Cellar Spiders

Are Cellar Spiders Harmful?

Cellar spiders, often known as Pholcidae, are generally not considered harmful in terms of direct interactions with humans. They do not bite or cause significant damage to structures or belongings. However, there are a few indirect ways in which they might be considered a nuisance or potentially harmful, depending on the context:

• Psychological Impact: For some individuals, the presence of cellar spiders can cause distress, particularly if they have a fear of spiders (arachnophobia). The webs they create can also be unsightly, especially in areas where they are abundant, such as basements, attics, or storage spaces. This could lead to a perceived "infestation," contributing to discomfort in the affected space.
• Health Concerns (Potentially): While cellar spiders are not dangerous to humans through bites (they lack the ability to penetrate human skin with their fangs), they may occasionally carry bacteria from their environment. These bacteria, if spread by contact with the spider or its webs, could theoretically pose a minor health risk, particularly in spaces where food is stored. However, the likelihood of such a health threat is minimal.
• Damage to Property: Cellar spiders spin webs in corners, crevices, and hidden areas, which might accumulate dust and debris over time. While the webs themselves do not cause direct structural damage, excessive webbing might be considered a nuisance in areas that require regular maintenance or cleaning, such as in kitchens or dining areas.

Cellar spiders are generally harmless in terms of direct physical harm to humans or structures, but they may contribute to psychological discomfort, cleanliness issues, and potential minor health risks through the indirect spread of bacteria.

Learn more: Do Cellar Spiders Bite?

Cellar Spider Removal

Getting rid of cellar spiders is important for several reasons, particularly from both a health and property standpoint:

• Indirect Health Concerns: Cellar spiders themselves are not considered dangerous to humans—they rarely bite, and their venom is not harmful to people. However, their presence can indicate underlying pest problems. These spiders often feed on other insects such as flies, mosquitoes, and even other spiders, which may themselves carry bacteria or allergens. In large infestations, their webs can accumulate dust, debris, and allergens, potentially exacerbating respiratory issues for sensitive individuals.
• Nuisance and Property Issues: Cellar spiders are prolific web builders. Their irregular, sticky webs accumulate in corners, basements, attics, and crawl spaces, often in areas that are difficult to clean. Over time, these webs can become unsightly, dust-laden, and sticky, leading to increased cleaning and maintenance requirements. For property owners, a visible spider infestation can also be off-putting to visitors or tenants, affecting the perceived cleanliness and value of a home or building.
• Population Growth and Infestation Potential: Cellar spiders reproduce quickly. A single female can lay multiple egg sacs, each containing dozens of eggs. This can lead to a rapid increase in population if conditions are favorable, particularly in damp, dark areas like basements or crawl spaces. The larger the population, the more webs, debris, and potential attraction of other pests to the area.
• Indirect Attraction of Other Pests: While cellar spiders feed on other insects, a heavy spider population can indicate that other pests—such as flies, ants, or cockroaches—are present and abundant. This means that the spiders are not the root problem; the underlying pest issue needs to be addressed. Ignoring cellar spiders may allow this ecosystem of pests to persist or worsen.
• Psychological Impact: For many people, the presence of spiders—especially when they appear in large numbers or in inconvenient places—can cause anxiety or discomfort. Even if the spiders are technically harmless, their webs and movement can create stress for household members.
• Potential Structural Concerns: While cellar spiders themselves don’t damage property, the accumulation of webs, especially in corners, on vents, or in crawl spaces, can attract moisture and dust. Over long periods, in combination with other environmental factors, this can contribute to minor structural degradation or exacerbate mold and mildew growth.

Eliminating cellar spiders is important not just to remove the nuisance of webs and spider sightings, but also to reduce allergens, prevent the population from exploding, and address underlying pest issues that may attract them. An effective approach usually combines reducing humidity, sealing entry points, removing webs, and controlling the insect populations that sustain them.

Learn more: How To Get Rid Of Cellar Spiders

Cellar Spider Control

Hiring our professional pest control for cellar spiders is generally recommended for several practical, safety, and long-term reasons:

• Accurate Identification: Cellar spiders (often called “daddy longlegs” spiders) are generally harmless to humans, but other similar-looking species may be more problematic. Our professionals can accurately identify the species and determine whether treatment is necessary. Misidentification could lead to unnecessary pesticide use or ineffective control.
• Targeted and Effective Treatment: Our professionals have access to specialized products and methods that are more effective than over-the-counter sprays. We know how to treat hidden spider habitats, such as basements, crawl spaces, and dark corners, which homeowners often miss.
• Many treatments involve residual sprays, dusts, or long-term barrier applications that prevent spiders from returning, something DIY approaches often fail to achieve.
• Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Approach: Our professionals don’t just spray—we analyze why these spiders are present. Cellar spiders feed on other insects, so a heavy infestation may indicate an underlying insect problem. Effective control often requires addressing the source of food and shelter, not just the spiders themselves. IPM strategies might include sealing entry points, reducing moisture, decluttering, and controlling other pests—creating a long-term solution rather than a temporary fix.
• Safety: Our professional pest control minimizes exposure to chemicals. While cellar spiders themselves are harmless, some pesticides used incorrectly can be toxic to humans and pets. Our trained technicians know safe application techniques and the proper chemicals for indoor use.
• Preventive Measures: Our professionals can implement preventative treatments that make your home less attractive to spiders in the future. This can include perimeter sprays, sealing gaps, and advising on moisture control—all of which reduce spider populations over time.
• Time and Peace of Mind: Cellar spiders can reproduce rapidly if conditions are favorable. Our professional intervention saves you time, reduces the chance of reinfestation, and provides peace of mind knowing the problem is being addressed comprehensively.

