Giant Spiders Imported From Asia Spotted In North Georgia

DACULA, GA — First it was murder hornets. Now it’s giant spiders big enough to kill a hummingbird.

A Dacula resident was surprised to find one on the back deck of her home. It was about 4 inches long.

“I was like, ‘What is that?’” Kathy Ramatowski said later to Berndt Petersen of Atlanta news station WSB-TV.

It turned out to be a Joro spider — official name Nephila clavata — according to University of Georgia agriculture extension agent James Murphy.

Traditionally found in China, Japan and Korea, Murphy said, Joro spiders are now apparently also found in north Georgia. They’re not deadly, he added, but a bite from one can really hurt.

Murphy said the species may have hitched its way to Atlanta in crates that came through Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

The Joro spider builds appropriately giant webs, several feet high and wide. And they’re strong enough to snare a hummingbird, Murphy said.

Even though the spiders seem to belong in 2020, Murphy told WSB-TV he believes they’ve been here about five years — and they’re here to stay.