The Joro Spider in Peachtree Corners and What You Should Know [Podcast]

One of the big concerns of homeowners in Gwinnett County is the appearance of the Joro Spider. These spiders have been causing quite the stir on the Next Door app and among neighbors all across Peachtree Corners. Tim Daly, an expert from the UGA Gwinnett Extension Program, is Rico’s guest on today’s episode. He and Rico chat as Tim sheds some light on where these spiders came from and how to handle them.

Gwinnett Extension Website: https://extension.uga.edu/county-offices/gwinnett.html

Timestamp:
[00:00:30] – Intro
[00:01:13] – Tim’s Background
[00:03:08] – Where the Joro Spider Came From
[00:05:03] – Dangerous Spiders
[00:06:12] – Where Joro Spiders Live
[00:06:55] – The Diet of the Spiders
[00:08:05] – Pest Control for Joro Spiders
[00:08:54] – Invasive Species of Pests and Plants
[00:14:36] – About Gwinnett Extension
[00:16:15] – Closing

“The spiders are no threat to people. They will not hurt people. They don’t hurt pets. They won’t hurt your plants. All they want to do is eat bugs and that’s what the webs are for. Now that’s where it’s really bothersome to some people because the webs can get to be pretty good size.”

Tim Daly

Podcast Transcript

[00:00:30] Rico: Hi everyone. This is Rico Figliolini, host of Peachtree Corners Life. I appreciate you joining us on this podcast, this special podcast, about a pest that’s out there that people have been talking about on Next Door and other sites. And it’s been in the news, although not just showing up today, it’s been around for several years. But I have an expert on from UGA Gwinnett Extension program and he’ll be speaking to us about it. For those that are familiar with the Joro Spider, I have one near the house, I have several actually. There’s actually four different webs that are hosting the spider, that they’ve built. And we’re going to be talking about that particular pest. And let me bring on with me, Tim Daly. Hey Tim.

[00:01:12] Tim: Hey, Rico.

[00:01:13] Rico: Thanks for joining me. Good morning. So I was out there this morning, videotaping that spider, and then I realized there were three other webs between two big trees I have, and they all have their own little, big spiders. And these spiders, you might not be able to tell from the video particularly, but they are the size of a palm, and they stretch out. So, Tim’s with the Gwinnett Extension Program, right? Well actually, tell us a bit about yourself, Tim. Give us some background in what you do.

[00:01:40] Tim: All right. Well, I’m one of those rare local native Decatur, Dekalb area. I’ve got two degrees from UGA and the College of Agriculture. My master’s in Entomology. I’ve worked in a lot of ornamental horticulture, landscapings many years ago. I sold water conservation programs. And also I’ve been with the University of Georgia Extension here in Gwinnett county since 2006. I do a whole bunch of different things, from consulting with homeowners to programs for landscapers and what we call green industry. We have a large group of master gardener volunteers in doing school outreach programs amongst other things.

[00:02:19] Rico: And you’ve been recipient of the what was it, 2020 award of excellence presented by the Georgia Master Gardener Association as well?

[00:02:27] Tim: That’s correct.

[00:02:28] Rico: Yeah. So it’s kinda neat that so many different areas of outdoor environment that you’ve been involved in. So I’m glad to have you on the show about this. So, Joro spider. I mean, I hadn’t heard about it until only within the last few weeks. And in fact, when I started hearing about it, that’s when I noticed we had one on the side of the house. And you can’t not notice it, because it’s so darn big. And the web is not your typical web. My wife says, maybe you can pressure wash it off? And like, that web, if you tug on it, you can see how thick and hard that web is. So can you tell us a little bit, maybe some history or a little bit more about where the Joro spider came from and all that?

