4/15/2024 0 Comments Long body cellar spider up closeWhen food is scarce, cellar spiders have also been known to eat each other too. This particular spider feasts on small moths, flies, mosquitoes, and other insects and small pests. Not only dwelling in these spaces, cellar spiders also nest in crawlspaces, closets, attics, rock piles and other environments that are both dark and offer plenty of humidity. They live primarily in basements and cellars, which is how they earned their name. Living for around two years on average, cellar spiders prefer to build their nests in close proximity of each other, creating web communities. Constructing loose and irregular shaped webs, cellar spiders hang upside down in them as they wait for their prey. Both species have medium-sized eyes, bodies up to 8 mm long, and a colour that is grey, light brown or pale yellow. Also, a cellar spider has much slimmer legs than the brown. It’s known for having extremely long legs and a relatively small body, which should be noted immediately. The brown recluse has a much thicker body and head, while the cellar spider’s body is much different. Long-bodied cellar spiders have a 2-inch leg span while the short-bodied variant has a 1/2-inch leg span. The first and most obvious difference is the body size of the animal. However, for large infestations, it is best to contact a professional pest control service to remove these pests effectively.Generally speaking, there are two cellar spider species in Canada – long-bodied and short-bodied. If you spot any cellar spiders or their webs around your home, you can use a vacuum to remove them, making sure to empty the debris into a sealable bin. However, they are generally considered a pest and can be an alarming sight for anyone with arachnophobia. They do not actually cause structural damage to homes or other buildings, or pose health risks to humans. Commonly Asked Questions How worried should I be about cellar spiders?Ĭellar spiders can live for about two years and produce up to 60 offspring. Mature adults enjoy a lifespan of approximately two years. Instead of attaching eggs to webs, walls, or other surfaces, cellar spiders hold the sacs with their mouthparts until the eggs hatch. Each generation may yield 13 to 60 offspring at a time. Females produce as many as three egg sacs over the course of their lifetime. Life Cycleįrom egg to adult, immature cellar spiders take about one year to fully develop. They target insects, other spiders, and small invertebrates, particularly ants. Like most spiders, cellar spiders are beneficial creatures that prey on other pest species. The long-legged spiders also prefer higher levels of humidity. Found year-round in heated structures, the pests like to dwell in cellars, warehouses, basements, crawl spaces, garages, caves, and other dark and quiet environments. Habitat, Diet, and Life Cycle HabitatĬellar spiders derive their name from their preferred habitat. Normally, they simply hang up-side-down, waiting for insects to wander into their web. This behavior serves to disorient a predator or threat. Manage humidity levels with dehumidifiers, ensure proper ventilation of cellars, seal cracks around doors and windows, change your outdoor lighting to yellow. The Long-bodied Cellar Spider can be seen bouncing on its own web to make itself harder to see by blurring itself to the observer. How to prevent Cellar Spiders from invading Especially large infestations may require treatment with appropriately labelled pesticides by a pest management professional. Keep an eye out for new webs that indicate further cellar spider activity. Vacuum up any webbing and adults, and empty the vacuum bag or canister into a sealable trash bin. Cellar Spiders RemovalĬellar spiders are particularly easy to remove from buildings with the assistance of a vacuum cleaner. Additionally, the sight of adult cellar spiders lingering in dark, quiet, and musty locations around the building and surrounding property points to an infestation problem. Spotting loose or haphazard webbing, especially in corners, indicates the presence of cellar spiders. Where many species consume old spider webs before spinning a new one, cellar spiders continue to add to existing webs. Webs left by cellar spiders contribute to their status as nuisance pests. Colouration ranges from pale tan and yellow to grey. The abdomen of the cellar spider is three times greater in length than width and cylindrical in shape. Including the length of the legs increases the total length of the body by more than six times. Longer than most other spider species, the cellar spider ranges from 7 to 8 mm in length, not counting the legs.
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