Yellow Garden Spider

Category:

Actual Size: ¾ to 1.1”

Characteristics: The top side of the female abdomen is black with symmetrical patches of bright yellow. Males are smaller with brownish legs and less yellow coloration on their abdomens.

Legs: 8

Habitat: Lives near open fields in higher brush and vegetation. They are also found in gardens and eaves on houses and buildings, selecting areas that are sunny with little to no wind.

Habits:

  • Produces venom that is harmless to humans.
  • Females are brighter in color and three times larger than males.
  • Their presence helps rather than harms landscape and garden plants.


Yellow Garden Spiders in Winston-Salem

Yellow garden spiders spin webs in open sunny areas near plants where they stay concealed and protected from the wind. The web of the garden spider contains a highly visible zigzagging X-shaped pattern called a “stabilimentum.” The spider may eat and respin its web each night in which they can anchor the webs. They may also be seen in backyard gardens. They eat anything that doesn’t tear itself loose from the web. At night, females consume the sticky strands of the web and spin new ones.

Yellow Garden Spider Habitat

These spiders live in a variety of habitats and prefer to live near the edges of bodies of water, grassy hillsides, and woodlands. The yellow garden spider is frequently observed in areas disturbed by human development, such as roadsides, farms, and gardens. The spider can also be found along the eaves of houses and outbuildings or in any tall vegetation where they can securely stretch a web.

Yellow Garden Spider Behaviors, Threats, or Dangers

Although their appearance may cause alarm, this species is relatively harmless and will generally flee rather than attack when disturbed. These spiders produce venom that is harmless to humans but helps to immobilize prey like flies, bees, and other flying insects that are caught in the web. Because all spiders are carnivores that feed primarily on insects, their presence helps rather than harms landscape and garden plants.

If you are dealing with excess yellow garden spiders, contact your local spider exterminators.