Daddy long legs cannot kill you, and none of the creatures that go by that name is a real danger to people.1Burke Museum. Myth: A “daddy-longlegs” is a kind of spider2Burke Museum. Myth: Daddy-longlegs would be deadly but… The name covers three unrelated animals, and only one of them has venom at all.3UF/IFAS Extension Manatee County. A Tale of Three Daddy Long Legs – UF/IFAS Extension Manatee County That makes the popular story, that they are the world’s most venomous spider held back only by weak fangs, a myth rather than a near miss.
Three Different Creatures Share One Name
Most Americans who spend time outdoors use the name for harvestmen, long-legged ground-dwelling creatures found outside.4Burke Museum. Myth: A “daddy-longlegs” is a kind of spider People in Britain, some Canadians, and some southeastern Americans mean the crane fly, a long-legged insect.5Burke Museum. Myth: A “daddy-longlegs” is a kind of spider People who mostly see them indoors usually mean the cellar spider, a true spider that hangs in webs in basements and corners.6Burke Museum. Myth: A “daddy-longlegs” is a kind of spider
The name stuck because all three have a tiny body and very long, stilt-like legs, so people grouped them by outline rather than by biology. They belong to different groups entirely: a spider, a non-spider arachnid, and an insect. Similar shape says nothing about shared traits like venom.
- Harvestman: one oval body with no waist, two eyes, never builds a web, usually found outdoors.7Missouri Department of Conservation. Daddy Longlegs (Harvestmen)
- Cellar spider: two body sections, tiny body on very thin legs, sits in a messy web indoors.8Better Termite & Pest Control. Cellar Spider vs Harvestman (Daddy Long Legs): 5 Differences9Missouri Department of Conservation. Cellar Spiders
- Crane fly: an insect with wings and six legs that looks like a giant mosquito and often bumps around lights.
Location is the first clue. A creature dangling upside down in a web in a basement corner is almost certainly a cellar spider. One walking across a deck, wall, or garden with no web is usually a harvestman. Anything that flies is a crane fly, since neither arachnid has wings. Counting body parts settles it: harvestmen look like a single bead, spiders like two.
Both can turn up indoors, though. A harvestman that wanders into a garage or basement can fool you, and it may rest on a wall near a web without being in it, so place and posture are not a guarantee. Check the body: a cellar spider has a small rounded abdomen behind a separate front section. If you can safely look closely, its legs usually look hair-thin and bend sharply, and it often hangs motionless below its web.
The famous myth is usually told about harvestmen, which have no venom at all. The only daddy long legs with venom is the cellar spider.
Where the Deadly Venom Myth Came From and Why It Is Wrong
The story says daddy long legs are extremely venomous but their fangs are too short to pierce human skin. Both halves fail. Cellar spiders have venom like almost all spiders, and there is nothing special about it.10Burke Museum. Myth: Daddy-longlegs would be deadly but… Its effect on insects is not unusually strong.11Burke Museum. Myth: Daddy-longlegs would be deadly but… Lab tests on crickets found cellar spider venom about as strong as that of other related spiders, not exceptional.12PubMed Central. Not so Dangerous After All? Venom Composition and Potency of the Pholcid (Daddy Long-Leg) Spider Physocyclus mexicanus
Against a black widow, there is no contest. When mice were injected with venom from cellar spiders or black widows, black widow venom had a much stronger effect.13Department of Entomology. Are daddy longlegs really the most venomous spiders in the world? Cellar spider venom does not come close.14MythResults. MythBusters Episode 13: Buried in Concrete, Daddy Long-legs, Jet Taxi
“Venomous” also says less than it sounds like. Almost all spiders have venom, yet very few can harm people. Venom strong enough to subdue a small insect is not automatically dangerous to a large animal. A spider’s danger depends on venom strength and how much it can deliver, and cellar spiders are low on both. They don’t rely on a powerful bite anyway: they throw long strands of silk over prey from a distance, which lets them tackle animals bigger than themselves.
The fangs are short, about a quarter of a millimeter long and much smaller than those of similar-size spiders.15Bay Nature. Can Daddy Long Legs Kill You? The Truth About Their Venom They are also hooked.16Wikipedia. Pholcidae On a television test, a cellar spider did bite through a man’s arm.17MythResults. MythBusters Episode 13: Buried in Concrete, Daddy Long-legs, Jet Taxi The only result was a very mild, short-lived burning feeling.18MythResults. MythBusters Episode 13: Buried in Concrete, Daddy Long-legs, Jet Taxi The corrected version of the myth is not “it could kill you but can’t bite.” It is “it can bite, and the bite is mild.”
