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- Written By: R. Kayne
- Edited By: L. S. Wynn
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2003-2012 Conjecture Corporation
The banana spider is a common name used for two entirely different species of spiders, the nephila clavipes of North America, and the phoneutria of Central and South America, the latter of which can be deadly.
The phoneutria or South American banana spider is a large, aggressive spider with a body length of about 1.3 inches (3 cm). This banana spider primarily makes its home in the rain forests but can also be found in cities, where, between 1970 and 1980 it was reportedly responsible for the hospitalization of some 7,000 people in southeastern Brazil.
The South American banana spider's venom is neurotoxic, or acts on the nervous system, and is similar to the venom produced by redback spiders, also known as black widows. A phoneutria banana spider's bite will cause immediate pain, a cold sweat and irregular heartbeat. Antivenin does exist and the bite can be deadly so immediate medical attention is necessary.
Other names for the dangerous phoneutria banana spider include: bananenspinne, kammspinne, and wandering spider.
The nephila clavipes banana spider of North America possesses venom similar in nature to the venom of the black widow, but far less potent, making it quite harmless to humans. A bite from a North American banana spider will not result in much more than a welt that will pass within 24 hours.
N. clavipes banana spiders have elongated bodies that resemble a banana in shape and coloring, beautifully bright yellow and black. The males are about half the size of females, and dark colored. Females grow quite large with a body length of about 1.1 inches (33 cm). North American banana spiders prefer sunny areas and tend to like tall plants or trees. They will often spin a web across a walkway or trail, spanning several feet. The web of the North American banana spider is orb-shaped, golden, and is stronger than most spiders' webs. In fact its silk is stronger than comparable threads of Kevlar® or steel.
The North American banana spider is not aggressive, but if you notice banana spiders building webs close to your home and would like them to move, simply tear down the webs. The spiders will relocate further away where they can continue to do their part in keeping down the insect population.
Other names for the N. clavipes or North American banana spider include the writing spider and golden orb weaver. The argiope or yellow and black garden spider is similar in size and sometimes confused with the banana spider. It too is known as 'the writing spider' due to zig-zag patterns in its web.
Although the bite from an N. clavipes banana spider is harmless, an allergic reaction could be severe. If you've been bitten by a spider of any kind and feel concerned, collect the spider, if possible, and see your doctor or contact your local poison center.
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anon217139
Post 46 |
I live in Florida and the banana spiders around my home are very beautiful. I have learned they are not poisonous and their webs are very strong. They are territorial and fascinating. Unfortunately, it is said that they die off in the winter months. To tarantula enthusiasts, I would call them arboreal spiders because of their webbing. Yes, they are cheaper pest control and sometimes spiritual guides. Their webs can hold twigs and branches which is sad, but they rarely do house keeping. I find their gold metallic abdomens to be quite beautiful. While smoking I watch it live peacefully and sometimes feed it pests I don't want. I need some terrestrial spiders in the yard to help with ants. |
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anon154073
Post 45 |
The side of my house has a lot of banana spiders and webs here in Kona, Hawaii. I think it is an infestation. But we go around and under their webs because they don't bother us and eat the flying bugs and gnats. What I don't understand is how they can let their webs stick together to other webs? |
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anon146414
Post 44 |
I've been bass fishing in the storm drain reservoirs around Savannah, GA several years ago. I saw an infestation of these brightly banned legs and tiny bodies of what I believe are Banana Spiders. The males are grey and significantly smaller. At any rate, the females in this infested area were as large as steering wheels! I will never fish in those reservoirs in Savannah again! |
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anon117378
Post 42 |
Ok my dad wants to take the banana spider to our new house so he can eat the mosquitoes. My mom thinks they're dangerous because my 1 year old brother might mess with it. My dad is going to put it in a can. Can they bite or jump? thanks. |
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anon112554
Post 41 |
I have a banana spider at my school. One kid threw a ball at it and it fell down. Then, he picked up the ball and held it. Moments later, "Ahhhhhhh!" The spider bit him and they rushed him to the hospital and the kid almost died. Now no one bothers spiders at my school. |
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anon109830
Post 40 |
Spiders are very helpful for the environment and should not be killed when they are outside -- period. Guess what? Not only have I not killed a black widow that was outside, I moved her to a safe place. I am also not crazy and know how to properly use to, too and two. If you don't touch them, you will not get bitten. Spiders inside my house are another story. I will kill them in the house, but never outside in their home. |
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anon105368
Post 39 |
I don't believe it is a banana spider in the snake's cage. They tend to have very large webs that are out in the open, not confined to small spaces. If I were you, I would keep the cage away from children and pets in case it is a biting spider, but watch it and learn from it. |
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anon105041
Post 38 |
My snake died so I left the cage outside and a banana spider took over the cage and completely covered the inside with web. What should I do? I read that the poison spider has red and black legs. And the non poison one has a yellow back. this one has both. What should I do get rid of it. Kill it or call the animal people? |
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anon102547
Post 37 |
I have one the size of my hand right next to my floodlights out back. I know for a fact that it catches and eats all kinds of insects. I've decided to let her stay and eat! Anything that kills mosquitoes is a friend of mine. |
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anon98341
Post 36 |
