Is It A Cellar Spider Or Daddy Long Legs Hanging Around Your Lakewood Ranch Basement?

Are you seeing long-legged spiders in your basement? If you are, it isn't surprising. Most Lakewood Ranch cellars and basements have long-legged spiders. They're called long-bodied cellar spiders and there are several species of these spiders in the United States. But you might call them daddy longlegs. Many people do. Here's how you can tell the difference between long-bodied cellar spiders and daddy longlegs.

Terminology

While it isn't entirely incorrect to call a long-bodied cellar spider a daddy longlegs spider, it is completely incorrect to leave off the word spider. What do we mean? Real daddy longlegs aren't spiders; they are arachnids. While all spiders are arachnids, all arachnids are not spiders, just as all beetles are insects but not all insects are beetles. Beetles are a type of insect and spiders are a type of arachnid. This can make things very confusing for a spider that looks like a common arachnid that can be found in moist places outside.

True Daddy Longlegs

If a daddy longlegs isn't a spider, then what is it? It is in the class of animal called harvestmen. The big difference between a longlegs harvestmen and a longlegs spider (cellar spider) is that the harvestmen has one part to its body. A spider has two parts: the head and the cephalothorax. Another noteworthy difference is that longlegs spiders produce silk to make webs. Longlegs harvestmen do not. If you see a daddy longlegs in a web, it is a long-bodied cellar spider.

Questions About Cellar Spiders

Are all cellar spiders long-bodied? No. There are other types of spiders that can get into your cellar. You can find wolf spiders, brown recluse spiders, and other common cellar spiders.

Are cellar spiders dangerous? Most are not considered to be medically important. The exceptions are the brown recluse or black widow spider. But these two aren't considered cellar spiders. They're more likely to be found in storage rooms or attic spaces.

Do cellar spiders jump? If you have a spider jumping at you when you go into your cellar or basement, it probably is not actually a spider. It is more likely to be a spider cricket, also referred to as a cave cricket, camel cricket, camelback cricket, humpbacked cricket, spricket or cave weta. Yes. They do have a lot of names. Fortunately, they're not spiders. They don't have venom and they aren't likely to bite you.

Do cellar spiders eat silverfish? We actually get this question a lot. Silverfish are destructive pests and it might be worth having spiders in your cellar if they're eating all the silverfish that are getting in. Well, we have good news and bad news. The good news is that cellar spiders eat silverfish. The bad news is that they're not going to eat every single silverfish that gets into your home. They're pretty lousy pest control professionals.

Keeping Spiders Out

When you find cellar spiders in your cellar or basement, the next logical question is How do spiders get inside? There are a few things that can help you combat spiders and reduce spider populations.

• Add dehumidifiers to your cellar or basement to reduce the humidity. This can drive spiders back outside.
• Clean up webs and remove them to remove eggs. This can prevent hundreds of new spiders from hatching.
• On the outside of your home, address conditions of moisture to reduce spider populations near your foundation walls.
• Seal any gaps, cracks or holes in your foundation or exterior walls.

If you need assistance keeping spiders and other pests out of your cellar, remember that the team at Keller's Pest Services is standing by to help. Reach out to us any time to request service.