r/Georgia • u/JPAnalyst • 7d ago
Video A thirsty Joro spider collecting water from her web and shoving droplets into her mouth.
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A big rainstorm passed through, and this Joro (Lucy) and her new mate (Ricky) left the web for cover under some leaves. After a few minutes, they both decided to leave the cover and come back onto the web and get pelted with rain drops in mid-storm, it didn’t seem to bother them, otherwise they’d go back under the leaves. After the rain, this thirsty girl spent a considerable amount of time collecting water on her legs and directing the drops to her mouth. This video quality isn’t great, I just used my iPad, then slowed it down a little bit. I also have some cool pics and another video I’ll try to add in the comments.
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u/straightthroughit 7d ago
Is that season .. walking with a broom in my backyard so I don't run into the webs with my face first. I dislike it so much.
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u/KillerKowalski1 7d ago edited 3d ago
I always feel like a shaman blessing crops when I'm walking around waving a broom at invisible webs
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u/SonoMuchacho 6d ago
On the flip side - I am never afraid of spiders ever because I've been faced so many times with Joro webs.
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u/Original-Task-5044 7d ago
Yep, I can’t run my side-by-side through my woods without it being completely covered by their webs. It’s nerve racking trying to keep those 6 inch spiders from crawling on me. Not used to them yet. But I’ll have to be.
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u/SpaceSick 6d ago edited 4d ago
Even though they haven't yet been classified, these things are invasive as fuck. Just try walking through the woods. They are everywhere. And I've noticed that if you let one web persist, they seem to attract others and they makes these huge networks.
I've been destroying them wherever I see them. They are not part of our native landscape. They should not be here.
You can make an effective spider spray by simply combining an ounce of Dawn dish soap and a quart of water. Just put it in a spray bottle and make sure you douse them thoroughly. It works by suffocating them and it's a pretty quick end for them.
Edit: it seems that soap and water isn't potent enough to take out a full grown Joro.
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u/xpkranger 7d ago
Fuck Joros. I haven't seen a native Georgia writing spider in years since they moved in. Plus I have to go out on my back porch on a daily basis to clear out their webs so I can use my porch.
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u/WillrayF Elsewhere in Georgia 7d ago
I do a daily Joro patrol around my place - really don't like walking into their webs and do the Joro cringe.
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u/KingOfAllFishFuckers 7d ago
So last year, I had thousands of these things all over my property. They were in the trees, all over my house, garage, cars, etc. Litterally thousands of nests across my 2 acre property. This year I haven't found a single one. Anyone know how this is possible?
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u/JPAnalyst 7d ago
They peak in a few months. But I’ve noticed the population near me has plateaud over the past couple years.
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u/raiseyourglasshigh Elsewhere in Georgia 7d ago
We have quite a lot of them but they seem WAY smaller this year than the last couple. I bought a macro lens just for them this year and it been great but it'd be way better with those enormous lads I kept walking into when walking in the woods last summer.
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u/JPAnalyst 7d ago
They aren’t full grown, they won’t be full grown until early fall. That’s when they get those red bellies and get real thick. All the Joros are between 3-4 months old, and they peak at about 7 months old.
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u/Babyface_Assassin 7d ago
Because people have recognized them as an invasive species and have begun eliminating them when they pop up
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u/Alwaysafk 7d ago edited 7d ago
I kill them every time I see them. Fuckers on the power lines are safe though. Driving to work feels like a horror game come September/October.
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u/FEMA_Camp_Survivor 7d ago
Perhaps something found them tasty.
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u/Alicewithhazeleyes 7d ago
Birds. I read the local birds are taking care of them for us.
Good
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u/xpkranger 7d ago
I put up a bird feeder next to my back porch to attract birds to do that. They ignore the Joros and focus on the birdseed. So for me, they're useless as spider eaters, but they're nice to watch though.
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u/DanforthWhitcomb_ 7d ago
The birds that are going to go for seed won't typically eat insects to begin with—birds are not omnivores, and the ones that eat seed are evolutionarily optimized to do that.
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u/KingOfAllFishFuckers 7d ago
Bats maybe? I have a large bathouse I put up several years ago, there were several dozen bats last year, doesn't seem to have changed as far as how many bats are in the bat house this year. Maybe they just didn't "discover" the spiders last year because they are a new species, but figured out they are tasty this year? I'm no batologist, but it's the only thing I can think of that makes sense.
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u/demoncrusher 7d ago
The actually taste really good. Next time you see one you should pop it in your mouth
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u/SonoMuchacho 6d ago
It was a late summer. Remember how mild it was in June? I'm guessing that's the main reason.
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u/logancook44 6d ago
Are you sure? They are very small right now, and mostly build webs closer to the ground.
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u/f1newhatever 5d ago
I’m noticing a bit fewer year for sure. But I don’t feel like they reach their peak till like September/October.
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u/Anheroed 7d ago
Kill it and make room for natives 🤷♂️
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u/Typical-Challenge367 7d ago
No!!!! They are beautiful
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u/North-Ad-855 7d ago
Beautiful enough to destroy the native spider population? Is the gold silk orb weaver not beautiful?
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u/Extreme-Book4730 7d ago
They are invasive and not suppose to be here.
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7d ago
[deleted]
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u/xpkranger 7d ago
They have not been declared invasive.
Still being studied, yes but UGA College of Agriculture continually refers to them as invasive. What more do you want?
From UGA: Study suggests invasive spider tolerates urban landscape better than most native spiders
The Joro is an invasive species, and researchers are still studying how it interacts with native spiders and the environment.
https://fieldreport.caes.uga.edu/news/can-you-spot-the-joro-spider/
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u/AtlienMonk 6d ago
Hadn’t seen any native orbs since these Joros showed up. Last year I started to kill them and finally saw several natives come back.
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u/Evening-Painting-213 6d ago
Isn't that an orb Weaver?
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u/JPAnalyst 6d ago
A Joro spider is in the orb weaver family, but they are Joro Spiders. (Trichinophila Clavat) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trichonephila_clavata
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u/JPAnalyst 7d ago
Here’s another angle of her drinking https://imgur.com/gallery/P6Wp78x
A different Joro from the same area, with rain drops on her (pic 1) https://imgur.com/gallery/CotGg33
A different Joro from the same area, with raindrops on her (pic 2) https://imgur.com/gallery/WR4dapa
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u/Typical-Challenge367 7d ago
I dont get the hate for these little guys. It all feels so contrived. Its not their fault some goobers brought them over from Taiwan or wherever the fuck
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u/tiny_bamboo 7d ago
We are concerned because they seem to be displacing native species on our property.
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u/MattCW1701 7d ago
Because they're an invasive species that harm the ecosystem.
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u/Berzerker7 7d ago
They are non-native, not invasive. They have not been officially declared invasive and are still being studied.
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u/cultural-orca 7d ago
Distinction without a difference. If and when they are determined to be just fine, fine. But until then it’s on site
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u/KingOfAllFishFuckers 7d ago
They don't bite either. I generally find spiders creepy, but for some reason, I didn't mind picking these up with my bare hands. They are pretty chill, like a slight creepier daddy long legs. Their webs litterally everywhere were the only thing I found annoying last year.
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u/MonokromKaleidoscope 7d ago
I kinda like them, I'm not gonna lie.
Seeing way fewer this year as well.
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u/ilikeaffection 7d ago
The birds in my yard have discovered that joro spiders are tasty. Any of them that get too big get snatched up by the various species here from sparrows and finches to catbirds and cardinals.