What Kind of Spider Is Black With Yellow Stripes?
The Argiope spider, or “Argiope aurantia,” is black with yellow stripes. The spider is a common spider that lives in gardens and open fields.
The Argiope spider primarily makes its home on tall plants, flowers and shrubbery. The female spiders are larger than the male spiders, with the females growing to approximately 1.5 inches long and the males growing to approximately 0.75 inches long.
The coloring of the spiders includes silver hairs on the front body area, or the cephalothorax, and thick yellow stripes on its back. These spiders also have eight black legs with either yellow or red patches. Each spider has three claws at the end of each leg.
The Argiope eats by trapping insects inside of its web. These webs are built up high so that only flying insects can enter, such as wasps, flies, bees and grasshoppers. After an insect has been caught, the spider will eat it once it feels the vibrations on the web. The Argiope will eat the entire web and create a new one the next day. It is only interested in building its web in locations that receive a large amount of sunlight and lack wind.
