The big yellow "banana spider" you see in the Carolinas is almost certainly harmless. It's usually a golden silk orb-weaver, and its bite, which is rare, feels milder than a bee sting. The confusion comes from the name: "banana spider" is also used for a dangerous spider from South America that doesn't live here, and for other harmless spiders that sometimes arrive in banana shipments. This guide explains which spider you probably have, what a bite actually does, whether one can hurt your pets, and what to do about the giant golden webs that appear every fall.
Are banana spiders poisonous? Not in any way that matters to people. Like nearly all spiders, they're venomous, which means they use venom to kill insects, but the golden silk orb-weaver found in the Southeast bites only if it's held or pinched. UF/IFAS describes the bite as "much less severe than a bee sting."
What about the deadly banana spider? That's the Brazilian wandering spider. It lives in South America, not the Carolinas or Virginia. Even in Brazil, most of its bites are mild.
Which "Banana Spider" Do You Have?
Clemson Extension lists four big yellow-and-black web-building spiders in South Carolina, and people call several of them banana spiders. Here's how to tell them apart, plus the one that gets all the scary headlines:
| Spider | How to recognize it | Where | Danger to people |
|---|---|---|---|
| Golden silk orb-weaver (Trichonephila clavipes) | Long yellow to orange-tan abdomen, silvery-white front body, banded legs with hairy "bottlebrush" tufts, golden web | SC, southeastern NC, Gulf states, Florida | Harmless; bite milder than a bee sting |
| Yellow garden spider, "writing spider" (Argiope aurantia) | Black and yellow oval abdomen; thick white zigzag down the middle of the web | Throughout SC, NC and VA | Harmless; similar to a bee sting |
| Joro spider (Trichonephila clavata) | Yellow abdomen with silver horizontal stripes and a reddish patch underneath; golden web | Spreading in GA, SC, NC, TN | Harmless; bite like a mosquito bite |
| Brazilian wandering spider (Phoneutria) | Brown, hairy, hunts on the ground; no web | South America; very rarely in imported cargo | Potentially dangerous |
If the spider is sitting in a big web outdoors, it isn't a Brazilian wandering spider. Wandering spiders hunt on the ground and don't build webs to catch prey.
Poisonous or Venomous?
"Poisonous" means something is harmful to eat or touch. "Venomous" means it injects venom, usually with a bite or sting. Banana spiders aren't poisonous to touch. They are venomous, but so is almost every spider: venom is how they kill the insects they eat. Clemson's Joro spider fact sheet puts it simply: the venom "is not medically relevant and is not known to harm people or pets." The question that matters is whether the venom and the bite can hurt you, and for the spiders in our area, the answer is no.
What Happens If a Banana Spider Bites You?
Bites are rare because these spiders would rather flee. UF/IFAS says the golden silk orb-weaver "will bite only if held or pinched, and the bite itself will produce only localized pain with a slight redness, which quickly goes away." Clemson says the big yellow orb-weavers "will run rather than bite," and a bite is "similar to a bee sting and not known to require medical attention."
The best data comes from the golden silk orb-weaver's close relative, the Joro spider. In a 2025 study, researchers handled the spiders in the field and then had them bite volunteers under medical supervision, the first controlled study of its kind:
- Less than 1% of encounters led to a bite unless the spider was pinched. The spiders mostly ran, dropped to the ground or froze.
- Pain was low: a median of 1 on a 10-point scale, and most people felt nothing within minutes.
- Redness stayed small and never spread beyond the hand. Two researchers who'd been bitten before said it was "far less notable than a bee sting."
If you're bitten, wash the area with soap and water and use a cold pack for swelling. See a doctor if you have signs of an allergic reaction, the redness keeps spreading, or the bite looks infected.
Some websites list sweating, drooling, stomach cramps and fever as banana spider bite symptoms. Those come from the Brazilian wandering spider, not the spiders in your yard.
Can a Banana Spider Kill You?
