Help Finding Wild Tarantula Burrows

[Traci D]

Here in California, I've had the most luck finding tarantulas in hilly grassland areas. They've been in full sun away from trees, often in areas where shallow or rocky soils and slope result in stunted plants (the grass near burrow sites is shorter and less dense). Once you find your first one, note the habitat, elevation, slope aspect, soils etc. and look for similar areas. I've happened upon most of mine by chance wandering the hillsides in mid to late summer. The late afternoon sun, seems to be the best for catching the glint of silk.

The burrows I've found have a very distinctive appearence. Very round, with thick webbing coating the walls and a very thin curtain of silk over the mouth. If the silk, is not appressed to the walls or funnels out at the mouth, at least around here, it's not a T (this becomes important if you've gone on a long hike and only brought one water bottle).

The guys around here are very non aggressive. I used a squirt of water to get them to move to the burrow mouth and then I just slip one of my fingers behind them and push / scoop them out.

To find good potential hunting spots, make notes of locations where you have seen wandering males, plan hikes in these areas and keep an eye on the ground. If it's not male season yet, look for tarantula hawks (Pepsis spp.); this is what keyed me into one location I hadn't previously considered looking for T's in.

Only collect what you need / have the ability to care for. I usually stop at two (but I did take three from one site where they are really thick). I also don't collect for others or give my sites away. If someone wants to catch a tarantula, they can do their own legwork

-Alice

I am in California doing exactly that right now, hunting for tarantulas. I am wondering if you have anything to offer re: finding tarantula hawks. I was told their holes are dime sized, is that correct? That surprised me, I thought they might take over old holes or at least tarantula-sized holes since they will bring one in to feed on. Any suggestion on where tarantula hawks may be so I can find T holes nearby possibly? Thanks!

 

[Colorado Ts]

Well i am having trouble actually finding and catching my own tarantula, my grandparents own a ranch in central Texas and am pretty sure there are Aphonopelma anax. But i have no idea where to look to find their burrows.... Anyone have any suggestions?

Wait till spring, once the bugs are out...the spiders are out.

Go for a walk in the evening, right around sunset. find areas of barren ground, little to no grass or brush. Look for holes in the ground that are about an inch or so in diameter. You are looking for holes that have a very fine, almost invisible webbing across the entrance.

Smaller holes, dime sized holes, are usually large wolf spiders.

Find a long strand of grass, carefully brush aside the webbing and begin to tickle the entrance, to a few inches inside the burrow, with the strand of grass. If the spider is home it will very shortly attack the grass. Once you feel the tug, tug, tug of the spider grabbing the grass strand...give a nice jerk and pull the spider out of the hole.

With a bit of practice this works 9/10 times.

If you are having a hard time finding tarantulas...look for the tarantula hawk wasps. Find them and you will begin to find tarantulas. Stay away from agricultural ground, you are looking undisturbed ground like cow pastures and open range type of areas.

 

[Smotzer]

Anyone want to just start a new thread cause I’d be interested? In learning about how people go about this cause I’ll be in the same area as the OP and I’d love to go out and just observe some T’s in nature

 

[Colorado Ts]

Anyone want to just start a new thread cause I’d be interested? In learning about how people go about this cause I’ll be in the same area as the OP and I’d love to go out and just observe some T’s in nature

No need to reinvent this wheel.

Back in September I took 16 students to Southern Colorado to see a tarantula migration. Over a 4 hr period we saw 100 to 150 tarantulas. Awesome experience.

I'd love to share what we did and how we did it...

 

[Smotzer]

No need to reinvent this wheel.

Back in September I took 16 students to Southern Colorado to see a tarantula migration. Over a 4 hr period we saw 100 to 150 tarantulas. Awesome experience.

I'd love to share what we did and how we did it...

Feel free to message me I would absolutely love to hear about this!

 

[Colorado Ts]

That's an idea..but if it’s privately messaged then no one else benefits from the sharing of the knowledge and experience. A perfect blending of old thoughts and new experiences in one place.

Kind of the beauty of bringing back a thread on a cool topic, yes?

 

[Smotzer]

That's an idea..but if it’s privately messaged then no else benefits from the sharing of the knowledge and experience.

Kind of the beauty of bringing back a thread on a cool topic, yes?

Yeah bring it back! Share it here! And if no one else I’ll benefit from the knowledge

 

[Colorado Ts]

Yeah bring it back! Share it here! And if no one else I’ll benefit from the knowledge

Awesome. What questions do you have?

This other person is a bit flustering, so questions will help...a lot.

 

[Smotzer]

Awesome. What questions do you have?

This other person is a bit flustering, so questions will help...a lot.

How did you find the time of year and area where they were migrating? Because I read that where I will be living in Texas Aphonopelma species males often en-masse migrate

 

[Colorado Ts]

How did you find the time of year and area where they were migrating? Because I read that where I will be living in Texas Aphonopelma species males often en-masse migrate

I was going over the daily news on my iPad, and came across an article from Fox News talking about a tarantula migration in southern Colorado.

