Backyards across the US are increasingly becoming home to the scary but quiet critters known as Joro spiders. These yellow and red-patterned spiders are native to East Asia and have recently been spotted in gardens primarily on the East Coast. These spiders cleverly use their large, golden webs to become airborne and get transported in the wind – which is why many refer to them as ‘flying spiders’.

‘This East Asian native spider is a fairly new invasive species of golden orb-web spiders,’ says Scot Hodges, entomologist at Arrow Exterminators. ‘You may have seen and dealt with orb-weaver spiders before, which can actually be very beneficial; the Joro is no exception. These spiders, like your typical orb-weaver spider, eat various insects like mosquitoes, biting flies and even brown marmorated stink bugs,’ he adds.

While these spiders are helpful for getting rid of mosquitoes and getting rid of stink bugs, you may be inclined to repel them to prevent their large webs draping in your yard and to protect pollinators, who can be a target. We’ve spoken to experts to find out how to repel Joro spiders and this is what they shared.

How to repel Joro spiders