Tarantulas are on the move and will swarm during mating season in certain states

"These males ... they've been alive for five to eight years," Cara Shillington, a biology professor who studies tarantulas at Eastern Michigan University, told Fox News Digital. (See the video at the top of this article.) 

"They have one mating season. At the end of the season, they will die."

"Tarantulas are less active during the cooler months, spending this time dormant in their burrows," Paul Biggs, a board-certified entomologist and technical services manager at Orkin, told Fox News Digital.

Tarantulas are commonly found across the Southern and Southwestern U.S., including in these states and areas:

Tarantulas don't just live on forest floors. The Colorado species also thrives in trees and prairie grasslands, said Shillington.

"In Colorado, they are in very distinct burrows. In Missouri, you find them more frequently under rocks," she said.

The spiders' ability to burrow depends on the soil, the expert noted. For example, hard clay makes digging tough, so some may opt for hiding under natural cover.

First, don't panic. Tarantulas are not aggressive and prefer to avoid confrontation. 

"Tarantulas don't pose any threat at all," Shillington told Fox News Digital. 

She noted that "they're more scared of you than you are of them."

The arachnids rarely bite, and if they do, it's a defensive move, which is why it's best not to try to pick one up or mess with it. 

"Any time you try to grab it, the first thing it'll do is try and run," said Shillington. "They respond to anything trying to grab them as a threat."

If you find one in your home, trap it in a large container and take it outside, said Shillington.

Biggs cautioned against using pest products, which may "make the situation worse."

He advised, "If you can contain it to one area in the meantime, do so without physically handling it."

"We actually know very little," Shillington admitted. "I don't know when exactly they first come out or what prompts them. I have no idea how far they are walking to find females."

She and her team are working to track activity across tarantula territory to better understand how the spider's behavior changes over time.