![A Joro spider in a web.](https://www.uc.edu/news/articles/2024/06/n21256836/jcr:content/image.img.cq5dam.thumbnail.500.500.jpg/1718123142222.jpg)
Joro spiders are heading up the coast
UC biologist says these garden spiders want to stay in the garden
Everyday Health turned to a University of Cincinnati biologist to learn more about an invasive spider from Asia that is showing up in more American back yards.
The Joro spider is a large, yellow orb-weaving spider from Japan that is slowly creeping across the American Southeast toward the Mid-Atlantic.
UC Professor Emeritus George Uetz. Photo/Lisa Ventre/UC
Female spiders grow to more than 3 inches in length. They build equally enormous webs spanning more than 10 feet to catch flying insects, which makes it hard for them to go unnoticed in gardens and back yards. But they are harmless and don't bite people, said George Uetz, a professor emeritus in UC's College of Arts and Sciences.
“They are very sedentary in their webs,” he told Everyday Health.
Uetz spent his career studying the fascinating behavior of spiders and other animals in his biology lab. He was named a fellow this year of the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences.
If disturbed, the spider freezes in place for as long as an hour.
“Approach them from a distance, observe them, and you will see they are no threat, as they stay in their web,” Uetz said.
Read the Everyday Health story.
Featured image at top: Joro spiders are showing up in more states. Photo/David Hansche
Related Stories
Smithsonian: UC finds pollution in ancient Maya city
July 2, 2020
Smithsonian Magazine examines research by University of Cincinnati that found toxic pollution in ancient Maya reservoirs.
Haaretz: UC study sheds light on environmental collapse
June 29, 2020
Haaretz and other international media report on UC's research into ancient Maya water pollution.
Cincinnati Edition: Did ancient Maya build parks?
July 20, 2021
UC biology professor David Lentz talks to Cincinnati Edition about their multi-disciplinary investigation of plants that grew along ancient Maya reservoirs more than 1,000 years ago.
BBC: Maya's ingenious secret to survival
August 9, 2021
UC researchers discover evidence of water filtration in ancient Maya city of Tikal.
WaPo: Ancient Maya beat heat by planting trees
August 4, 2021
The Washington Post's KidsPost features University of Cincinnati research in the ancient Maya city of Tikal that found evidence of ancient natural parks at reservoirs.
Smithsonian: UC researchers uncover ancient Maya water filtration
November 6, 2020
International news media highlight UC archaeologists' discovery of advanced water filtration system in ancient Maya city.
WVXU: UC finds pollution in ancient Maya reservoirs
August 6, 2020
A study by experts across disciplines at UC found that ancient Maya reservoirs in Tikal were polluted with toxic cyanobacteria and mercury, which likely hastened the demise of the ancient city during droughts. UC biology professor David Lentz tells Cincinnati Edition the findings could help explain the mystery of why people abandoned the city.
NPR: Excavations reveal sophisticated Mayan water filtration
November 9, 2020
Weekend Edition's Scott Simon interviews UC researchers who discovered that the ancient Maya used sophisticated water filtration system at Tikal.
Ancient Origins: Maya cities had unique neotropical forest parks
June 25, 2021
Ancient Origins highlights UC research at the ancient Maya city of Tikal that found evidence of trees and wild vegetation growing along two reservoirs.
AP: Study details environmental impacts of early Chaco residents
November 1, 2021
The Associated Press highlights UC research at Chaco Canyon, New Mexico, that found evidence suggesting people cultivated crops to live there year round.