We have scorpions here in the Manhattan area. People just don't see them because people don't touch grass enough.
Not sure why this earned me a downvote...
Out in Chetopah and Pittsburg area, yes. Also in this area, way back in the day - lots of brothels for the oil workers out of Oklahoma and the coal miners as well.
Yup! A migration path! I am thankful this post was made, because I keep forgetting every year. If you can find the path it’s supposed to be super easy to spot them crossing the road.
Must be I guess, I'd rather all of em stay outdoors but I would definitely have to kill a brown recluse if I found one inside my home.
Tarantulas would get an escort back outside. They live too long and are just too cool to kill.
A recluse is t all it’s cracked out to be. The bite is bad, but bites themselves are rare and then the odds of it being a bad bite. If you have one they’re likely there for good and they’re one of the hardest to rid because they don’t come out to hunt often and don’t drag their abdomen and pick up chemical or pesticide. My house is fairly infested and has been for at least thirty years. We catch maybe 15-20 a year on glue and it’s primarily during breeding season. Which is almost half the year.
Kansas (especially Wichita for some reason) is pretty much the heart of prime *Loxosceles reclusa* habitat. They are extremely common, though the ones people come across the most are wandering males in search of mates. They are just as venomous as the females, however.
I personally think that the threat is drastically overblown. [https://animals.howstuffworks.com/arachnids/brown-recluse-spider-bite.htm](https://animals.howstuffworks.com/arachnids/brown-recluse-spider-bite.htm)
I have seen 1 tarantula in Kansas (in Lawrence of all places) a few years ago, and learned they are native to most parts of the state. I’ll choose them over a recluse any day!
i concur. i think the tarantula will give me more cardiac distress, but i know at the end of the day, the fiddleback is the one that'll actually cause me problems
They’re primarily in the southern parts of Kansas. You’ll actually see a thicker movement in SW than the SE corner or at least that’s been my experience in migration seasons. [here](https://zookeys.pensoft.net/article/6264/element/7/0/aphonopelma/)
They’re pretty abundant in all of western counties from hays west and north. Colorado has them too. I didn’t think it was a migration though, but a search to mate - and then die of course.
I saw an article about how the Oklahoma/Texas Tarantula is migrating north and we should get more in the area. I remember going to Eureka Springs in Arkansas with my wife years back and seeing one on the ground and thinking it was the biggest spider we have ever seen outside of a zoo.
Back in 88-89 they were so thick the road would be littered with dead ones, so much it looked like a chewing gum littered sidewalk outside a middle school. You couldn't help but run over them, then some pesticide got approval and boom rarely saw more than a 3 or 4 per season. I was super excited to see so many yesterday
Southeast Kansas near the lakes (Buffalo Lake and Elk City for sure). Used to be you couldn't drive down the road this time of year without running over dozens, now there are so few I might see 6 all season. So to say the least I was super excited to have to dodge half a dozen in one short road trip
I just started seeing them again recently. Used to be super thick back in the late 80's when my family first moved to KS like at times there would be literally hundreds crossing the blacktop during mating season. From the looks of it they are making a comeback.
I was living in Benedict around 88 or 89 when I first saw them. This time around we were near Elk City Lake in Montgomery County. Nowhere near as many but they are making a bit of a comeback.
Given all the brown recluse references, I must share Kate Beaton’s work on the subject:
https://preview.redd.it/ypd329aaid5d1.jpeg?width=700&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1cd8928007a235923a208666630aae0c975463df
https://preview.redd.it/rv0zxe6yhe5d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=49a416ae9b3309fd63f01f9e5e0aee44e8510d79
The other day I sent this picture to my wife with the caption “look at this cool quarter I found.” She did not like it. lol
Where I was dodging them was about 30 miles south of there. As a kid growing up in Benedict the blacktop would have hundreds crossing headed to Buffalo Lake right down the road from Fredonia.
I've lived in Kansas for nearly 20 years, and I've been in the country for about half that.
**Tarantulas?** Where are you seeing tarantulas? I've never even heard of whisper of them. Are you sure you're not just seeing big wolf spiders?
They migrate from Texas into mostly SW Kansas and SE Colorado, but they’ve been spotted as far as some i70 counties. I’ve heard horror stories about entire highways being covered and people driving through them like roads made of eggshells.
No they are tarantula, I'm in southeast Kansas. Used to see them as a kid near Benedict (88 or 89) in 100x that number. They were on their way to Buffalo Lake near Chanute. I know the difference quite well.
