For professional assistance, give Palmetto Exterminators a call to set up a free, no-obligation quote. If you are noticing multiple kinds of insects and arachnids in your home, you may want to measure the humidity levels and pick up a dehumidifier. If you have firewood, stack it at least 20 feet from the side of your home and inspect firewood pieces before bringing them inside. Inspect the exterior and interior of your home for cracks in the foundation. There are several ways to prevent a cellar spider infestation. In other cases, cellar spiders will move into another spider's web, pretend to be trapped, and then attack the other spider when it gets close enough. When cellar spiders see an insect approaching their web, they will pulse their bodies to make the web shake and cling to their prey.
These kinds of spiders do not present a threat to humans, although they are very effective against other spiders and insects. Funnel Web Spider (Grass Spider) Long-bodied Cellar Spider. The entire spider guide covers over one hundred different spider species. Unlike other species of spiders that take down their webs before making new ones, the cellar spider will continue layering webs on top of each other, which leads to much more noticeable cobwebs. Please press the spiders button for additional spider pictures and information. The long-bodied cellar spiders have legs that can be up to two inches long, while those of the short-bodied spiders can be about ½ inch.Īs the name would suggest, cellar spiders often make their homes in the damp and dark corners of basements, crawl spaces, sheds, and warehouses. Both types range in color from light tan to brown or gray, have small oval bodies, and have slender legs. There are two types of cellar spiders: long- and short-bodied. Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences.Cellar spiders belong to the family Pholcidae and they are found on every continent except Antarctica. Longbodied cellar spider Pholcus phalangioides. Anti-predator defenses of Pholcus phalangioides (Araneae, Pholcidae), a web-building and web-invading spider. The biology of Pholcus phalangioides (Araneae, Pholcidae) predatory versatility, araneophagy and aggressive mimicry. Predator-prey interactions between jumping spiders (Araneae, Salticidae) and Pholcus phalangioides (Araneae, Pholcidae). Platycryptus undatus (tan jumping spider) Herpyllus ecclesiasticus (Eastern parson spider) Steatoda triangulosa (triangulate cobweb spider) Pholcus phalangioides (long-bodied cellar spider) This globally-distributed urbanite could easily be the second most common household spider in the Eastern United States.Ĭellar spiders are careful parents and guard their eggs and young.Ĭheck out the rest of the spiders that made the countdown: These spiders are harmless, provide parental care, and help control household invertebrates of all kinds. Like many other spiders, the females carefully guard eggs and young ( 2). You may even get to see a female tending to her eggs or young. So the next time you see wispy cobwebs in your basement, take a closer look for one of these long-legged spiders. Long-bodied cellar spiders have a fine-tuned sense of touch, but have very poor eyesight. Though this sometimes works, the jumpers are often able to invade the cellar spider’s web unnoticed. But the cellar spiders have one last trick up their sleeves: when they feel the vibrations of an approaching predator, they begin to rapidly bounce and whirl around in their web to confuse and deter the approaching predator ( 5). Jumping spiders in the genus Portia are able to mimic the cellar spider’s movements in order to lure them in and give them a taste of their own medicine ( 3). Sometimes, the cellar spider even sets up shop in the newly vacant web and captures ensnared insects ( 2). Long-bodied cellar spiders commonly invade the webs of other spiders, mimic prey vibrations, and eat the spider when it comes near ( 4).
Other spiders, however, do have reason to fear this long-legged species. Despite their incredible abundance, these spiders apparently do not bite people and are likely harmless to humans (though still venomous) ( 6). They have long, thin legs, and their abdomens are oval-shaped. These spiders vary in color but are typically light brown or gray.
You may also know them by their more common name: daddy long legs. So do we have anything to fear from the omnipresent cellar spider? Well, not as far as anyone knows. Cellar spiders are long-legged spiders with bodies that range in size from 6 to 10 mm. Cellar spiders hang upside down in their webs.