[Rogter]

Has anyone in NWA Rogers, Bentonville, Fayetteville, etc, etc ever seen or encountered Tarantulas? Seriously...Im trying to find out. I just learned that they do live around the Table Rock area.

[Kaye02]

Rogter- Yes, tarantulas can be found all over Arkansas. I live in NE AR and have had a quite a few tarantulas, black widows, and brown recluses in my house over the years. Tarantulas, though, are harmless to humans so there is no need to worry. There are tons of critters and bugs in AR, you just get used to it. I hope I eased your fears. Or, if I made your worries worse I apologize lol.

[greenacresusa]

Hi, we have them in North Central Arkansas too. My wife saw one last Sept about 5 feet from where we were reading on our porch. So she got out the camera and took some great photos. Wish I had them here so I could post them. After a few minutes the tarantula went on his way across the woods, no harm to anyone

[Stormcrow73]

Tarantulas are typically only seen for a very short period of time in the year when they get out to find mates. During that time, you are apt to see them crossing roads (more likely smashed on roads) and poking about just about anywhere they think another member of their species might be. During the rest of the year, you won't see them much unless you go looking. As Kaye says, they are totally harmless. If you choose to abuse one, they can deliver a nasty bite but their venom is harmless to humans. I have kept them as pets before and the species we have in AR is usually very docile.

Edit Add: If you live in town, you are much less likely to ever see them. However, in rural areas, you may see them crossing the roads in fairly large numbers. I'm not talking herds of giant spiders here. Just like 5 or 6 for each mile of road or so (educated guesstimate).

[joetownmom]

Sure. I've seen a few just up in the road in Southern Missouri and many crossing the road in AR. The ones I've seen in MO were when I lived in the country and we had several in our well house.

[DC at the Ridge]

I've seen dozens of them at the same time. In rural NWA. I was told that they migrated from northern exposures to southern exposures (and back) seasonally to keep their nests warm. I have no idea if this is true, but at the time you could see quite a lot of them scuttling along in the same direction.

[nmnita]

It is hard to believe a spider can be seen crossing the road but in So Ca (foothill area) they are very healthy, eat well, must produce well cause they are everywhere and yes, crossing the road..they really are kind of fun to watch. It is the black widows and recluse that scare to death..

Nita

[Rainbow Island]

I agree with Nita.The Black Widows and the Brown Recluse are the ones to fear. I know a lady who lost her mom to a black widow bite. I've seen pictures of a recluse bite. It's a mess !! I've always heard that a grand daddy long leg is very poison but it's mouth is too small to bite you.

My wife use to hang all the clothes on the clothes line. She thought it was silly to use a dryer. She was folding up some clothes one day that she had brought in off the clothes line and just happened to notice a black widow in a tee shirt. We are on our second dryer now !

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by Rainbow Island

I agree with Nita.The Black Widows and the Brown Recluse are the ones to fear. I know a lady who lost her mom to a black widow bite. I've seen pictures of a recluse bite. It's a mess !! I've always heard that a grand daddy long leg is very poison but it's mouth is too small to bite you.

My wife use to hang all the clothes on the clothes line. She thought it was silly to use a dryer. She was folding up some clothes one day that she had brought in off the clothes line and just happened to notice a black widow in a tee shirt. We are on our second dryer now !

great story about the black widow and the dryer...I do not think daddy long legs are poisinous, but I do not know for sure. I hope you are wrong, cause I love to watch the big guys. My husband, a mans man for sure is petrofied of any spider..

Nita

[Steve-o]

Yes, there are tarantulas in AK, as do many other states. As others have said, they are harmless, despite their appearance. I keep tarantulas and have observed them in the wild in MO, right near AK (Gainesville area). They belong to the Aphonopelma genus, the only genus of tarantula found in the USA. Theyre big babies, Ive pulled them right out of their burrows and held them. Now, I wouldnt recommend you do that unless you have experience working with them. If you have any questions, let me know, I love tarantulas (if you couldnt tell).