{"id":1185,"date":"2026-06-04T16:05:54","date_gmt":"2026-06-04T16:05:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=1185"},"modified":"2026-06-04T16:05:54","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T16:05:54","slug":"palm-sized-spiders-are-making-their-way-to-nc-but-dont-panic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/charlotterelocationguide.com\/?p=1185","title":{"rendered":"Palm-sized spiders are making their way to NC \u2014 but don\u2019t panic"},"content":{"rendered":"

AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.<\/p>\n

Read our AI Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n

Arachnophobes beware, an invasive spider is making its way up the coast from Georgia, and experts expect to see a large number in North Carolina in coming years.<\/p>\n

Read more Lake Norman lawmaker questions Carolina Water ruling after 40% rate hike approved<\/a><\/p>\n

For those with no outsized fear of spiders, the invasive Jor\u014d spider poses no real risk. The Jor\u014d spider is a transplant from Japan that made its way to Georgia in the 2010s and has since begun an expansion into surrounding areas, including the Carolinas.<\/p>\n

The spider will likely be in Charlotte within a couple years in extremely high numbers, Sarah Stellwagen, a spider biologist at UNC Charlotte<\/a> said.<\/p>\n

\u201cCharlotteans … will be seeing these spiders in their backyards soon, if not already,\u201d Stellwagen said. \u201cThey are just like our native ones that are down on the coast. They\u2019re not especially harmful. They are big and showy.\u201d<\/p>\n

The spiders can grow to be the size of a hand, but their fangs are too small to break human skin. Female Jor\u014d spiders are significantly larger than male spiders, with a leg-span akin to a human hand. The spider is easily mixed up with two native North Carolinian arachnids, meaning many people misidentify native spiders as Jor\u014d.<\/p>\n

The spider was first identified in Georgia in 2013, and in Western North Carolina in 2021.<\/p>\n

Stellwagen said North Carolinians are likely not seeing as many as South Carolina is. She grew up in upstate South Carolina, and in 2022, she wasn\u2019t seeing Joro spiders near her family home \u2013 by 2024 they were everywhere.<\/p>\n

While Jor\u014d spiders are in South Carolina, The State reported in 2025<\/a> that the spider poses a lower risk than other invasive species in the state. Similarly, the North Carolina State Extension said in 2022<\/a> the spider is \u201ccertainly not a menacing threat.\u201d<\/p>\n

There is plenty of misinformation about the spiders, possibly due to the larger size or dramatic appearance, Stellwagen said.<\/p>\n

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\u201cPeople are going to see them, and they\u2019re big, and there are lots of articles that they are flying,\u201d Stellwagen said. \u201cThere are really silly things out there. No (they don\u2019t fly), they\u2019re just regular spiders, but spiderlings, when they hatch, they can release silk and balloon.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other spider babies balloon with silk too \u2013 the trait isn\u2019t unique to Jor\u014d spiders.<\/p>\n

The News and Observer previously covered how to identify Jor\u014d spiders.<\/a> In all likelihood, if you think you see one, it is actually a golden silk spider or a black and yellow garden spider. Both are native to North Carolina.<\/p>\n

The Jor\u014d has a blue-gray and yellow uniformly striped abdomen with a pointed tip. The legs are black with a couple thin yellow bands. The female can have a 4-inch leg span.<\/p>\n

A black and yellow garden spider has a wider abdomen that is only yellow and black with a pattern that is not as distinctly banded as a Jor\u014d. They have legs with orange bases, but no yellow bands. Golden silk spiders have a more reddish yellow abdomen with circular patterns as well as tufts of hair on the legs.<\/p>\n

Stellwagen said spiders are sometimes identified on iNaturalist<\/a>, an organization that helps track and identify flora and fauna using community images. In 2025, the NC State Extension also encouraged people to snap pictures<\/a> of suspected Jor\u014d spiders to help ID them on iNaturalist.<\/p>\n

Questions about life in North Carolina? Or have a tip or story idea you\u2019d like to share? The service journalism teams at The News & Observer and The Charlotte Observer want to hear from you.<\/p>\n

Read more Plaza Midwood shop sells flavorful, house-made ice cream that\u2019s \u2018worth the drive\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

You can submit your question by filling out this form<\/a><\/b>. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Spider biologists expect Jor\u014d spiders to appear in Charlotte soon. 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