During The Fall In Central Texas, Unbelievably Large Clusters Of Harvestman Spiders Invade Homes Where They Build Many Unsightly Webs That Can Be A Nuisance To Residents
The spiders that are often referred to as “daddy long legs” are the most commonly encountered spiders indoors and outdoors, but despite the ubiquity of these spiders, there exists much confusion about the nature and pest status of daddy long legs. First of all, many arthropod groups are commonly referred to as daddy long legs, including “harvestman,” which is a common name given to an entire order of arachnids. The family of spiders commonly known as “cellar spiders” are also referred to as daddy long legs, and even a family of flies that are known as “crane flies” have been known as daddy long legs for decades due to their excessively long legs.
According to officials with the extension service at Texas A & M, the daddy long legs name can only be properly applied to one family in the harvestman order, and this family is known as Phalangiidae. Second of all, harvestman are not actually spiders at all; instead, harvestman belong to an order of arachnids known as Opiliones. Despite this, the term “daddy long legs” is commonly used by professional entomologists and other experts when referring to both cellar spiders and harvestman. While harvestman are common in homes and buildings all over the world, the abundance and diversity of harvestman species is particularly high throughout Texas where they often become a nuisance around the fall when hundreds congregate into homes.
Texas is unique for being home to multiple endangered harvestman species, and they are particularly common in south and central Texas where many species dwell in caves. Harvestman are frequently spotted grouped together in the corners of basements, cellars, attics and around structural foundations. These arachnids appear delicate and harmless, which they are, but during the fall, harvestman enter homes in tight congregations. This behavior is known as “clustering,” and it can pose a nuisance for residents. The longstanding myth that daddy long legs are highly venomous, but cannot penetrate human skin with their fangs is false, as harvestman do not possess venom glands. However, harvestman can give central Texas residents quite a scare, as a viral video clip posted to Instagram clearly demonstrates. This clip showed a Texas resident removing what he thought was a collection of fur from the corner of his home. Once he had the “furball” in his hands, he suddenly realized that he had just picked up hundreds of clustered harvestman, and surprisingly, this sort of thing happens all the time in Texas, as a similar incident was recounted in a news release not long ago.
Have you ever found “daddy long legs” in your home?