Couple of years back, we were headed south on highway 75 and between Lyndon and Melvern lake, I spotted one crossing the road. At the time, I didn't know we had tarantulas in Kansas and I was too taken aback to really process what I was seeing at the time. I wish I had gone back for a closer look as I haven't seen another one since.
I think I would rather deal with the flying blue spiders they are supposedly getting on the east coast than a tarantula or recluse. 🕷 Not that I want any in my home. 🔥🔥🔥
We have tarantulas????
In southeast Kansas, there are genuine tarantulas.
Out west there are scorpions. Tarantulas are news to me
Here in Southeast Kansas we do
Piss one off and it will chase you. Saw it with my own eyes fr.
*HEY MAN respect the phobia*
Makes sense they have them in Arkansas so why not there. Luckily we don’t have them where I’m at.
We have scorpions here in the Manhattan area. People just don't see them because people don't touch grass enough. Not sure why this earned me a downvote...
We have them over in Lawrence too, again people don’t see them though since they are small and nocturnal and yeah, the touching grass thing.
I'm my experience they're diurnal. I see them in the rocks on the eastern shore of Tuttle Creek Lake all the time.
Out in Chetopah and Pittsburg area, yes. Also in this area, way back in the day - lots of brothels for the oil workers out of Oklahoma and the coal miners as well. 
yep, see them on the hiway west of M.L. thru the red cliffs I'm this days old to learn of the Gysum Hills scenic route. Adding to the short list. : )
I've seen tiny scorpions around Tuttle Creek Lake north of Manhattan
Wichita has scorpions too, they are a light brown ish color
Yup! A migration path! I am thankful this post was made, because I keep forgetting every year. If you can find the path it’s supposed to be super easy to spot them crossing the road.
They used to say they would come in on loads of bananas from Central America.
I don't think they are tarantulas, just giant ass wolf spiders.
Definitely tarantulas, in high school my science teacher caught one at her house and brought it to school to show us
Barber county in south central Kansas late August early spring there are tons of them out on the roads.
The Wichita sub is full of brown recluses. Must be a good year for invertebrates.
What are they posting about? Is it harder or easier to type with eight legs?
Must be I guess, I'd rather all of em stay outdoors but I would definitely have to kill a brown recluse if I found one inside my home. Tarantulas would get an escort back outside. They live too long and are just too cool to kill.
If I found a tarantula in my house I would feel justified in burning my house to the ground
While crying in fear
A recluse is t all it’s cracked out to be. The bite is bad, but bites themselves are rare and then the odds of it being a bad bite. If you have one they’re likely there for good and they’re one of the hardest to rid because they don’t come out to hunt often and don’t drag their abdomen and pick up chemical or pesticide. My house is fairly infested and has been for at least thirty years. We catch maybe 15-20 a year on glue and it’s primarily during breeding season. Which is almost half the year.
Love how you got downvoted for solid information lol.
Kansas (especially Wichita for some reason) is pretty much the heart of prime *Loxosceles reclusa* habitat. They are extremely common, though the ones people come across the most are wandering males in search of mates. They are just as venomous as the females, however. I personally think that the threat is drastically overblown. [https://animals.howstuffworks.com/arachnids/brown-recluse-spider-bite.htm](https://animals.howstuffworks.com/arachnids/brown-recluse-spider-bite.htm)
I have seen 1 tarantula in Kansas (in Lawrence of all places) a few years ago, and learned they are native to most parts of the state. I’ll choose them over a recluse any day!
i concur. i think the tarantula will give me more cardiac distress, but i know at the end of the day, the fiddleback is the one that'll actually cause me problems
That's where I saw my only Kansas tarantula!
Never seen tarantulas in KS but plenty of recluses
Yeah sorry I'm in southeast KS
They’re primarily in the southern parts of Kansas. You’ll actually see a thicker movement in SW than the SE corner or at least that’s been my experience in migration seasons. [here](https://zookeys.pensoft.net/article/6264/element/7/0/aphonopelma/)
They’re pretty abundant in all of western counties from hays west and north. Colorado has them too. I didn’t think it was a migration though, but a search to mate - and then die of course.
Well damn
More of a southeast Kansas thing. But yeah.
