Joro spiders spread across Southeast as researchers study population control
Large, brightly colored invasive species from East Asia continues expanding its range beyond Georgia
(InvestigateTV) — A large, brightly colored invasive species from East Asia is weaving its way across parts of the United States.
The Joro spider first arrived in Georgia around 2013, but has since spread across the Southeast.
Joro spiders are currently found throughout North Georgia, the upstate of South Carolina, parts of Tennessee and North Carolina and in Maryland. Researchers think it’s only a matter of time before they spread further.
Georgia researchers study bacterial infection
Inside his biology lab at Georgia Gwinnett College, Dr. James Russell studies a bacterium called Wolbachia, which almost exclusively affects insects and might be the most common bacteria on Earth.
Over the past four years, Russell and a small team have looked at Wolbachia’s effects in the exploding Joro population.
“We didn’t expect much,” Russell said.
But what they found could be significant.
Male Joro spiders that carry a double infection can sterilize females if the female has a single or no infection at the time of mating.
As Georgia grapples with whether or not Joros are a problem to native species and what can be done, Russell’s findings could prove important, potentially leading to a method of population control.
“There’s a very successful application of that on mosquitoes,” Russell said.
While they may look intimidating, the Joro isn’t harmful to humans.
“The best match for the ones that we have here are from spiders that were collected and analyzed in China,” Russell said.
Russell’s research is ongoing and a solution is years away.
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