Arachnid · GBIF taxon 5170973
Banded Garden Spider
Argiope trifasciataAlso known as Banded Yellow Garden Spider, Banded Orbweaver, Three-banded Garden Spider
Banded garden spiders build large, vertical orb webs among tall grasses and garden foliage to catch flying insects. Females feature striking silvery-white carapaces and abdomens cross-striped with thin black, yellow, and white bands, while the much smaller males remain inconspicuously near web margins. Towards autumn, females attach teardrop-shaped egg sacs containing hundreds of eggs to nearby vegetation before dying with the first hard frost.
Orb-weaverDiurnalBeneficial Insectivore
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Not EvaluatedConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXNot Evaluated — not placed on the risk ladderRed List categories, explained →
Diet & prey
- Grasshoppers
- Flies
- Bees
Predators
- Birds
- Lizards
- Parasitic Wasps
ThreatsPesticides, intensive mowing, habitat destruction
HabitatsFields, meadows, gardens, open tall-grass prairies
Life span1 year
Size / weightNot available
Classification
- FamilyAraneidae
- SpeciesArgiope trifasciata
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Safe to observe at a normal distance.
Responsible observation
- Observe Webs: Look for the characteristic silk zig-zag pattern called a stabilimentum built into the center of the web.
- Give Space: Avoid disturbing the web so the spider does not expend vital energy rebuilding it.
- Search Late Summer: Look among goldenrod and tall garden stems during late summer and early autumn.
Close Relative (c) M. Whitson, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by
Close Relative 
Close Relative (c) Steve Kerr, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Steve Kerr · cc-by
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