Black and Yellow Garden Spider

Black and Yellow Garden Spider, Argiope autantia

Not to be confused with the banana spider, the black and yellow garden spider is a type of orbweaver found as far north as southern Canada and as far south as Costa Rica. The females of this species range between 19 to 28 mm (3/4 to 1 1/8 in) while males are smaller at 5 to 9 mm (1/4 to 3/8 in). Although spiderlings hatch in early spring, this species is more readily noticed in late summer and autumn when mature.

Typical web and zigzag pattern of a black and yellow garden spider.

Black and yellow garden spiders prefer sunny areas among flower, shrubs, and other tall plants with little to no wind to build their webs. The web is circular as is typical of other orbweavers. While the juveniles create a circular stabilimentum, heavy webbing, in the center of the web, adults create a vertical zigzag band above and below the middle of the web. They wait for prey such as mosquitoes, yellow jackets, and grasshoppers to become trapped in the web before paralyzing it with venom before digesting it. They are most active during the day with females able to consume prey twice her size. While they can bite, they are non-aggressive, and their venom is not dangerous to humans.