WHITEWRIGHT, Texas (KTEN) — "Normally, just, you know, see their front legs? To me, they're just brown and hairy," said Whitewright homeowner Bailey Braisher.

Texomans may start to find tarantulas in their yards from May to August.

This time of year is the start of tarantula mating season, meaning you could find them crawling around at any time. 

"I'm not a big spider fan, though, but at least I can see where he's at and avoid him," said Whitewright homeowner Sean Dyar. 

Texoma has the Texas brown species of tarantulas, but what do they do for our environment? 

Chad Cummings, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension agent for Grayson County, said tarantulas are looking for food — not humans.

"Crickets, cockroaches, smaller spiders — you'll see a lot of them, like baby wolf spiders — they eat those, too. Small snakes, small lizards — so I mean, they clean it up pretty good," said Dyar. 

Tarantulas are recognized as venomous spiders, but experts say their bite is equivalent to a bee or wasp sting. 

That gives Bailey Braisher peace of mind when she sees them in her yard every day.

"Tarantulas are kind of exotic... I think they're beautiful," she said. "They kind of leave you alone; I won't get a face full of their web."

Heavy rain, wet soil, and temperatures above 65 degrees encourage the spiders to leave their burrows as a way for them to survive. 

Experts recommend if you see a tarantula, you should stay away and give them space.