SAN DIEGO — Julie Estrada recently had an unexpected visitor on her couch, a big, fuzzy tarantula.
“Oh my gosh, it was like this big,” said Estrada holding her fingers far apart.
Estrada doesn’t mind seeing all the fake tarantulas at her work, but the Legoland Public Relations Director says this real one inside her house freaked her out. “I’m not used to seeing those on my couch in a normal day,” she said. Estrada is not alone.
San Diego County is seeing a spike in tarantula sightings, most of them males according to experts.
"They're all looking for love,” said Matt Thomas, manager at Pet Kingdom in San Diego. “Everything needs love on this planet and tarantulas are no exception.” Thomas says tarantulas are usually spotted more in the East County, but they'll venture west too.
“The females this time of year - September and October - put pheromones on their web that attract the males so they can find the girls and mate," Thomas explained.
Thomas says the tarantulas common in San Diego are pretty harmless. For most people, a bite will cause minor swelling similar to a bee sting. He says tarantulas are not aggressive and more interested in eating insects than humans.
“If you have roaches in your house, just let a bunch of tarantulas go and you won't have a roach problem anymore," Thomas said with a laugh.
If you encounter a tarantula inside your home, he recommends gently relocating it outside rather than killing it.
"[The] Easiest way is to put one hand down in front of the tarantula then tap it lightly on the abdomen with your other hand. It'll just move forward," he advised.
As long as you are gentle, you shouldn't have any issues Thomas said. But if the spider rears up defensively, it's getting annoyed and you should back off until it calms down.
“Part of their defense mechanism is they'll kick hairs that will irritate you," he explained. That feels a lot like stinging nettle – annoying, but not life-threatening.
So while finding a tarantula in your home is not ideal, it could be worse - it's also rattlesnake season. “Uh, Steve, that's even scarier,” Estrada said with a nervous laugh. “That would be scarier. I don't even like ants in my house. Yeah, a spider that size - it was scary.
The tarantulas most commonly seen in our county are California Ebony and San Diego Bronze tarantulas. Because they are native to the area, they cannot be legally sold in local pet stores. That said, you can buy tarantulas from other regions and Thomas says those are popular pets in San Diego.
WATCH RELATED: Tarantula's on the prowl during mating season in Poway