[00:03:08] Tim: First of all, just spiders, some people call them insects, but they’re not insects. They’re related. They’re in a class called arachnids, which are spiders, scorpions, ticks and mites. The Joro spider originated in East Asia, places like Japan. And it was ended up introduced this country probably around 2014. In the Northeastern part of the state, up along 95, you know there are a large number of warehouses and we got stock being moved in from out of the country, from the airport, from the coast. And our scientists believed that it somehow got in through there and got out into the environment. And over time, populations have exploded because it’s in a different environment as opposed to in its native environment, where there are controls on that population. Because it evolved there sometimes when organisms are taken out of that environment, put in an extra one, they grow or they can become invasive in nature. Now in time, perhaps, maybe their populations will decrease. It’s too hard to tell. But spiders, they can get up to three inches long. They’re yellow and black with some red markings on it. They’re similar to our Orb Weaver, spiders that are common this time of the year. But anyhow, they, the spiders just to let you know, are no threat to people. They will not hurt people. They don’t hurt pets. They won’t hurt your plants. All they want to do is eat bugs and that’s what the webs are for. Now that’s where it’s really bothersome to some people because the webs can get to be pretty good size. They’re real sticky, strong webs. And I get calls, how do I get rid of Joro spiders? And the webs are bothering me. I saw some web being around some streetlights the other night, driving home and things like that. The spider can be a nuisance, bothersome, but it’s not a threat. Some invasive species can be a threat. This really isn’t a threat to anybody.

[00:05:03] Rico: I was going to say most spiders are venomous to a degree, but they say that pretty much it’s almost like a bee bite, right? It might hurt or sting a bit.

[00:05:12] Tim: Some spiders, yes. Some though won’t even do that. Their spines are too small to pierce human skin. The only spiders in Georgia that are poisonous are the Brown Recluse spider and the Black Widow. The Brown Recluse spider, when it bites, it injects a venom that causes the skin to die in an area. However, these bites are quite rare and Brown Recluse spiders are quite rare in the Gwinnett area. It’s more north and west of here. And even if they have them in your house, that doesn’t guarantee that you will be bitten. There was some family out in the Midwest, they determined they had a couple thousand in their home. They had been living in there years and have never had trouble with them. But as again, as I said, here in Georgia, they’re quite rare. The other one is the Black Widow spider. It’s a shiny black spider with red markings on his abdomen. They are poisonous, but often they’re under things. You’ll find them under rocks, under boards, logs and things like that. So really, it’s quite rare that people get bitten by them. They’re really not that bothersome.

[00:06:12] Rico: So Tim, with the Joro spider, where’s the natural? I see them outside, I see them between trees, I see them hanging on the side of the house with their spiderwebs. Some spiders tend to make homes inside our home, like in an attic. Do Joro spiders do that normally?

[00:06:29] Tim: No. By nature, they don’t. They’re an outdoor spider. Some spiders like a house spider will come in and you may have seen them in your home. I mean, they’re totally harmless. They’re just a nuisance pest. Joro Spiders now, if you find one in your home, it wandered in there by accident. Didn’t mean to get in there. It’s what we call an occasional accidental invader. But it’s not, that’s not where it wants to be. It wants to be outside to catch the bugs.

[00:06:55] Rico: And what normally, I’ve heard actually, that because of the spiderwebs can be so big and so resilient that sometimes hummingbirds might get caught in them. What is the natural diet of a Joro spider? What would they prefer eating?

[00:07:09] Tim: There’s a variety of insects. Basically anything that flies to their web. Now there’s an invasive pest around here called a brown marmorated stink bug Well, it eats plants. It will also congregate in large numbers on people’s homes and can get into the homes. And that’s a nuisance. Joro spiders love to feast on those. I’ve seen their nest with several of them. Which is a good thing.

[00:07:33] Rico: Alright And has the Gwinnett extension or have you noticed with your professional peers, are there a lot more people calling in about these spiders?

[00:07:44] Tim: Oh yeah, I’ve gotten numerous calls about, oh, I got these spiders in my backyard. I know my sister called me. She lives in Jackson county. She called me about what’s this big old spider in front of my window. And I explained it. She says, they’re all over the place up there. I have some, a lot of people in Athens I know. And they’re telling me it’s really big over there. Lot of them there everywhere.

