When I was a kid growing up in Texas, we had tarantulas everywhere. But I think the fire ants won the day. Same fate for the horny toads and bobwhite quail.
My friends told me about the tarantula march, where there were so many on the road it looked like the road was heaving.
When we had our first home built in DFW, there was one hanging around the outside of my house. We gave each other a wide berth and it eventually moved on.
They used to crawl into my husband’s shop at work on occasion. Those buggers could jump several feet. His crew didn’t play around. They would water jet it out ASAP.
You are correct. Haven’t seen one in years. Fire ants are annual pests unless you get a pest control treatment.