This is not to be confused with organisms with similar physical appearances, such as the crane fly - an insect - and harvestmen of the arachnid order Opiliones. All of these spiders are known for their characteristic long legs, which can range from 5 to 6 times the size of their bodies. phalangioides shares ancestry with roughly 1,340 similar cellar-spiders such as the granddaddy long-legs spider, carpenter spider, and vibrating spider. A member of the genus Pholcus in the family Pholcidae, P. in the basement, garage, or other dark areas.Pholcus phalangioides was first described in 1775 by the Swiss entomologist Johann Kaspar Füssli. Also, consider using tightly sealed plastic boxes to store seldom-used items like boots, baseball mitts, skates, etc. Inside, keep clothes and shoes from piling up on the floor and shake them out before putting them on. Make sure to wear gloves when moving the wood, and inspect it carefully before bringing any indoors. Additionally, it’s good practice to consider using a dehumidifier in basements, cellars and crawl spaces, since cellar spiders thrive in moisture.īe sure to store firewood at least twenty feet from the home on a raised structure to deter spiders – and plenty of other pests – from hiding out in the wood. Consider using yellow light bulbs for exterior lighting, as that may reduce the number of cellar spiders and other insects that are typically attracted to white-light sources. To keep cellar spiders from entering your home in the first place, seal cracks around the foundation of your home with a silicone-based caulk. Adult cellar spiders usually live for about two years. There are five molts before the spiderlings reach full maturity – a process that takes one full year. The emerging spiderlings often cling to their mother for a short time. The females then carry the egg sacs around with them in their mouths until the eggs hatch, as opposed to resting them in their web like other spider species do. The cluster of eggs gives the sac the appearance of an unripe blackberry. The sacs are created from a thin layer of silk that is see-through. They can hitch a ride in on you, a package, even in groceries so how you got them could be a mystery but not surprising.įemale long-bodied cellar spiders may produce up to three egg sacs each containing 13-60 eggs throughout the course of their life. Within these structures, cellar spider webs are usually found in dark and damp places, including but not limited to the corners of eaves, windows and ceilings in cellars, basements, crawlspaces, and garages. Not the spider you have?Ĭellar spiders construct loose, irregular webs in areas with higher relative humidity and moisture, such as homes, sheds, barns, and warehouses. So, you can have a spider exterminator come in to help, but that pest control company should be taking care of the other pests as well. Any spider in your house means their food is there. As such, the “daddy longlegs” nickname also applies to harvestmen, but, by contrast, these arachnids have oval bodies that are more reddish in color compared to cellar spiders. Long-bodied cellar spiders are also similar in appearance to harvestmen – which are arachnids, but technically not spiders – given their equally noticeable, lengthier legs. They have a cylindrical abdomen that is about three times longer than it is wide. Cellar spiders also have eight eyes that are arranged into two widely spaced lateral groups of three each and two eyes in between. Like all arachnids, cellar spiders have eight legs however, theirs are very elongated and thin compared to other spiders. Adult male long-bodied cellar spiders have a body length of about ¼”. Adult female long-bodied cellar spiders have a body length of about ¼-5/16” with front legs about 1 ¾-1 15/16” long. All cellar spiders have oval-shaped bodies that range in color from pale yellowish to light brown or gray.
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