[00:08:05] Rico: It’s amazing because I’m just hearing about it all over the last couple of weeks. And then all of a sudden seeing, at least five or six. If I see five or six outside on webs now, I can imagine how many more I would see if I don’t do anything, right? So is there a way? How would you control, you know, pest control this type of species?

[00:08:25] Tim: The thing is one of the best control is a broom and knocking their webs, and smashing them with the broom is probably a good way. You can try to use like a raid or one of those flying insects sprays to spray on their webs. That might work. But there’s really not that much you can do to control them. That’s the best couple of ways right there. The birds will like sometime eat them, but those about the only ways you can control them.

[00:08:48] Rico: I wonder what the natural predator was for it, in like Japan or other Asian countries.

[00:08:54] Tim: I would say certain species of birds, lizards, snakes over there. And some of our native organisms will prey on it as well, but they’re not as used to it. That’s why what it does is that, it’s like any invasive species. Where it comes from, but has evolved in that environment over the thousands or millions of years. And it’s been in under control where it fits into that environment. And then it was removed from that environment, which is not true for all species of insects and plants and other things that are not native here. But for some it is. And they don’t have those natural controls. The environment is conducive to their growth and development. And next thing you know, they take advantage of that and can produce in large numbers. I mean, you see that a lot with plants. With, of course, kudzu is one. Privet is probably even worse. English Ivy. Avoid planting English Ivy, and get rid of if you have it. So that’s what basically, it is. And of course, an insect like Fire Ants. That’s a perfect example of an invasive species there. And I think we’ve all had little run-ins with them and they have very painful stings.

[00:10:03] Rico: Oh yeah. I think my son actually had an allergic attack once when he was a young kid, like five, six years old. He was bitten up. They were running up his legs pretty much. Yeah, kudzu. I mean, I moved down here in 1995 just before the Olympics. Never seen kudzu before. And that’s, it looks beautiful. When you see rolling areas of kudzu, it does look beautiful. But I can see how it just takes over an area and just smothers everything that might be under it.

[00:10:33] Tim: It was brought into this country back in the earlier part of the last century for erosion control and also for animal forage. And it was planted wildly, like the soil conservation service was doing that, other entities. But by the 1950s, they realized they had a problem with it. And you can see where it is today.

[00:10:53] Rico: Yes, yes. So it’s amazing how we’re a global society now. Everything comes in, China, we import probably 70, 80% of our products come from Asia and South Pacific area.

[00:11:06] Tim: The reason why, if you look we’ve got so many things that come from that part of the world, it’s because that part of China especially is at the same latitude we are. And it’s East and Southeast facing an ocean, the Pacific ocean. So that’s why the climate is very similar in a lot of ways to what we have over here. So that’s why so many invasive pests well, not all of course, but so many do come from that part of the world.

[00:11:36] Rico: So contacting a pest control company might not necessarily be any better than just taking a broom to it, I’m assuming?

[00:11:42] Tim: That’s correct. Because pest control companies, that’s what they would do. They have some sprays, they can get rid of them, but it really isn’t worth it. You can get rid of them just by the brooms or if you want to use an insecticide and spray.

[00:11:59] Rico: What’s the gestation period of a spider like that? Because I mean, they can have a spider sack right, with a hundred.

[00:12:05] Tim: Well, basically they overwinter and they hatch out. They’re quite small during the spring. And about late summer to fall they really grow and get large and they reproduce.

[00:12:15] Rico: And their lifespan?

[00:12:17] Tim: Just the season. They all will die when the weather gets cold. Well, some folks say we might have a cold winter, but that doesn’t matter. It’s just the lifespan.