I am glad to see that there are folks out there who appreciate the banana spiders. To the person who asked if they would hurt your dog - nope! We have many around our yard, and even though they are near our dogs, they have never caused them any problems at all. We thoroughly enjoy them even though I walk into their webs once in awhile and get mad at myself for forgetting it's there. Please don't put them in jars - they belong outside and will die off in the winter as they should, naturally. |
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anon97336
Post 35 |
I have a banana spider outside of my screen porch. She is in the corner between the house and porch and up high. No "people" traffic at all. Although I hate spiders of any kind, I won't kill her. She just hangs there and eats. From what I've read, the small spider next to her is the male, not a baby. They can also have more than one male in the web with them. These spiders are all over GA and FL, especially in low hanging trees and plants, so watch where you walk. |
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anon86007
Post 34 |
While biking through some overgrown trails in northern Florida I peddled face first into a large banana spider web. The web was yellow with pollen and I felt my speed decrease as it provided resistance. I stopped to make sure the spider was OK, and found him/her resting on my shoulder as shaken as myself. I put him/her on a branch and kept riding. I am still amazed at these magnificent creatures. |
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anon76382
Post 32 |
any spiders you find should be killed. People who keep them around and name them are crazy not to smart. Wait until you get bit. |
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anon72667
Post 31 |
I have three huge spiders which I have personally identified as banana spiders in my back yard. They are gorgeous and even have baby spiders! My Dad was going to kill my favourite spider so i transferred him to another spiders web. big mistake! The other spider killed him. But it's been amazing watching them each day. I saw them catch a gecko and eat it! was awesome! I have been catching moths and flies for them to eat. They make a beautiful web and from what i have observed, they stay in that same place on that one web. I find them friendly creatures. I named mine. i love them! |
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anon71480
Post 30 |
Whoever has a spider near their house and names it and lets it stay is weird. If you see one, you should kill it. Deadly or not, they are still dangerous. Also brazilian banana spiders have been known to make it to North America alive, usually in a shipment with bananas, so do you really want to take the chance that the one you saw wasn't deadly? Brazilian banana spiders have a nasty bite, so have fun guessing which one's which before it's too late. All spiders should be kept away from people. They're good for keeping the pest population down from a distance far from your home or adding to it by being in or around your home. You wouldn't let a black widow live with you would you? These spiders are not a decoration for your house or a pet. get rid of them. |
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anon52492
Post 29 |
Wow! Banana spiders are cool. We have one in our garden. She looks so cool! I live in Georgia and we have a lot round here.
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anon49487
Post 28 |
I was looking up banana spiders because my daughter is studying them in the second grade. The brazilian Banana spider is completely different than the North American banana spider. Also look up north american banana spider and you will see a spider quite different than what we in the south consider a banana spider. The spider we call banana spider in north america and especially in the south east is a garden spider. She is beautiful! And in the winter she dies because of the colder weather, she is not poisonous. |
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anon47924
Post 27 |
Here in Georgia when I go fishing I have found that they are quite a friendly spider and, have found out that where they spin their webs here is a highly fished or used trail. I think this spider is somewhat dependent on us as for all the things we have built around them. In a way this does make sense, since most other insects have found that around people food and shelter is easier to find like all the flying insects that feed off of us. Down to the ants that carry away the small particles of food that we somehow drop. i have watched these spiders eat and let me tell you im glad i'm not a fly. lol! |
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anon45144
Post 26 |
We have a writing spider (aka banana/garden spider, that formed a web on our window out back. She is beautiful, quiet, doesn't move around much. Then, one day it was gone. I miss seeing her. I found her the other day just down from the deck near the AC unit. She had built a fascinating web from the utility pole to the ac unit. I have been pressure washing our deck and trailer and I have disturbed her, not meaning to, but she hasn't moved and is still there. I read that in the winter time she will die because of the cold. I wonder if I could jar her or something so she'll live through the winter and place her back out in the spring? Does anyone know? |
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anon44947
Post 25 |
Okay, I have one of these huge things living on the side of my house. She pretty much stays in the same place in her web much of the time. But, after reading this info, I am more than a bit concerned for my dog. Although the spider is not within the dog's reach, will the spider stay where she is, or should I get rid of her? |
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anon44236
Post 24 |
I have one that built a web across my front door. It was beautiful so I just left it there to do its thing and I go out the side door. Spiders don't bother me. |
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anon43829
Post 23 |
I have a banana spider on my back porch and i watched it shed its shorter legs for bigger legs. it's amazing. |
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anon43333
Post 22 |
From what I understand, there are two kinds of bananna spiders. There is a species in Central America, I think, that is poisonous, but not the big ones in Florida. They are quite benign and quiet. I have wandered into their webs before and had no problem other than getting the web off of me - it's sticky. Take the time to watch them - especially when they are making their webs - it's really fascinating. |
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anon43065
Post 21 |
