Seattle spiders are in your house and looking for love

State of play: It's giant house spider mating season, the annual period when males emerge from their hiding places and embark on one final frantic mission to couple, according to Rod Crawford of the Burke Museum.

• Large adults can span up to 4 inches, according to WSU.
• They're harmless. They're not chasing you. And no, they didn't come inside because it got cold.

The intrigue: People have been asking Crawford why there are suddenly so many spiders "this year" for more than 40 years, he has told Axios.

Translation: The spiders aren't necessarily having an exceptional year. Seattle is just having its annual collective nervous breakdown.