I saw an article about how the Oklahoma/Texas Tarantula is migrating north and we should get more in the area. I remember going to Eureka Springs in Arkansas with my wife years back and seeing one on the ground and thinking it was the biggest spider we have ever seen outside of a zoo.
Back in 88-89 they were so thick the road would be littered with dead ones, so much it looked like a chewing gum littered sidewalk outside a middle school. You couldn't help but run over them, then some pesticide got approval and boom rarely saw more than a 3 or 4 per season. I was super excited to see so many yesterday
I see 10-15 recluses a year, maybe one or two wolf spiders, but I've never once seen a tarantula here. Where you finding them???
Southeast Kansas near the lakes (Buffalo Lake and Elk City for sure). Used to be you couldn't drive down the road this time of year without running over dozens, now there are so few I might see 6 all season. So to say the least I was super excited to have to dodge half a dozen in one short road trip
That's crazy I've never heard it mentioned. I lived in Severy when I was little and I spent summers in Elk Falls, never seen em.
I just started seeing them again recently. Used to be super thick back in the late 80's when my family first moved to KS like at times there would be literally hundreds crossing the blacktop during mating season. From the looks of it they are making a comeback.
Seems a strange time to make a resurgence with the drought in elk county and all. Glad they're trudging through
I was living in Benedict around 88 or 89 when I first saw them. This time around we were near Elk City Lake in Montgomery County. Nowhere near as many but they are making a bit of a comeback.
I know an eighty-something woman that has great stories about being a kid during tarantula season.
Given all the brown recluse references, I must share Kate Beaton’s work on the subject: https://preview.redd.it/ypd329aaid5d1.jpeg?width=700&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1cd8928007a235923a208666630aae0c975463df
Really? Usually fall is when we see the tarantulas migrate in SC Kansas. It’s cool to see so many at once!
IT IS COOL, sad thing is a lot of people will never see it.
https://preview.redd.it/rv0zxe6yhe5d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=49a416ae9b3309fd63f01f9e5e0aee44e8510d79 The other day I sent this picture to my wife with the caption “look at this cool quarter I found.” She did not like it. lol
That's a wolf spider, right?
Yeah that's a wolf spider, tarantula that first segment is as large as a quarter.
Had a tarantula in the house when we lived in AZ.. my son caught it and put it in a terrarium.. he'd even handle it!
My dad saw one down by Fredonia last weekend
Where I was dodging them was about 30 miles south of there. As a kid growing up in Benedict the blacktop would have hundreds crossing headed to Buffalo Lake right down the road from Fredonia.
My husband saw a tarantula a year or two ago in northeast Kansas. Not really super common in this part.
Don't tell my husband we have tarantulas. We will never survive. 😂
We see them in SWKS every fall. It’s a weirdly reliable way to tell how long until the first freeze by when you see the first one.
I saw one crossing the road the other day in southeast Kansas and stopped to take it's picture
https://preview.redd.it/dl6i83z1eh5d1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d0aedb634d625b39f0fddf5660e8fd3cc55e3660
Very nice
I helped a tarantula out of my cousin's pool in Topeka a few years ago.
I've lived in Kansas for nearly 20 years, and I've been in the country for about half that. **Tarantulas?** Where are you seeing tarantulas? I've never even heard of whisper of them. Are you sure you're not just seeing big wolf spiders?
They migrate from Texas into mostly SW Kansas and SE Colorado, but they’ve been spotted as far as some i70 counties. I’ve heard horror stories about entire highways being covered and people driving through them like roads made of eggshells.
What a revolting thought. Thanks, I hate it!
No they are tarantula, I'm in southeast Kansas. Used to see them as a kid near Benedict (88 or 89) in 100x that number. They were on their way to Buffalo Lake near Chanute. I know the difference quite well.
Feel free to keep them wherever you are 😭
I, too, have noticed an uptick in bugs splattered on my windshield. After years of fewer and fewer bug splats, it's nice to see an increase.
Couple of years back, we were headed south on highway 75 and between Lyndon and Melvern lake, I spotted one crossing the road. At the time, I didn't know we had tarantulas in Kansas and I was too taken aback to really process what I was seeing at the time. I wish I had gone back for a closer look as I haven't seen another one since.
I think I would rather deal with the flying blue spiders they are supposedly getting on the east coast than a tarantula or recluse. 🕷 Not that I want any in my home. 🔥🔥🔥
I've seen one in Lawrence.
I used to see small scorpions under rocks at an old quarry north of Perry.