A large spider native to East Asia has spun its thick, golden web on power lines, porches and vegetable patches all over north Georgia this year. The proliferation of the Joro spider has driven some unnerved homeowners indoors and prompted a flood of anxious social media posts.

The Joro spider can bite humans and pets, but as is with all orb-weavers, it has small mouth parts and is not aggressive. Because of their small mouth parts, the Joro has been deemed as harmless and typically not a safety concern.