Yellow Spiders in Gardens and Cornfields

Habitat

• Argiope spiders prefer to weave their webs in open, sunny areas where the web is protected from wind. Their webs are very large and often have a thick band of silk down the center in a zigzag pattern. These spiders are found over most of the United States but avoid very arid regions. They like moist, fertile areas, and some even weave their webs in marsh reeds.

Identification

• The female Argiope is much larger than the male, sometimes twice its size. The female can grow more than an inch long, not including the length of her very long legs, while the male typically hovers around 1/2 or 3/4 inch in length. Both the male and female have a cephalothorax covered in short, silvery hairs. They have black bodies, banded with bright yellow. The female may have a reddish tint to her legs.

Are They Harmful?

• According to the Washington State University Extension, there are only a few types of spiders in the United States that pose a threat to humans. They are the black widow spider, brown spiders -- including the brown recluse and other fiddleback spiders -- tarantulas, a sac spider (Chiracanthium inclusum) and a funnel-web spider (Tegenaria agrestis). Argiope spiders, on the other hand, are shy and prefer to do nothing but catch insects all day long. They do not enter houses, as they rarely leave their webs, with the exception of the male, which travels to other webs.

Prey

• Argiope spiders are very beneficial garden spiders, as they prefer to eat some of the most common and most destructive pests. Aphids and grasshoppers are among the spider's favorite foods. Argiope spiders are preyed upon by birds and some wasp species, as well as shrews and lizards.