbird escaping a spider web is slim. In some cases, when a spider senses a bird is caught in its web it will crawl to the bird and rapidly wrap it up in webbing just as it would a beetle or butterfly.
In other instances, the spider simply allows the bird to struggle until it dies. When this occurs, spiders will often cut an entrapped bird loose from the web and let it fall to the ground.
If an ensnared hummingbird is extremely lucky, somebody will notice the bird and attempt to set it free. In the vast majority of the cases, if the bird is found soon enough, it can be saved.
Should you ever find a hummingbird struggling in a spider web, immediately remove it. Take the bird to a cool, shady location and remove ALL of the fibers adhering to the bird’s body. This process can take several minutes. Whatever you do, do not squeeze the bird as you are working. Simply hold it loosely in one hand and gently peel away the tacky threads using a pair of tweezers.
Once you have finished, hold the bird in your hand, and allow it to drink hummingbird nectar offered in the plastic lid to a soft drink bottle. Dip the bill into the liquid. In most cases, the bird will immediately extend its tongue into the fluid and begin feeding. Never leave the bill in the liquid for any length of time.
Feeding the bird before it is released will enable the hapless bird to regain some of the energy it expended while struggling for its life.
When the hummingbird seems to have regained its strength, place the bird on the palm of your hand. When it is ready to fly, it will suddenly begin rapidly beating its wings and fly away.
If the bird doesn’t immediately respond after you have removed all of the spider webs from its feathers, place it in a brown paper bag and loosely fold the top of the bag. Place the bag in a cool place. Then check on the bird from time to time. Once the hummingbird begins fluttering inside the bag, you know it is ready to be released.
Believe me it is truly rewarding to see a hummingbird you rescued from certain death fly away.
Have you ever found a beautiful spiderweb one evening and returned the next morning to admire it in the sunlight only to find that it had mysteriously disappeared? When you have such an experience, you cannot wonder what in the world happened to this remarkably structure. The answer to this mystery is perhaps as odd as the disappearance of the web itself.
Surprisingly, in many cases, the web is simply eaten by its creator. If that is the case, you might ask yourself, “Why in the world would a spider eat a web it only used for a few hours and required a lot of time and energy to fashion?” Part of the reason is webs lose their stickiness. As a result, they hapless insects that would normally find them stuck in a web are able to struggle free before the spider can dispatch them. Also, if a spider eats its own web, it recycles some of the energy and protein used to spin the sticky strands used to weave its beautiful and deadly web. In addition, it ensures that each night it is using a fresh, highly efficient web.
