LAKEPOINT, Utah — Halloween decorations aren't the only large spiders being seen in some Utah neighborhoods recently.
During the fall season, male tarantulas leave their burrows to find a female mate, sometimes wandering into Utah neighborhoods in their quest for love.
"We have a lot of rattlesnakes, gopher snakes, yellow belly racers, and then to my surprise tarantulas," said Lakepoint resident Lillian Erickson.
It's that time of year when Erickson and her daughter, Lois, otherwise known as Lakepoint's resident tarantula "relocaters," start getting more calls from neighbors. They say they start receiving 3-4 calls a week in August just for tarantulas.
"They'll just text my mom if they have her personal number or message her on Facebook or make a post on Facebook and tag her," Lois explained.
At just 14 years old, Lois has become enamored with the 8-legged creatures, learning everything about the spiders to help scared neighbors and keep the arachnids safe
"We go over there, we see where it is, for me, I get my gloves on then I carefully sweep it onto my hand and then I'll hold it for a minute if I want to or if it seems like he might be more stressed or agitated, I'll just put him in the bin to try and stop from causing him further stress," said Lois.
Mom Lillian shared a recent encounter that showed how jumpy things can get when rescuing the creepy crawlers.
"We relocated one the other day and she was like, 'Just pick it up, mom," and I was just in the midst of saying 'Okay, that's not too bad," when it literally jumped from here to here and I said a lot of words I can't say on camera!"
Tarantulas aren't only being spotted in Tooele, they're also hanging out in some St. George neighborhoods as well.
"We're in the latter end of tarantula mating season," said Dylan Thomas, a field technician with Red Cliffs Desert Reserve. "As we build more and more into their natural habitat we kind of see them when they do choose to come out."
Thomas, like Lois, is not one to leave the spiders at risk. When he sees them in the road, he picks them up and takes them to a safer route
"One of my favorite things about October and Halloween is seeing the tarantulas crossing the roads, it kind of fits in with the seasons," said Thomas.
While many might want to scream and run when seeing a tarantula, Thomas and Louis say they're actually docile creatures.
"I think they get a bad reputation for being scary, and big teeth and big spiders, but they're extremely docile and gentle animals and they serve a tremendously good role in the ecosystem as both predators and prey," explained Thomas.
Lois said it's natural to be afraid of things that are unfamiliar.
"They aren't demons," she said. "They aren't trying to come for you all the time, they're just there."
