Once you have identified and confirmed that you are dealing with Cellar Spiders, you can then move forward with Inspection. If you're having trouble with identification, contact us and we will assist you in correctly ID'ing the pest and offering treatment options for control. Use the image and description above to help you identify Cellar Spiders (Daddy Long Legs) on your property. Cellar Spiders characteristically like to hang from their spun webs upside down in dark, secluded areas.The Cellar Spider's most distinguishing traits are their very thin legs (1.75 to almost 2 inches long) that are much longer than its body (0.25 inches long).Cellar Spiders are a light yellowish to light brown or gray colored while Harvestmen have a more reddish hue.A big difference between Cellar Spiders and Harvestmen are that Harvestmen do not possess the typical spider abilities of spinning webs nor do they produce silk.Harvestmen/"true" Daddy Long Legs have one body segment, 2 eyes, eight legs. Cellar Spiders have 2 basic body segments (cephalothorax and abdomen), 8 legs, and 8 eyes.You can also compare the Cellar Spider to a Daddy Long Legs with the image above. The traits below can help you tell the difference between a Cellar Spider Daddy Long Legs and a Harvestman Daddy Long Legs. Identificationīefore you can proceed with a treatment program, it is important to correctly identify the pest you are dealing with and confirm whether they are a Cellar Spider or not.īecause Cellar Spiders and Harvestmen look so similar, it may be hard to tell them apart. Our pest control experts have compiled step-by-step instructions using our top recommended products to help you get rid of Cellar Spiders yourself. If you have an issue with Cellar Spiders on your property, this guide can help. Cellar Spiders are so common in homes and other buildings that, in parts of the U.S., they are as common as a house fly. An important distinction is that the Harvestman, while being an arachnid, is not a true spider where a Cellar Spider is.Ĭellar Spiders aka Daddy Long Legs gather in large numbers in dark, secluded areas like cellars, basements, garages, and storage areas. Where it might get confusing is that the Cellar Spider's nickname "Daddy Long Legs" also refers to a similar-looking long-legged arachnid called Harvestmen. This spider earned its descriptive (yet unoriginal) nickname due to their very long and thin legs. If you are dealing with cellar spider problems in your home, contact your local spider exterminators.Cellar Spider Control: How To Get Rid of Cellar Spiders (Daddy Long Legs)Ī spider species known to frequently infest homes is the Cellar Spider, also commonly called Daddy Long Legs. If all else fails they will flee their web these strange behaviors are usually enough to keep people far away! If disturbed, cellar spiders will bounce or spin around wildly in their webs to try and deter whatever threat may be bothering them. If one did happen to find a way to bite it would be nothing more than a mild stinging sensation (unless the person happened to be allergic to the spiders or the bite got infected). Most cellar spiders are too small to bite humans. They may annoy people with the placement of their webs, but that is the only real threat they pose to humans. Most cellar spiders build webs in many different areas of the home.
Cellar Spider Behaviors, Threats, or Dangers Most of the cellar spider species found in homes throughout the United States are not native species and have been introduced from other countries. They are also found outdoors and will frequently venture into garages to build their webs. They get in corners, behind furniture, in basements, bathrooms, and any other safe, secluded area in the home.
These spiders are found inside more regularly than many of the other spider species. They are not hunting spiders like some other species but instead spend most of their time on their webs. Cellar spiders are predators of insects and other arthropods (insects, spiders, crustaceans, millipedes, etc). The body of a cellar spider is between 6-10 millimeters in length, but their long legs can make them appear much larger. The legs of cellar spiders are long in comparison to their bodies. The legs are typically lighter than the body in color and have dark bands on different sections. Cellar spiders possess a darker gray to brown or pale yellow abdomen (back section of a spider) and a cephalothorax (front section of a spider) that is lighter in color and much smaller than the abdomen.