The question of whether “daddy long legs” consume ants is complicated because the common name refers to multiple, distinct arthropods. In North America, the term usually describes one of two arachnids: the Harvestman (Order Opiliones) or the Cellar Spider (Family Pholcidae). Answering the question requires clarifying which creature is being discussed, as their diets, anatomy, and interactions with ants are entirely different. The true answer reflects the varied feeding habits of these two long-legged groups.
Clarifying the Identity of Daddy Long Legs
The widespread confusion surrounding the name “daddy long legs” stems from its application to three different groups of animals, only two of which are arachnids. Harvestmen (Opiliones) are not true spiders; their cephalothorax and abdomen are broadly joined, making the body appear as a single, oval structure. They have only two eyes, often mounted on a central turret-like structure, and they do not produce silk or possess venom glands.
Cellar Spiders (Pholcidae), conversely, are true spiders, characterized by a body distinctly separated into two segments and typically having eight eyes. These spiders weave the messy, tangled webs often seen in dark corners of basements and cellars. A third creature also called a “daddy long legs” is the Crane Fly (Tipulidae), a long-legged insect irrelevant to ant predation.
The Harvestman Diet and Interaction with Ants
Harvestmen are classified as opportunistic omnivores and scavengers, meaning their diet is highly flexible and includes a wide variety of food sources. Their diet consists largely of small, soft-bodied invertebrates, decaying plant and animal matter, fungi, and fruit. Their mouthparts, known as chelicerae, are pincer-like claws used for grasping and tearing food into small pieces, which they consume as solids.
Unlike spiders, harvestmen do not actively hunt and subdue prey with venom; instead, they forage for food on the ground or on vegetation. If an ant is already dead, injured, or immobilized, a harvestman may scavenge its body using its chewing mouthparts. Live, aggressive ants are generally avoided because their hard exoskeleton and defensive capabilities make them difficult prey.
The Cellar Spider Diet and Interaction with Ants
Cellar Spiders are active predators that construct webs to capture their prey. These spiders possess fangs and venom glands, which they use to subdue insects and other arthropods entangled in their irregular, non-sticky webs. Their hunting strategy involves using silk to wrap their prey, often before or immediately after injecting venom.
Cellar Spiders do consume ants if the ants blunder into their webs and are successfully wrapped, though ants are not a preferred food source due to their defensive chemicals. The spiders’ diet is dominated by flying insects, such as mosquitoes and gnats, and notably includes other spiders, which they actively hunt by invading other spiders’ webs. Ants are within the range of potential prey, but they must first be caught and overcome by the cellar spider’s silk-wrapping technique.
Summary of Predation and Common Misconceptions
The answer to whether “daddy long legs” consume ants depends entirely on the species referenced. The Cellar Spider is the more likely predator of live ants caught in its web, while the Harvestman acts as an occasional scavenger of dead ants. This distinction relates to a pervasive misconception: the myth that they are highly venomous but cannot bite humans.
This is an urban legend that is false for both arachnids. Harvestmen possess no venom whatsoever, lacking the necessary glands and fangs, and pose no threat to humans. Cellar Spiders are venomous, but their venom is mild, effective primarily against small insects. Furthermore, their fangs are generally too small or weak to pierce human skin. Neither creature is a danger to people.