Quick Guide to Joro Spiders in South Carolina
Where they occur: The Upstate and parts of the Midlands in South Carolina.
How large they get: Nearly 3 inches across with their legs spread.
When to look for them: Juveniles appear beginning in early May; adult females are very noticeable around September.
Safety: There is no evidence that Joro spiders are dangerous to people or pets.
Where to report a sighting: Joro Watch or the iNaturalist project “Orb weaving spiders in the Southeastern USA.”
Jorō spider (Trichonephila clavata) perched delicately on a hand, showing off its vibrant colors and long, elegant legs.
Dr. David Coyle, ©2026, Clemson Extension
Where Joro Spiders Occur in South Carolina
South Carolina is home to four big, yellow spiders – one of which is the Jorō spider (Trichonephila clavata), an invasive species first documented in northern Georgia in 2014. The Jorō spider is now present in the Upstate and parts of the Midlands in South Carolina. These spiders can be nearly 3” across with their legs spread.
What to Expect from Joro Spiders
Jorō spiders overwinter as eggs, which hatch in late spring. Juvenile Jorō spiders can be seen beginning in early May, making webs on practically anything: homes, decks, porches, landscape plants, and natural areas.
Webs and spiders will get progressively larger until about September, when the large adult females are very noticeable due to their bright coloration. Males are much smaller, drab brown in color, and are often seen in the webs along with the females. Jorō spiders eat anything that gets entangled in their webs, whether it’s a beneficial or unwanted species.
Are Joro Spiders Dangerous and How Can You Manage Them
There is no evidence that Jorō spiders are dangerous to people or pets. However, their populations can get so large in areas that they crowd out native spiders, and they can be a nuisance as they tend to put their webs on many different structures commonly used by people.
When Jorō spiders need to be removed, simply use a stick to move the web and spider to another location. Pesticides will kill individual spiders, but if you kill one, more are likely to move into that area.
For safety reasons, we do not recommend using fire as a management tactic. Check out this video by Clemson Extension, which talks about these large spiders.
How to Report Joro Spiders in South Carolina
- If you see a Jorō spider, please report it to Jorō Watch – a week-long community science project to document the occurrence and spread of these invasive spiders.
- You can also report Jorō spider and other orbweaver spider sightings to the iNaturalist project “Orb weaving spiders in the Southeastern USA”.
Both are free online community platforms for reporting flora and fauna sightings. Your contributions will help us learn much more about this species.
