In this article, I’ll be giving you tips on how to get rid of daddy long leg spiders.
Have you come across a certain specie of spiders that are thin, soft, and have very long legs? If you have, then you have been acquainted with the daddy long leg spider.
These species do not harm humans so don’t be afraid. However, they can be annoying, especially when they are gathered in groups.
Keep reading!
About Daddy Long Leg Spiders
The first thing you need to know is that they aren’t even spiders. Yes, they look like spiders but they lack two major spider abilities –
- They cannot spin webs
- They cannot inject venom
The above abilities make spiders what they are, physical appearance aside.
These bugs are known for gathering and storing food and other debris, which is why they are popularly called “harvesters”.
You can find them in cracks, crevices, and damp areas, in and out of the home. Shaded areas are their preferred hiding spots.
They do not bite humans or other large mammals, their fangs are too soft to even penetrate. Rather, they feast on a wide range of other insects, including aphids (which is a plant pest).
They don’t mind eating an insect that’s dead already. Don’t be shocked if you find them eating bird droppings too, that’s among their favorites!
How To Get Rid Of Daddy-Long-Leg Spiders
Now that you have a fair idea about these bugs, you can prepare to get rid of them using the information you have gathered.
Follow these tips –
First Locate Them
Before you fight them, you have to first find them.
Unfortunately, daddy long leg spiders do not leave any traces behind. As I have mentioned before, they do not have the ability to the web like the regular spiders, so don’t expect to find any.
The only way you will know they are around is if you see them.
The good news is, there are certain types of places they love relaxing. These include cracks in the walls, damp areas under the sink or bathtub, and trash bins.
If you come across just one, then inspect the above-mentioned areas to see if there are more.
Remove Moisture From Your Home
Since these insects love moisture, it eliminating all moisture from your house would be a no-brainer.
Look for pipes that are leaking and get them fixed. These would mainly be found in your kitchen and bathroom.
Get under the sink and tighten up all loose ends. Replace broken pipes if you find any and make sure the area remains dry at all times.
Take Out The Trash Regularly
Daddy long legs love feasting on other smaller insects, so if the trash bin in your home is always filled with junk or decaying organic matter, then there is a big chance there will be lots of insects in there.
During the hunt for food, an insect-filled trash bin is one of the places the daddy long leg spider will visit. The longer the trash stays in your home, the more insects will creep in and the more frequent the spiders will visit.
Take out the trash every day and make sure they are unattractive to the spiders. You can also use a trash bag that seals up tightly so they won’t be able to access the content even if they tried.
All living things will relocate elsewhere in search of food if their current environment can no longer cater to their feeding.
Limit Their Hiding Spaces
You can find daddy long legs hiding inside piles of junk or creeping through cracks in the walls. If you limit the spaces where they can hide, then you will find less of them in your home.
Go to your basement or storehouse and clear out things such as piles of old, dusty books, old clothes, boxes, shoes, etc. The more of these piles you have around the more comfy the spiders will be.
Another place they could be found hiding is within the cracks in your walls. These insects have very long legs, but their flexibility allows them to creep in-between very easily.
Use caulk to seal off all the spaces you find. Do a thorough sweep of the house to make sure you close all cracks completely.
Leaving them with nowhere to live is a major step to getting rid of them.
Use Glue Traps
This is one of the most effective means of gathering up these bugs. Glue traps work very well against many crawlers, daddy long legs inclusive.
In case you are not familiar with a glue trap, well it’s a factory-made foldable board that has a type of glue on the upper-facing surface, while the bottom is dry. It is common and very available.
Go to a nearby store an buy one (or more) if you have a daddy long leg infestation.
Place the boards along with the areas where they are most active and give it some time. Come back the next day to see what your glue trap has caught.
If the trap is filled with Daddy long leg spiders, then properly dispose of them and place the board (or boards) in the same areas where they formerly were.
You can place the traps around cracks, under the sink, beside the trash bin, and any other area that is dark or damp.
Pick Them Up
If you have a phobia for insects, then this will not work for you. However, if you don’t mind holding a bug, then you can simply pick them up one by one and put them in a jar.
Not to worry, these insects do not bite nor inject venom so they are very safe to carry.
Looking for them and picking them up would take some time so you may need some help. If you’ve got kids that don’t mind, then they can help you locate and catch them.
Make it fun by turning it into a game, whoever has the most daddy long leg spiders in the jar wins!
Swat Them
This is probably the most traditional method of killing house bugs. Get a fly swatter and softly strike the bugs as you come across them.
Daddy long-leg spiders are very soft insects, and a little tap will kill or maim them. Swat as many as you can find and gather them up. You could sweep them into a dustpan and properly dispose of.
You can also put the dead spiders into an empty jar and properly dispose of them.
Remove Bird Droppings
As I have mentioned earlier, these insects love feasting on bird droppings, so if you have a pet dove, pigeon, or parrot in the home, then be sure to clean their cages regularly.
Their droppings can attract the bugs, but a clean cage will mean a lower occurrence of the bugs.
Use Commercial Chemical-based Insecticides
If the tips mentioned above aren’t working fast enough for you, then you can employ the use of heavier ammunition in the fight against daddy long leg spiders. The ammunition is a commercial chemical-based insecticide.
Walk to a pesticide store near you to get one. Take it back home and spray around the areas where they are commonly found.
Using chemical-based insecticide is the quickest way to kill them. Upon contact, the daddy longlegs will be dead in minutes. The only problem with this is – a chemical-based insecticide is harmful to humans too, but only if it isn’t handled carefully.
Read the instructions on the container before you use it. Also, make sure none of your kids or pets can have access to it when you store.
On your part, you should put on some protective gear to keep you from touching or inhaling it. A pair of gloves, goggles, and a nose mask should do. Also, wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water after you’re done spraying.
Make An Organic Insecticide
Organically made Insecticides have become popular over the years. You can make one too and use it to kill daddy long leg spiders.
There are several variations of recipes, one of which is a combination of garlic and hot peppers.
To make this organic insecticide, you will need about 3 cloves of garlic and a handful of hot pepper (depending on the quantity of insecticide you plan to make).
Use a blender and grind them up using a blender (add a quart of water). Leave the solution to sit overnight, then pour it into a spray bottle.
Visit the areas where the bugs are hiding and spray them directly. Garlic is very dangerous to insects and the hot peppers would make the effects unbearable. They will be dead in no time.
The advantage of using garlic/hot pepper spray solution is that it isn’t harmful to kids or the environment, it only gets rid of the daddy long leg spiders.
Conclusion
There you have it. Follow the tips above to get rid of them.
I trust this article on how to get rid of daddy long leg spiders has been helpful.
Take care!