How To Get Rid Of Daddy Long Legs

Harvestmen, often called “daddy long legs,” are generally harmless—they don’t bite or spread disease—but they can become a nuisance if they congregate in large numbers inside or around your home or business. If you want to manage them on your own, here’s a thorough, practical approach:

Prevention and Exclusion

Seal entry points: Inspect doors, windows, vents, and cracks in the foundation. Use caulking, weatherstripping, and door sweeps to prevent harvestmen from entering.
Repair screens: Make sure window and vent screens are intact. Even small gaps can allow them in.
Reduce outdoor attraction: Harvestmen like cool, damp areas with plenty of cover. Clear leaves, mulch, and debris away from the building perimeter. Trim back shrubs and vegetation touching walls.
Turn off lights at night when possible: Outdoor lights attract insects, which in turn attract harvestmen that feed on them.

Mechanical Control

Vacuuming: For indoor infestations, the quickest solution is a vacuum. Harvestmen are easy to remove this way, and the vacuum can prevent repeated encounters. Dispose of the bag or empty the canister outdoors.
Sweep and remove: In garages, basements, and storage areas, sweeping them into a dustpan and releasing them outside is effective if the numbers are small.

Environmental Adjustments

Reduce humidity: Dehumidifiers in basements or crawl spaces make the environment less hospitable.
Declutter: Remove stacks of boxes, firewood, and other hiding places indoors.
Remove food sources: While harvestmen primarily eat small insects and decaying organic matter, reducing other pests indirectly limits their food supply.

Chemical Options (Optional)

Insecticidal sprays: Use pyrethrin-based insecticides around entry points, corners, and baseboards. Always follow label instructions.
Residual perimeter treatments: Outdoor sprays along foundation lines can prevent harvestmen from entering, but this is usually a last resort for home users.

Regular Monitoring

Keep an eye on seasonal influxes (harvestmen often enter buildings in fall and spring). Early removal prevents large gatherings.

For most homeowners or business owners, the best approach is a combination of exclusion, habitat modification, and mechanical removal (vacuuming or sweeping). Pesticides are rarely necessary unless infestations are severe or persistent.

The Best Way To Get Rid Of Daddy Long Legs

Hiring our professional pest control for daddy long legs (harvestmen) is often the most effective, long-term, and stress-free solution for both homeowners and business owners, even though these arachnids are harmless. Here’s why our professionals are the best option:

Expert Identification and Assessment

Correctly identifying the species: While harvestmen are harmless, many people confuse them with venomous spiders. Our professionals can accurately identify the pest and rule out more dangerous spider species.
Assessing the source and scope: Our professionals can locate entry points, breeding areas, and favorable harborage sites that a typical homeowner might overlook, ensuring a more thorough solution.

Targeted and Effective Treatments

Precision application: Our professionals use insecticides or residual sprays in the correct concentration and locations to maximize effectiveness while minimizing risk to humans and pets.
Long-lasting results: Our professional treatments often include barrier applications around the structure and strategic indoor treatments that prevent re-entry, not just a one-time kill.
Integrated pest management (IPM): Our professionals combine chemical, mechanical, and environmental control methods, offering a multi-pronged approach that is far more effective than DIY methods alone.

Prevention Expertise

Structural evaluation: Our professionals can identify and repair small gaps, cracks, or weaknesses in the building’s exterior that are common entry points for harvestmen.
Environmental management: We can advise on modifying landscaping, reducing moisture, and removing potential outdoor harborage areas, which helps prevent repeat infestations.

Safety and Convenience

Safe chemical use: Handling insecticides improperly can be harmful. Our professionals are trained to use products safely and according to local regulations.
Time-saving: Removing harvestmen in large numbers, especially in commercial buildings or larger homes, can be time-consuming and repetitive. Our professionals do the heavy lifting efficiently.

Long-Term Peace of Mind

Reduced recurrence: DIY methods often only address visible harvestmen, not the underlying causes of infestation. Our professional treatments reduce the likelihood of repeat problems.
Documentation for businesses: For commercial properties, our professional services can provide records showing proactive pest management, which may be important for inspections or liability purposes.

While harvestmen are harmless, our professional pest control is the best way to get rid of them because it ensures accurate identification, thorough treatment, long-term prevention, and safety, saving you time and stress.

Get Rid Of Daddy Long Legs With Miche Pest Control

Hiring our team of professionals at Miche Pest Control is an investment in long-term protection, expertise, and peace of mind. Here’s why:

Personalized Service and Local Expertise: We know the specific pest pressures in the area—such as seasonal rodent activity, regional ant species, or local termite threats. Our technicians understand the environment, climate, and building types common to the area, allowing them to provide targeted, effective treatments.
High-Quality, Comprehensive Solutions: As a full-service provider, we doe’t just treat surface problems; we address the root causes. From inspections and prevention to exclusion and ongoing maintenance, we deliver complete, integrated pest management (IPM) programs designed to both eliminate infestations and prevent future ones.
Accountability and Reliability: We live and die by our reputation. We rely on trust, referrals, and repeat business, meaning we're committed to doing the job right the first time and providing exceptional customer care.
Faster Response Times: We respond quickly to emergencies and schedule services sooner than large, national chains. Especially when you’re dealing with urgent pest issues like rodents or wasps, that speed matters.
Customized Treatment Plans: We tailor our services to your property’s specific needs instead of using one-size-fits-all chemical treatments. This results in safer, more effective pest control that minimizes environmental impact and reduces unnecessary pesticide use.
Highly Trained, Experienced Technicians: We invest in training, certification, and continuing education for our technicians. We stay current on the latest pest biology, control techniques, and safety standards.
Long-Term Prevention and Value: Our focus on providing quality service means fewer callbacks, longer-lasting protection, and better value over time. Instead of repeated, temporary fixes, you get strategic solutions that protect your home or business for the long run and provide better peace of mind.

Hiring our team means you get expertise you can trust, faster service, safer and more effective treatments, and long-term results that protect both your property and your peace of mind. Contact us today!