The golden silk orb-weaver, garden spider and Joro spider can't. The only "banana spider" with a serious bite is the Brazilian wandering spider:
- Most bites are still mild. In a study of 422 people bitten in Campinas, Brazil, 89.8% had mild symptoms, mostly local pain. Only 0.5% had severe envenomation, both of them young children, and one of those children died.
- Serious symptoms can include sweating, vomiting, tremors and high blood pressure. Severe cases are treated with antivenom.
- It isn't established here. When arachnologists examined 135 spiders found in bananas and other international cargo arriving in North America, spiders of medical importance were rare. Most were harmless huntsman spiders and Central American "banana spiders" (Cupiennius), and even experienced arachnologists sometimes mistook those for wandering spiders.
In the Carolinas and Virginia, the spiders that can cause real medical problems are widows, not banana spiders. See brown recluse vs. black widow and are black widows common in Charleston.
Are Banana Spiders Dangerous to Dogs and Cats?
No. Clemson says Joro venom "is not known to harm people or pets," and golden silk orb-weavers stay up in their webs, away from curious noses. A pet that walks through a web will just come away sticky. If a pet is bitten and its face or paw swells a lot, or it seems unwell, call your vet as you would for any bite or sting.
The Writing Spider: Yellow Garden Spider
The yellow garden spider is often called a writing spider because of the zigzag "writing" in its web, and some people call it a banana spider too. Clemson notes it builds webs in sunny spots at about knee height, often in gardens. Females grow to about 1 inch long, and adults show up from July through October. Each female can lay up to four round, papery egg sacs that hang in the web. The eggs spend the winter inside, and spiderlings come out around April or May. It's harmless to people, with a bite Clemson compares to a bee sting.
Joro Spiders
The Joro spider is an Asian relative of the golden silk orb-weaver, first found near Athens, Georgia, in 2014. Clemson reports it's becoming more common in Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee and North Carolina. It also spins golden webs and gets called a banana spider, but its abdomen has silver horizontal stripes and its legs lack the hairy tufts. Despite headlines about "flying" spiders, only the tiny spiderlings travel on the wind, the way many spiders do. Clemson's researchers have handled hundreds without being bitten.
Banana Spider Webs
The golden silk orb-weaver gets its name from its silk, which looks gold in the sun. UF/IFAS says its webs are often 1 to 2 meters across, about 3 to 6 feet, strung across trails, forest edges and openings between trees. Unlike many orb-weavers that spin a new web every day, it repairs the same web for weeks. Clemson calls it the largest web-building spider in North America. On Reddit (via Google search excerpts), people often ask why their spider shakes its web, and spider keepers explain that the spiders wiggle the web to warn off things too big to eat.
How Big Do They Get, and What Do They Eat?
- Size: Clemson puts female bodies at about 1.5 to 2 inches long, and with legs spread they can be bigger than your palm. Males are tiny, about a quarter inch per UF, and often sit in the female's web.
- Diet: UF lists flies, bees, wasps, small moths and butterflies, and they've also been seen eating beetles and dragonflies.
Why You See So Many in the Fall
Banana spiders live for one season. They hatch in spring, grow all summer when they're small and easy to miss, and reach full size from about August on, which is when the big webs suddenly seem to be everywhere. Females lay egg sacs in late fall and die once the cold sets in; for the Joro spider, Clemson says that's after the first freeze. The eggs survive the winter and hatch the next spring.
Do Banana Spiders Come Inside?
Rarely. They need open space for their big webs and stay on trees, shrubs, porches and eaves. Clemson says Joro spiders are "highly unlikely" to come indoors. In a 250-comment r/AskAnAmerican thread (via Google search excerpts), the top answer came from a Floridian who'd seen them in the yard for 30 years and "never once in a home." If you're finding spiders inside, they're almost certainly a different species. See why you see more spiders indoors in fall.
Should You Get Rid of Banana Spiders?
If the web isn't in your way, leave it. These spiders eat flying insects and disappear with the first hard cold. If a web is across a doorway, walkway or porch:
- Move it. Clemson suggests knocking the spider off with a broom or moving it far away, such as to the edge of the woods, which usually keeps it from coming back to that spot.
