Pest profile

Marbled Orbweaver

Araneus marmoreus · Araneae: Araneidae[4]

The marbled orbweaver has a large orange abdomen marbled in brown and purple; it builds webs in moist woods and hides in a leaf retreat beside them.[1]

Marbled orbweaver female with a large yellow-orange abdomen, next to a ruler
Marbled orbweaver female with a large yellow-orange abdomen, next to a ruler. Photo: Eric Vehe, public domain (CC0), via iNaturalist

How to identify it

  • Adult females are 9 to 20 mm long with very large abdomens, mostly orange with brown to purple markings and pale yellow spots; a few are nearly white.[1]
  • The front body section is yellow to burnt orange with a dark central line and a dark line down each side.[1]
  • The femurs and kneecap segments of the legs are orange, and the rest is yellow, turning brown at the tips.[1]

Look-alikes

Look-alikeHow to tell them apart
Black and yellow garden spiderUnlike garden spiders, the marbled orbweaver hides in a retreat off to the side of its web, at the end of a signal thread.[1]

Where it lives

It's found across Canada to Alaska, in the northern Rockies, from North Dakota to Texas and east to the Atlantic.[1]

US map: public records from 38 states since 1990 (GBIF).

Biology and life cycle

Webs are vertical, in trees, shrubs, tall weeds and grasses in moist woods, often along stream banks.[1]

A signal thread runs from the web's center to a retreat of leaves folded and tied with silk, telling the spider when prey is caught.[1]

Females lay several hundred eggs in flattened white silk sacs, usually in October; young emerge in spring, and adults are seen from midsummer to the first hard freeze.[1]

Damage and signs

  • Spiders are beneficial insect eaters; orb weavers rarely come indoors, and the marbled spider prefers wooded areas between trees and shrubs.[2]

Health risk

A bite is unlikely unless someone handles a female with an egg sac, and it would feel no worse than a bee or wasp sting for most people.[1]

Control

Prevention

Trim plants back from the house so spiders don't settle against it and then move indoors.[3]

Traps and physical control

Sweep, hose or vacuum unwanted webs off buildings; spiders are beneficial, feeding mostly on small insects.[3][2]

Common questions

What is the big orange spider in the woods in fall?
It may be a marbled orbweaver; adults are seen from midsummer until the first hard freeze.[1]
Do marbled orbweavers bite?
Only if handled, typically a female with an egg sac, and the bite would feel about like a bee or wasp sting.[1]

Sources

  1. Penn State Extension, “Marbled Orbweaver Spider.” extension.psu.edu/marbled-orbweaver-spider (accessed 2026-10-06)
  2. University of Kentucky Entomology (ENTFACT), “ENTFACT-622: Common Spiders Found Around Homes and Buildings.” entomology.mgcafe.uky.edu/ef622 (accessed 2026-10-06)
  3. University of California Statewide IPM Program, “Spiders (Pest Notes, Home and Landscape).” ipm.ucanr.edu/home-and-landscape/spiders/ (accessed 2026-10-06)
  4. iNaturalist, “Araneus marmoreus taxon page (order and family).” www.inaturalist.org/taxa/120183 (accessed 2026-10-06)

Updated 2026-10-14. Built from sourced records. Spot an error? Tell us.