Are Joro Spiders Dangerous?

Tip: Don’t Play, “I’m Bringing Home a Baby Bumblebee,” With Joro Spiders

Nasty Bite, But Nothing More

One of this questions someone has is, “Are Joro Spiders dangerous?” It is a reasonable concern, especially as they are prevalent in the land of undoubtedly dangerous brown recluse and the black widow.

Did you see “The Fly“? That’s the 1958 film with Vincent Price in which he accidentally becomes half fly, half human. He eventually gets caught in a web in one of the most terrifying scenes in movie history. Jeff Goldblum starred in the 1986 remake.

The question isn’t, “Are Joro Spiders dangerous?” but how dangerous are they? It’s a spider. Respect it. The good news is that you don’t need to fear it.

To humans, the Joro Spider isn’t particularly dangerous. A bite won’t kill you. In fact, the likelihood of it breaking your skill is minimal.

What if it does? It’ll hurt. Imagine a bee sting. It’ll hurt where you were bitten with a blister. Within a day, you’ll be fine.

No evidence of anyone having a serious reaction to a Joro spider bite exists.

While it is nothing like a red velvet ant, don’t play with these, got it?

IMPORTANT: If you are allergic to bees and such, though, be extra careful. Ask your doctor before you get bit. Don’t trust this site (or any website) for medical advice.

The Ecosystem

What about the ecosystem? That’s much bigger and harder to know. Scientists are watching. Will it push out other orb spiders? Will it eat invasive insects? Any movement in the ecosystem can lead to larger consequences, and so it is important to be on the lookout.

We understand the concern. It is an introduced species. That merely means it is non-native. It’s not from here but it is here now. Invasive is not synonymous with introduced.

Humans brought them here. They didn’t “invade.” We didn’t intentionally do it, but the spider is here and doing its best to live as it was created.

Whether or not it is invasive is a matter of continuing research. The jury is still out, and we respect that evidence might lead that way. It hasn’t yet. In fact, researchers are suggesting it is a good thing.

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