- Don't count on sprays to keep webs away. A 2025 Clemson-led study found that pyrethroid insecticides and some essential-oil and detergent products killed Joro spiders, but none reliably made them abandon their webs. The researchers didn't recommend off-label home mixtures like dish soap.
- Turn off porch lights when you can. Lights draw the insects spiders feed on, which is why webs pile up around them.
If webs are covering your eaves, deck and entryways every fall, our spider control service covers South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia, including web removal and treatment around the outside of the home.
Key Takeaways
- The banana spider in the Southeast is usually a golden silk orb-weaver, and it's harmless.
- It's venomous like almost all spiders, but bites are rare and milder than a bee sting.
- The dangerous "banana spider" is the Brazilian wandering spider, which lives in South America.
- Garden spiders and Joro spiders also get the name. Both are harmless too.
- They live outside, eat flying insects and die off with the cold, so most webs can be left alone or moved with a broom.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. The banana spiders found in the Southeast, mainly the golden silk orb-weaver, are venomous like nearly all spiders, but they bite only if held or pinched. UF/IFAS says the bite causes brief local pain and slight redness and is much less severe than a bee sting.
Usually a little pain and redness that fades quickly. In a 2025 controlled study of Joro spider bites, a close relative, volunteers reported a median pain of 1 out of 10, and most felt nothing within minutes. Wash the bite and use a cold pack; see a doctor if you notice an allergic reaction or spreading redness.
The banana spiders in the Carolinas and Virginia cannot. The only dangerous spider called a banana spider is the Brazilian wandering spider of South America. Even there, a study of 422 bites found 89.8% were mild and 0.5% were severe.
No. Clemson Extension says Joro spider venom is not known to harm people or pets, and golden silk orb-weavers stay up in their webs. If a pet's face or paw swells a lot after a bite or sting, call your vet.
It's better not to. They are docile and usually try to escape, and bites mostly happen when a spider is pinched or held tightly. If you need to move one, guide it onto a stick or broom instead.
Only if a web is in your way. They eat flying insects and die off with the cold in late fall. Clemson suggests knocking the spider off with a broom or moving it to the edge of the woods so it doesn't return to the same spot.
The banana spider is usually the golden silk orb-weaver, with a long yellow abdomen, hairy leg tufts and a golden web. The writing spider is the yellow garden spider, with a black and yellow oval abdomen and a thick white zigzag in its web. Both are harmless.
No. The golden silk orb-weaver lives across Florida and the Gulf states, including Texas, and its bite is milder than a bee sting. Brazilian wandering spiders are not established in the United States; the few found here arrive in imported cargo.
Spiders with medically important bites include the Brazilian wandering spider of South America and widow spiders, including black widows found in the Carolinas and Virginia. Serious bites are uncommon, and deaths are rare where medical care is available.
Sources: Clemson Cooperative Extension HGIC 2503, "Big Yellow Spiders in South Carolina" (2024); Clemson Cooperative Extension HGIC 2517, "The Jorō Spider" (2024); H. V. Weems Jr. & G. B. Edwards Jr., "Golden Silk Spider," UF/IFAS EENY229; D. R. Nelsen, A. Chuang et al., Journal of Medical Entomology (2025); A. Chuang et al., Journal of Economic Entomology (2025); F. Bucaretchi et al., Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo 42 (2000); F. Bucaretchi et al., Clinical Toxicology 46 (2008); R. S. Vetter, R. L. Crawford & D. J. Buckle, Journal of Medical Entomology 51 (2014); Reddit r/AskAnAmerican, r/spiders, r/florida (via Google search excerpts).
Photo credits: Jolieokefenokee, CC BY 4.0; Insects Unlocked, CC0; Rodrigo Tetsuo Argenton, CC BY-SA 4.0; Art Martin, CC BY-SA 3.0; KudzuVine, CC BY-SA 4.0; via Wikimedia Commons.