What you need to know about ‘tarantula season’ in North Texas this summer

For North Texas residents, heat isn’t the only thing that creeps in during summer months — there are also tarantulas.

While this black-brown spider species usually lives in burrows they find or create, every year from late May to October thousands of male tarantulas appear across Texas.

Female tarantulas usually hatch their eggs in July or later, laying 100 to 1,000 eggs at a time. These eggs hatch in 45-60 days, typically in July or later. Once hatched, baby tarantulas stay with their mothers for a few days before either falling prey to other spiders or starting their own burrow.

Some female tarantulas live for over 25 years, according to the Texas A&M guide, while male tarantulas in Texas rarely live over two to three months post maturity.

But don’t worry if you see a tarantula out in the wild. The National Park Service says that while tarantula venom can be painful to humans, it’s not harmful. Tarantulas also shed hairs when they are attacked that cause irritation when they contact skin.

However, these bugs can be a cause for celebration. A town in southern Colorado — La Junta, where tarantulas also migrate through — held their first tarantula festival last October. Within the Lone Star state, the best places to spot tarantulas include the Arbor Hills Nature Preserve in Plano and the Highland Lakes area in central Texas.