Kingdom of the spiders

Kermit the Frog bemoaned that it’s not easy being green. It’s especially not easy being a giant, hairy, scary spider.

And you just might be seeing some of them — spiders, not frogs — more and more these days.

It’s tarantula season, or more precisely, tarantula mating season.

Through October, the male tarantula will be on the move in search of late-summer romance with a receptive female. So the chances you may encounter one of these gentle giants of the arachnid world next to buildings or along a road may be quite high.

Male tarantulas will travel up to 20 miles t o find a mate. But about a third of them don’t live to see the next mating season, partly because females may eat them.

But assuming males survive their latest courtship, they will leave their burrow never to return. The male’s mission in life is to find a female tarantula, and instead of going home, they’ll search for another mate — and is on borrowed time with its next encounter.

A typical tarantula can grow up to 4-5 inches in size (leg span-wise). Females live for up to several decades, while males generally live for only a few years.

So even if you don’t have arachnophobia, these imposing eight-legged critters — surely they’re straight out of a nightmare — may change that quickly.

But it’s true what is said — they’re more afraid of us than we are of them. While these creepy-crawly, multi-appendaged creatures may cause anxiety in some, in reality, they are nothing of which to be afraid. (Keep telling yourself that, even while you’re screaming and scurrying away from them faster than they can move.)

Although potentially terrifying, no one has ever been killed by a tarantula. They do have venom and fangs up to an inch long — to kill their prey — but aren’t poisonous to people at all, unless you have an allergic reaction to it, which most people don’t.

But part of what determines our fear or repulsion of the gargantuan spiders are what we’ve seen in horror movies. But unlike they’re depicted in cinema, they’re not going to leap up from the ground and attack you. To even warrant their attention, you have to get pretty close to a tarantula. And if you’re too close for their comfort, they’ll try to scare you away by rearing up and spreading its legs in an effort to make itself look more threatening.

For the most part, however, other than the couple of months they’re on the prowl during mating season, tarantulas are neighbors you don’t even know you have. They’re nocturnal and live underground, emerging occasionally to find food, and then this time of year for an amorous rendezvous.

Spider experts assure that tarantulas are not out to get you. They’re harmless, and if you see them, they’re simply looking for love.

So if you happen upon these not-so-itsy-bitsy spiders, view them from a distance and let them continue their search for Ms. Right.

• Tarantulas are the largest spiders in the world. In the U.S. are mostly found in the Southwest.

• A female tarantula can live 20-25 years. A male tarantula only lives about 7-8 years.

• During most of the year, tarantulas are nocturnal and stay close to their burrows.

• During mating season, males leave their burrows to search for receptive females with which to mate. Tarantulas may walk considerable distances to achieve this goal. This is when people are most likely to encounter a tarantula.

• A tarantula’s diet consists mostly of insects like grasshoppers and crickets. On occasion it can also eat small mammals or baby birds.

• Tarantula enemies include birds, snakes, other tarantulas and tarantula hawks.

• When threatened, a tarantula will rear up on its back legs exposing its fangs. If seriously threatened, the tarantula may eject hairs from its abdomen that are coated with venom. Although tarantulas do have venom and can bite, they pose no serious danger to humans.

• When a male tarantula finds a female (he does this by scent), he approaches the entrance to her burrow and taps on thin strands of web that lead into the burrow. If willing, the female will exit the burrow and mating will occur. If the female is hungry, she may make her anxious suitor her next meal.

• The Oklahoma brown tarantula is one of 30 species in the U.S. Across the globe, there are more than 800 species of tarantulas.

Tarantula

Tarantulas are a member of the hairy mygalomorph family in the genus Aphonopelma. These large spiders are brown to black, hairy and more than 3 inches long when full grown. The females are larger than the males and have abdomens about the size of a quarter. Tarantulas are nocturnal hunting spiders that spend the day under rocks, in abandoned mouse burrows or in other sheltered areas. They may be seen along county roads or trails in the evening or late at night. Tarantulas are sometimes kept as pets and sometimes become quite tame. Although they can be handled, caution is advised since they can quickly become disturbed and pierce the skin with their chelicerae or fangs. They have venom sacs, but their venom is not dangerous to humans. Tarantulas require a constant supply of water in a flat dish into which they can lower their mouths. Tarantula food consists of live crickets, mealworms, caterpillars or other insects. They can go for several weeks without food, and sometimes refuse to eat before molting. Tarantulas can crawl up glass and escape through small openings, so they must be kept in a container with a tight-fitting lid.

Wolf spider

Wolf spiders are nocturnal hunters in the family Lycosidae. They are usually somber brown and black in color, and may have longitudinal stripes. These spiders are large and often seen under lights. They sometimes enter homes through cracks and crevices around doors and windows. Members of the genus Lycosa are some of the most conspicuous wolf spiders. They form webbing only to provide daytime shelter, and do not use it to capture prey. Females of most species of wolf spiders carry their egg masses below their abdomens until after eggs hatch. The young spiderlings cling to the mother for a short time after hatching, and may be found on her abdomen as well. Wolf spiders are frequently encountered, but pose no hazard to humans.

Control of spiders

As a precautionary measure, become familiar with the appearance and habits of venomous spiders. Since spiders’ nest in quiet, undisturbed areas, frequent cleaning in closets, cellars and other such areas helps keep spiders away. Use screening, weather stripping and caulk to seal buildings to prevent spider entry. Where possible, use a water hose to wash off outside areas, particularly under roof eaves. When chemical control is necessary, check the labels of products recommended for household pest control to see if they list spider control in the areas you intend to treat. Treat outside under roof eaves, window ledges, and porch and patio roofs. Inside, treat around windows, door facings, baseboards, basements, attics and storage places.

NOTE: Brown recluse spiders can be extremely difficult to control. If fiddleback spiders are commonly seen, it is suggested that a pest control firm be employed to make thorough treatment to all areas of the house. Control often requires more than one treatment.

— From the National Park Service and OSU Sequoyah County Extension office