[00:12:25] Rico: I was going to say it might get cold, who knows? It’s been raining a lot. So, maybe that’ll come in. So besides this type of spider coming in, are there other, have you heard of insects and other spider types that may be? That you’re hearing more of lately in the past year?

[00:12:41] Tim: Well, not so much spiders, but I mentioned the brown marmorated stink bug was one. There’s one called an Emerald Ash borer. It got into, I’m thinking maybe 15 plus years ago and up and around Chicago and Great Lakes area. And it spread all over destroying Ash trees. Although we don’t have a very large number of Ash trees, but they’ve been found in Georgia. I always say just because you haven’t found, an invasive species hadn’t been found in your county doesn’t mean it’s not there. It just hasn’t been found. And now down on coastal Georgia about 20 years ago, an insect called Red Bay Ambrosia beetle got in. And what it does is it attacks plants and Laurel family in down on the coast is the red bay tree. And this little insect goes into the tree and introduces a fungus that causes the vascular system to be clogged up. So if you take and cut a branch off of it, and you’ll see the darkening on the inside of the branch is the fungus, and that has killed a lot of red bay. Down on the Georgia Coast you will you’ll see them. There’s concern that it’s moved into Florida and is threatening the avocado crop, because avocados are related to that. And up here in north Georgia, we don’t have much, we don’t have any red bays, but we have sassafras trees. There’s been reports of it on sassafras. I know cobs had it. One was found here in Gwinnett. But it doesn’t seem to be really detrimental to this tree and sassafras are not that numerous.

[00:14:15] Rico: So there are challenges that show up year by year and such on this?

[00:14:19] Tim: Those are the ones we know about. There’s probably more that we don’t know about that are here.

[00:14:24] Rico: Yeah, I would think. There’s so many.

[00:14:26] Tim: I would say it’s kinda like the COVID situation. They say we had our first report in January or February, 2020. But it may have been here earlier. That’s sort of analogous.

[00:14:36] Rico: Yeah, that makes sense. And that’s certainly likely because we weren’t testing for it. So how would we know otherwise? Gwinnett Extension, if people wanted to find out a bit more about what does Gwinnett extension provide as far as services to it’s Gwinnett citizens? Maybe you can just share that with us as well.

[00:14:53] Tim: Okay. Well, we provide a variety of services in our, what we call the agricultural natural resources, which I’m in. We consult with homeowners on various issues in their natural environment. Whether it be their yards, trees, insect pests, and soil and water issues. Same with what we call the green industry, which is landscape, turf, tree care people. You see them all over the place. There a few small farmers, but they’re not that many in Gwinnett. Equine, there is some of that. But we have done some forage programs. We have a large master gardener program. This is a volunteer program. We train people to be volunteers and to do outreach programs working with that and school outreach programs. One of our program assistants works and has done extensive work in doing school and youth education. We also have our 4-H youth group. They have our 4-H agent, Pamela Bloch does a fantastic job. I would recommend if you have kids in your family, get them involved in 4H. And then we have family and consumers, that Ines Beltran’s our FACS agent. And they do things like financial, literacy, health, nutrition, things in that area. What used to be called home economics. And if you would like to find out more about us, go to UGAExtension.org/Gwinett.

[00:16:15] Rico: Excellent. And so if a individual homeowner would like to have a discussion about maybe the soil quality or what soil erosion, they would come to Gwinnett extension as well?

[00:16:28] Tim: They can come or call or email me.

[00:16:32] Rico: Alright, cool. We’ve been speaking to Tim Daly county extension agent here in Gwinnett county, UGA associated about Joro spiders. Which is that invasive species that’s taken over the discussions online when it comes to pests here in Gwinnett county. I know on Next Door it’s been like, everyone’s been talking about it and how do you get rid of it and stuff. And certainly I have, like I said, four webs out there around the house and I’m sure there’ll be more if I let it go. But I do appreciate Tim educating me a bit more on Joro Spiders. Tim, thank you for being with me this morning and thank you everyone for listening in.