I showed the article to my administrator and asked if I could set up a fieldtrip to southern Colorado...La Junta. He said yes.

I ran it by my students and they researched the event, and found a date where the migration was supposed to peak. We found a Friday closest to that date...and arranged transportation. I did have a few kiddos that were just to scared to go, a few that could not go and 16 kiddos that went.

The literature said that the best time to view the migration would be around sunset.

We did see spiders at that time, but at around an hour or so after dark...they really started coming out. We saw lots of males wandering, and females guarding their burrow entrances.

 

[Smotzer]

I was going over the daily news on my iPad, and came across an article from Fox News talking about a tarantula migration in southern Colorado.

I showed the article to my administrator and asked if I could set up a fieldtrip to southern Colorado...La Junta. He said yes.

I ran it by my students and they researched the event, and found a date where the migration was supposed to peak. We found a Friday closest to that date...and arranged transportation. I did have a few kiddos that were just to scared to go, a few that could not go and 16 kiddos that went.

The literature said that the best time to view the migration would be around sunset.

We did see spiders at that time, but at around an hour or so after dark...they really started coming out. We saw lots of males wandering, and females guarding their burrow entrances.

This is awesome!! I’d love to witness a T. Migration! Good to know what time of night. This summer I am definitely going to arrange a trip to witness such a incredible event!

 

[Colorado Ts]

This is awesome!! I’d love to witness a T. Migration! Good to know what time of night. This summer I am definitely going to arrange a trip to witness such a incredible event!

When you go, pick a time when it is calm....no wind. Spiders do not like to be blown on, and they will sit tight if it is windy. They do not like wind.

When you are walking around looking for the spiders, get a good reliable head lamp, with a red light option. A white light lamp will put the spider on high alert, it’s not normal...so they will be ready to bolt down the burrow, or they already did bolt. Green lights work only slightly better than white lights.

None of the tarantulas that I saw responded to my red light on my headlamp.

I also had a regular flashlight as a backup, next year that back up light will be a red light as well.

We saw a lot more than just tarantulas...we saw tarantula hawk wasps, in fact when we started getting into the wasps is when we started seeing the tarantulas. Those wasps know where the best hunting is to be found.

We saw these huge lubber grasshoppers, just monster big grasshoppers.

We found lots of wolf spiders...only found them after sunset. These were big, legspan the size of the palm of my hand.

And a couple of the kids found black widow spiders with abdomens the size of a quarter. I have never seen a black widow spider so impressively large.

 

[Smotzer]

When you go, pick a time when it is calm....no wind. Spiders do not like to be blown on, and they will sit tight if it is windy. They do not like wind.

When you are walking around looking for the spiders, get a good reliable head lamp, with a red light option. A white light lamp will put the spider on high alert, it’s not normal...so they will be ready to bolt down the burrow, or they already did bolt. Green lights work only slightly better than white lights.

None of the tarantulas that I saw responded to my red light on my headlamp.

I also had a regular flashlight as a backup, next year that back up light will be a red light as well.

We saw a lot more than just tarantulas...we saw tarantula hawk wasps, in fact when we started getting into the wasps is when we started seeing the tarantulas. Those wasps know where the best hunting is to be found.

We saw these huge lubber grasshoppers, just monster big grasshoppers.

We found lots of wolf spiders...only found them after sunset. These were big, legspan the size of the palm of my hand.

And a couple of the kids found black widow spiders with abdomens the size of a quarter. I have never seen a black widow spider so impressively large.

Yeah that sounds awesome, I was in school for entomology and very very very often go out looking for insects throughout the spring through fall as my relaxing down time and hobby. I’m just excited to get to do this with more than just Lepidoptera and Coleoptera in the summers and witness some tarantulas and other inverts we don’t have around in NJ

 

[Colorado Ts]

That is so cool.

 

[Smotzer]

That is so cool.

Insect collecting and watching is by far the best hobby there is!!

 

[Colorado Ts]

Insect collecting and watching is by far the best hobby there is!!

My kids did entomology when they were in 4-H. We made collecting into family outings and we'd travel to distant locations to collect insects. That was so much fun, fond memories.

I get it. Good times.

 

[Smotzer]

My kids did entomology when they were in 4-H. We made collecting into family outings and we'd travel to distant locations to collect insects. That was so much fun, fond memories.

I get it. Good times.

That’s awesome! I think kids should be exposed to entomology more! And glad to hear someone is getting kids out to experience insects and nature!! Score one for inverts!

 

[Colorado Ts]

You are cool. I've enjoyed this conversation.

Thank you.

 

[Ungoliant]

Moderator note: I moved this to its own thread. Please keep the discussion civil. You are welcome to express disagreement, but address the points being made, not the person making them.

While thread necromancy is not prohibited if the reply adds something of value to the conversation, new questions will often get better visibility (and responses) if they're posted as new threads instead of being buried in responses to threads that are almost old enough to drive.

 

[Jesse607]

Just a quick correction: The observed phenomena is not an actual "migration" although the clueless media will portray it as such because it sounds more exciting. It is just mating season and the males are wondering about in large numbers searching for the sedentary females.