The spider Floridians call a “banana spider” is the golden silk orb weaver (Trichonephila clavipes), a large, striking spider found throughout the state. It’s not dangerous. Despite its intimidating size, this species poses no serious threat to humans, and it is completely unrelated to the genuinely venomous Brazilian wandering spider, which also goes by “banana spider” in other parts of the world.
Which Spider Is the Florida Banana Spider?
The name “banana spider” gets applied to several completely different species depending on where you are, which causes a lot of confusion. In Florida, it refers almost exclusively to the golden silk orb weaver. This spider earns the nickname partly from its yellow and orange coloring and partly from the golden sheen of its silk.
The species people should actually worry about is the Brazilian wandering spider (genus Phoneutria), a highly venomous ground-dwelling spider found in Central and South America. That spider occasionally turns up in banana shipments, which is how it got the same common name. It does not live in Florida. The two spiders look nothing alike and behave very differently: the golden silk orb weaver sits quietly in a web, while the Brazilian wandering spider roams on the ground and is far more aggressive. If you’re seeing a large spider in an elaborate web between trees or along a trail in Florida, you’re looking at the harmless orb weaver.
How to Identify a Golden Silk Orb Weaver
Females are the ones you’ll notice. Their bodies reach about 1 to 1.5 inches long, but with legs extended, they can span 4 to 5 inches across. The body is elongated and cylindrical, with a silvery-white head region and a yellow-orange abdomen marked with white spots. The legs are long and banded with dark brown and yellow, often with tufts of dark hair at the joints that look like small brushes.
Males are dramatically smaller, sometimes only a quarter of the female’s body length. They’re brown and inconspicuous, and you’ll often find them lurking at the edge of a female’s web during mating season. The size difference between males and females is one of the most extreme among North American spiders.
The Golden Web
The web is usually the first thing people notice, sometimes before they see the spider at all. Golden silk orb weavers build large, asymmetric orb webs that can stretch 3 feet or more across, strung between trees, shrubs, or structures at roughly head height. The silk has a distinctive golden-yellow color visible in sunlight, which is where the spider gets its formal common name. This coloring is a natural pigment in the silk itself, not a trick of the light.
The silk is remarkably strong. Pound for pound, golden silk is tougher than steel and has been studied extensively by materials scientists. The webs are sticky and durable enough to catch large flying insects, and they can persist for weeks as the spider repairs and reinforces them. It’s not unusual to walk into one on a Florida trail, which is startling but harmless.
When and Where You’ll See Them
Golden silk orb weavers have one generation per year in Florida. Spiderlings hatch in spring and grow through the summer, with males reaching maturity from July to September and most females maturing in August. By late summer and fall, the females are at their largest and their webs are at their most conspicuous. This is peak “banana spider season,” when you’ll encounter them along trails, in gardens, between power lines, and at the edges of wooded areas.
Mature females survive late into the fall, during which time they produce at least two egg sacs. Each sac is about an inch in diameter and contains several hundred eggs wrapped in curly yellow silk. After laying eggs, the females die with the onset of cooler weather. The eggs overwinter and hatch the following spring to start the cycle again.
You’ll find them in virtually every part of Florida, from suburban backyards to the Everglades. They prefer semi-shaded areas with structures to anchor their webs, particularly woodland edges and garden peripheries.
Are Banana Spiders Venomous?
Golden silk orb weavers do have venom, as nearly all spiders do, but it’s mild and not medically significant to humans. A bite is uncommon in the first place because these spiders are not aggressive. They sit in their webs waiting for prey and will typically flee or drop from the web if disturbed. Bites generally happen only if the spider is pressed against skin or handled roughly.
When a bite does occur, the experience is comparable to a bee sting: localized pain, some redness, and mild swelling that resolves within a day or two. There are no documented cases of serious medical complications from this species.
What to Do if You’re Bitten
Standard first aid is all that’s needed. Clean the bite with mild soap and water, then apply a cool compress for about 15 minutes each hour to reduce swelling. An over-the-counter antihistamine can help with itching, and a basic pain reliever handles any discomfort. Keep the area clean and watch for signs of infection over the following days, such as increasing redness, warmth, or pus. These signs would indicate a secondary bacterial infection rather than a venom problem.
What They Eat and Why They’re Useful
Golden silk orb weavers are generalist predators that catch whatever flies into their webs. Their diet includes mosquitoes, flies, beetles, moths, wasps, and other flying insects. Larger females can even catch small dragonflies. Because their webs are so large and effective, a single spider removes a meaningful number of pest insects from the immediate area over the course of a season.
They’re considered beneficial to have around your yard. Removing their webs is harmless if they’re in a high-traffic area, but leaving them in place gives you free pest control. If a web is in your way, gently relocating the spider with a stick to a nearby bush is easy to do since they’re docile and slow-moving.