For residents of the southeastern United States, fall signals the return of Joro spiders—huge, bright yellow arachnids from Asia—haunting porches, gardens, and just about anywhere big enough for casting enormous webs.

Joros don’t typically pose serious threats to humans. But their autumnal abundance does appear to be the source of significant irritation for local residents—something that David Coyle , an entomologist at Clemson University, knows better than most, as South Carolina’s state advisor for invasive species.

After years of fielding Joro-related complaints, Coyle and his team decided to officially investigate these inquiries—a years-long effort resulting in two studies addressing the most common questions about Joro spiders, published Wednesday, October 22, in the Journal o

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