BEWARE: Thousands Of Tarantulas Set To Start Moving Through Colorado

It's about that time, the stuff my nightmares are made of. Mating season for tarantulas and if you're a big scaredy cat when it comes to spiders like me, this could be your worst nightmare. I know it's definitely in the top 5 for me.

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Just thinking about this makes my skin crawl and gives me the "jeebie weebies." I hate spiders, especially big, fat and hairy ones, so the thought of a bunch of tarantulas crawling around truly terrifies me. Call me a baby, call me what you want, but those things are nasty.

I hear my wife all the time saying "It's just a little spider!" She also is sure to remind me that they eat other bugs. Okay, that may be true, but I still can't stand the things, and the bigger they are, the louder my scream becomes.

According to the Denver Channel, one of the best, or worst depending on how you look at it, is down in Southeastern Colorado around La Junta in Comanche National Grassland. (Wait, people actually WANT to find these things?)

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They are starting to roam around soon with a peak in mid-September. The reason why this time of year is prime time to see these disgusting things is that it's mating season. Each year around this time, the males start roaming around looking for females. This starts around mid-August and rolls through September.

If you happen to hear a grown man letting out a giant scream like a scared little kid, it's just me seeing a giant tarantula. I know, I know, they don't want to cause any harm to humans and just want to be left alone. But if I were to ever simply SEE one crawling near me, I would probably have a heart attack.

According to a report from USA Today, male spiders can take up to 10 years to reach sexual maturity. To find a female mating partner hidden in a burrow about a foot underneath the ground, which sounds terrifying, male tarantulas use their hair and legs to detect vibrations. Once they mate, they die, often killed by the female they mate with. Damn, spider world can be cruel.

These creepy creatures can move too. They can travel up to a half-mile each day and are mostly mobile at night. So, if you're heading out to go camping any time soon, I can assure you that I'm not, just a heads up: a tarantula just may be underneath you or next to you.