Harvestmen and Crane Flies Cannot Bite You
Harvestmen are not spiders. They have no venom glands and pose no danger to humans.19Wikipedia. Opiliones They have no silk glands either, so they never build webs.20Missouri Department of Conservation. Daddy Longlegs (Harvestmen) When disturbed, they release a strong-smelling fluid from glands near the front of the body, and in some species this fluid contains irritating chemicals.21Wikipedia. Opiliones22PubMed Central. Benzoquinones from scent glands of phalangiid harvestmen (Arachnida, Opiliones, Eupnoi): a lesson from Rilaena triangularis The fluid is aimed at small predators such as ants and beetles, not at people. Handling one may leave an odd smell on your fingers but no injury. Wash your hands after picking one up and keep them away from your eyes.
A harvestman has no fangs or stinger, so a child who touches one is not at risk of being bitten or stung. Show children to be gentle, since pulling on a leg makes it detach and the animal cannot regrow it.
Crane flies do not bite people, pets, or anything else.23BugIdentifier.Org. Crane Fly Bite: Why They Can’t & What Bit You Their mouthparts are so simple that many adults can barely feed or have no working mouthparts.24BugIdentifier.Org. Crane Fly Bite: Why They Can’t & What Bit You25Merlin Environmental. Why Do Crane Flies Fly at You None of them feed on blood or attack people.26SGVmosquito. What you need to know on World Crane Flies Day
What a Cellar Spider Bite Feels Like and What to Do
Cellar spider bites are rare.27Insectio. Cellar Spider Bite — What Are the Symptoms? When one happens, expect a brief mild sting, slight local redness, and little or no swelling.28Insectio. Cellar Spider Bite — What Are the Symptoms? Any itching is mild and usually fades within minutes to a few hours.29Insectio. Cellar Spider Bite — What Are the Symptoms? It feels like a pinprick or a mild mosquito bite.30Insectio. Cellar Spider Bite — What Are the Symptoms?
They are rare because cellar spiders stay in their webs and flee or shake rather than attack. A bite usually requires pressing or trapping the spider against skin.
In the first minutes, wash the spot gently with soap and water, then leave it alone, because the sting fades quickly without treatment. A cool damp cloth can calm the burning or itch if it bothers you, and an over-the-counter antihistamine can ease itching.31Las Vegas Pest Control. Cellar Spider Bite: Symptoms & Treatment Options Keep a loose watch over the next day. Mild redness that shrinks is the expected course. A bite that spreads, worsens over days, or comes with fever is likely something else and worth showing a doctor. Allergic reactions are possible with any bite, so watch for unusual swelling or breathing trouble.
Bites from ordinary spiders are often misdiagnosed as bites from more dangerous spiders.32Montana State University Extension Service. Spider Identification and Management A serious-looking wound is unlikely to come from a cellar spider. A bite you did not see happen is hard to assign to any particular animal, since fleas, mosquitoes, bed bugs, and skin conditions can all look alike. It is more credibly a cellar spider’s if you felt it while pressing or brushing against one and saw the spider right then. Wounds that blister, turn dark in the center, or keep growing point to another cause and deserve a medical look.
Should You Kill Daddy Long Legs in Your Home
Cellar spiders eat gnats, flies, moths, mosquitoes, and other spiders.33Russell’s Pest Control. Are Cellar Spiders Good? | Should You Kill Cellar Spiders? They can eat dangerous spiders such as black widows and hobo spiders.34Truly Nolen. How to Get Rid of Cellar Spiders35Hawx Pest Control. Cellar Spider Facts & Information A few in a basement can help keep other pests down.36Russell’s Pest Control. Are Cellar Spiders Good? | Should You Kill Cellar Spiders?
Killing them is a poor trade. Spraying a cellar spider removes a predator of the pests you actually dislike, and insecticides add chemical residue to indoor spaces where children and pets spend time.
The downside is the webs, which can build up and be hard to tolerate.37Truly Nolen. How to Get Rid of Cellar Spiders Cellar spiders reuse and extend them, so dust-covered strands pile up over months and look worse the longer you leave them. Leaving them alone makes the most sense in places you rarely use, such as a basement corner or a crawl space. In living areas, regular brushing or vacuuming of webs discourages new ones and keeps things tidy.
To remove one, place a clear cup over it, slide a stiff card beneath the rim, and carry it outdoors. Release it near a sheltered spot such as a wall or woodpile, since a cellar spider dropped in the open is exposed. It may return from the same entry point, so sealing gaps afterward does more than repeated removal.
You can also keep numbers down without killing anything. Reduce clutter and dark corners where webs collect, seal gaps around windows and doors to cut the insects they hunt, and lower humidity in basements, which reduces their prey.
A harvestman that wanders in can be carried back to the garden, and crane flies need no treatment. Neither needs pesticide, since neither harms people.