While cellar spiders are usually not dangerous, our professionals can handle infestations more efficiently, prevent recurrence, and ensure treatments are safe and appropriate. Especially if you have a large or persistent infestation, our professional pest control is the most effective and reliable solution.

Cellar Spider Exterminators

Hiring our local exterminators rather than a national pest control company for cellar spider infestations is significantly more effective. Here's why our local experts deliver better results:

• Knowledge of Local Ecosystems and Spider Behavior: Our local exterminators understand the specific species of spiders prevalent in your region, their breeding cycles, and their preferred hiding spots. Cellar spider populations can vary based on local climate, humidity, and building types. National companies use a standardized approach that often overlooks regional differences, resulting in incomplete or temporary solutions. For instance, in our damp climates, cellar spiders thrive in basements, crawl spaces, and poorly ventilated attics. Our local technicians will know exactly where to inspect and treat.
• Customized Treatment Plans: National chains frequently rely on generic “cookie-cutter” treatment protocols, treating every home similarly regardless of its specific construction, layout, or infestation level. Our local exterminators tailor our treatments based on your home’s design, moisture conditions, and infestation severity, targeting the spiders’ actual nesting and hunting areas rather than applying broad-spectrum sprays that may only kill a fraction of the population.
• Faster Response Times: Our local team can usually schedule services more quickly and respond faster in emergencies. If you notice a sudden increase in webs or spider sightings, our local exterminators can arrive promptly, sometimes even the same day or within 24-48 hours, whereas national companies often have longer wait times due to centralized scheduling and high customer volume.
• Ongoing Support and Follow-up: Effective cellar spider control often requires follow-up visits to ensure the infestation is fully eradicated, particularly because these spiders reproduce quickly. Our local exterminators provide flexible, personalized follow-ups and are more accessible for questions or additional treatments. National companies often have strict service windows, less personalized follow-up, and delayed communication, which can allow spiders to rebound.
• Cost-Effectiveness: Our local exterminators usually provide more competitive pricing than national chains, without the overhead of national marketing and corporate management. We also provide free inspections, upfront quotes, and our treatments are tailored to the actual level of infestation.
• Focus on Integrated Pest Management (IPM): Our local exterminators use an IPM approach—combining exclusion, habitat modification, humidity control, and targeted chemical treatment—rather than just relying primarily on sprays. This reduces the likelihood of recurring infestations and limits over-exposure to unnecessary chemicals, creating a safer environment for your family and pets.
• Accountability and Reputation: Our local exterminators rely heavily on word-of-mouth and our local reputation. Our success and reliability are directly tied to our standing in the community. National companies, while reputable, operate on scale and often treat clients as numbers rather than as homeowners needing precise solutions. Our local team is more invested in long-term results and customer satisfaction.

Our local exterminators combine regional expertise, faster service, personalized follow-ups, and cost-effective, tailored solutions, which leads to more permanent and safer control of cellar spiders than a national chain.

Cellar Spider Solutions

Our exterminators use Integrated Pest Management (IPM) to control cellar spiders because, while these spiders are generally harmless, they can become a nuisance when their webs accumulate in homes, basements, garages, and other indoor areas. IPM begins with a thorough inspection to identify spider activity, web locations, and environmental conditions that attract them, such as moisture, clutter, dark corners, and abundant prey like insects. Management strategies focus on habitat modification by reducing clutter, improving ventilation, controlling moisture, and minimizing insect populations to make areas less hospitable for cellar spiders. Physical controls, such as careful web removal and exclusion methods, help limit their presence, while targeted insecticide applications are applied selectively in areas with persistent activity. Ongoing monitoring allows our exterminators to track populations, assess the effectiveness of control measures, and prevent reinfestation. By integrating inspection, habitat management, selective control, and monitoring, IPM provides a long-term, safe, and environmentally responsible approach to managing cellar spider populations.

What Do Cellar Spiders Look Like?

Cellar spiders, or Pholcidae, have distinctive physical characteristics that set them apart from other spiders. Here is what cellar spiders typically look like:

• Body Size: Cellar spiders are generally small to medium-sized spiders, with their body length ranging from 2 to 10 millimeters.
• Long, Slender Legs: The most noticeable feature of cellar spiders is their exceptionally long and delicate legs. These legs can be several times the length of their body. The legs are often banded or speckled in appearance.
• Body Shape: The body of a cellar spider is elongated and cylindrical, often appearing pear-shaped with a narrow waist. The abdomen is typically more rounded, while the cephalothorax (front part of the body) is narrower.
• Coloration: Cellar spiders can vary in color, but they are commonly pale or light brown, with some species exhibiting darker markings or patterns on their bodies. Their coloration helps them blend into their surroundings.
• Spinnerets: At the rear end of their abdomen, cellar spiders have small, noticeable spinnerets that they use to produce silk for web construction.
• Web Structure: Cellar spiders build irregular, messy, three-dimensional webs that are often found in dark and secluded areas, such as cellars, basements, and corners of rooms. These webs are typically loosely constructed and serve as both hunting grounds and protective retreats.
• Behavior: When at rest, cellar spiders often hang upside down in their webs, waiting for prey to become entangled. They may shake or vibrate their bodies rapidly when threatened, creating a blurry image that helps deter potential predators.

Cellar spiders' long legs and distinctive web structures make them relatively easy to identify once you become familiar with their appearance. Despite their somewhat intimidating leg span, these spiders are harmless to humans and are more of a help than a hindrance as they control insect populations around your home.