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Comments & ID Thoughts
This spider was feasting on a yellow jacket it caught in its web. I’ve seen 3 of these and they’re terrifying.
- Submitted by:
- Submitted: Sep 16, 2020
- Photographed: Sep 5, 2020
- Spider: Unidentified
- Location: Portland, Oregon, United States
- Spotted Outdoors: Man-made structure (building wall, fences, etc.)
- Found in web?: Yes
- Attributes:
Hey there! This looks like Araneus diadematus, the Cross Orb-weaver. Orb-weavers are harmless and indeed quite helpful since they consume large numbers of flying insects, including disease-carrying mosquitoes. If they build their webs in inconvenient places (across walkways, etc.), you can easily discourage them by sweeping away the webs. They will soon choose a less disturbed location to build.