ORLANDO, Fla. \u2013 Florida is now in the midst of its creepiest time of year: \u201cSpider Season.\u201d<\/p>\n
That\u2019s according to Dr. Lisa Taylor, an assistant research scientist for the University of Florida\u2019s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.<\/p>\n
Despite the moniker, though, it\u2019s not necessarily that there are more spiders out and about in the Sunshine State. In fact, many spiders typically hatch in the spring, though people may not notice them at the time.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt feels like spider season because a lot of people are thinking about creepy things when Halloween is coming,\u201d Taylor told News 6. \u201cSo we see a lot of spider decorations in stores and out-and-about. And so I think people are just thinking about spiders, and then, they\u2019re noticing spiders that are around.\u201d<\/p>\n
[BELOW: Take a look at Florida\u2019s most-hated insect<\/a>]<\/p>\n That being said, it\u2019s difficult not to notice these creepy-crawlies, as this time of year is also when some of Florida\u2019s more \u201ccharismatic\u201d spiders<\/a> come into their prime.<\/p>\n As Taylor explained, some spiders like golden silk orb-weavers \u2014 one of the biggest spiders statewide \u2014 become a much more common sight.<\/p>\n A golden silk orb-weaver spider, commonly referred to as a “banana spider” (Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission)<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re kind of small early in the season, and they get bigger and bigger as the summer goes on,\u201d Taylor said. \u201cAnd then, in the fall, they\u2019re really big… We see a lot of these really big spiders hanging around in October, so that might be part of where this time of year gets the \u2018Spider Season\u2019 name.\u201d<\/p>\n And as it gets colder, spiders may start to seek shelter indoors, meaning there are a lot more encounters as the temperature outside drops.<\/p>\n Not to worry, though; Dr. Taylor explained that the vast majority of spiders are completely harmless to humans, so there\u2019s no need to fret.<\/p>\n