Banana spiders are pretty but dude! If they bite you? My grandma who lives in florida told me that they are not poisonous, then here online I read they are? What is the truth! I was like two inches from walking into one when I was visiting her and it had two babies next to it! The mother was the size of my hand. I live in Pennsylvania and I also saw one on my butterfly bush and It was even bigger then my hand! |
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anon42767
Post 20 |
I don't know why you would want to kill these beautiful and very interesting spiders. They won't hurt you. Except for a couple of poisonous species, of which the banana spider is not one, they are very beneficial in eating other insect pests. Just think - no pesticides needed! |
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anon42538
Post 19 |
my brother found a banana spider in his car in the black shade that's on his back window so he put it in a jar. then my other brother put a cotton ball with nail polish remover on it or alcohol and put it in the jar and now the spider is dead.:( |
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anon41631
Post 18 |
I live in Poplarville, Mississippi. We started out with one of these spiders and they have multiplied to about ten. It is creepy. Eww. |
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anon40856
Post 17 |
I have a banana spider living outside my house in a corner. She has a very large web. One day I noticed that she had lost two of her front legs on one side. about a week later she molted, but didn't grow new legs, (we had a tarantula who did grow her lost legs back) I think spiders are fascinating and good to have around. i will let her stay. |
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anon36718
Post 16 |
What chemicals will kill banana spiders? |
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anon32546
Post 15 |
I think it's called a banana spider because of the yellow and black in it's legs, much like an old banana is yellow with black spots. BTW whoever said that the silk is 6x stronger than steel is incorrect. I saw the same article and it said it's stronger by a power of 6 which is much different. For example: 2x6=12 2^6=64 The firsts is 6 times 2 and the other is 2 to the 6th power. So you can see that by being stronger than steel to the 6th power is much, much greater than just being 6 times as strong. Also, the reason you can't tell that it's that much stronger is because of it's diameter. Their silk is very strong but since it's so thin you can easily break it. If you were to get enough to make a solid weave from it, it would surpass kevlar in strength and probably be much more flexible. |
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anon28025
Post 14 |
i am very afraid of spiders and when i found this spider in the bush outside my house i almost had a heart attack. i'm getting rid of it as soon as my older brother gets home!!! |
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anon23041
Post 13 |
I have went around my 6 acres of land on my four-wheeler before and counted over 140 banana spiders. I hate spiders. I stay inside a lot when they are around. |
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anon18388
Post 12 |
I have one beside my back door. She had 2 huge egg sacs on the side of my house. Yes the web is really strong. And she wove her web across my steps where u cant walk down. I got several pictures. I named her Charlene. |
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anon17423
Post 11 |
I was bitten behind the ear by a banana spider in my tomato patch in Portugal. First day it itched, 2nd and third day enormous welt behind ear along with what felt like an inner ear infection, by the fourth day the poison had spread over one half of my scalp, not in the form of blister but as a fiery red flat rashes at nodule points, confirmed by a doctor. 30 different areas where affected across my scalp. The bite point was turning black. Intense heat and burning, sometimes waking me at night. Ice helped. The second week with rounds of antibiotics and pain killers, it slowly began to subside. Now during the third week, intense itching and still isolated pockets of pain at the nodules. Maybe with head bites it's different but let me say, 24hrs does not cut it. |
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anon16320
Post 10 |
Kirinqueen, imagine if you had a thread of kevlar or steel as thin as the spider's web, that is what the article is saying. If you had a thread of steel and of spider's web of the same size, the spider's thread would be harder to rip. |
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anon15007
Post 9 |
ok people the only way that the web would be stronger than steel or Kevlar would be if it was of the same size as a steel bar. For its size it's stronger than steel but because its so thin it's still fragile. I came across three banana spiders and felt the web and thought to myself that it was a very strong web. |
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anon14295
Post 8 |
Can't remember where I saw it now, but the threads of the banana spider have been tested and came out 6x stronger than steel. The key word in the article is "comparable" threads of steel or Kevlar... meaning equally thin. |
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anon5091
Post 4 |
For the guy talking about the bodyarmor made out of Spidersilk, they've already made it! it's called "BioArmor" |
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angeldog
Post 3 |
We have many banana spiders around our house here in North Florida and we generally leave them alone, even tho they make a big mess what with leaves and twigs "decorating" their webs.
They seem to arrive at the beginning of summer and then grow to a really impressive size. Where do they go in the winter? I would like information about their life cycles and eating habits.
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anon1931
Post 2 |
The comment on the North America Banana Spider (and actually most spider species) silk being stronger than steel or Kevlar is accurate. If one were to encounter a thread of Kevlar or Steel, it would not be difficult to tear away, as each thread would be only a few micrometers in diameter. If one were to weave a jacket out of spidersilk, it would be far more resilliant than on of Kevlar. Scientists are currently working on synthesising spidersilk in large enough amounts to be useful. |
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kirinqueen
Post 1 |
Can someone verify that the argiope banana spider's silk is "stronger than Kevlar or steel"? I'm sure there's an element of truth here, but this idea makes the concept of "simply tearing down" a web you don't want an absurd one.
It looks like one kind of banana spider is so named because of its habitat, while the other is so-called because of its appearance. A note like this might be useful. |
