I've never seen her use it though.Ĭritterz- they do have tiny little mouths, but don't let that or their delicate long legs fool you. They get their water intake when they eat, but I like to keep a damp paper towel piece folded in the corner just in case she wants to go over and grab some water. Keeping a cellar spider as a pet is as simple as it gets. She keeps her very front set of legs pulled way back, almost as if they're a backup to pounce down on her meal should it suddenly come free. The long-bodied cellar spider (Pholcus phalangioides) is a spindly brownish bug with long thin legs and a tear-shaped brown abdomen. ![]() They usually move a little afterwards, then she'll come back in and ferociously use her back legs to pull out silk and wrap the insect up. It's very interesting to watch as she traps her prey, wraps them gently from a distance with her long legs, and when it seems safe to, she gives them a few bites here and there. Since then, I've dropped many insects in her enclosure (clear plastic container with air holes in the top) and she's devoured them all. ![]() I put her and her meal in a container and once she gathered herself, she continued to eat the rest of her meal. Adult long-bodied cellar spiders usually live for about two years.I have a cellar spider that I originally found as she was wrapping up her prey. There are five molts before the spiderlings reach full maturity – a process that takes one full year. The emerging spiderlings often cling to their mother for a short time. Female short-bodies cellar spiders produce a similar egg sac containing 10-27 eggs each that they also carry in their jaws. The females then carry the egg sacs around with them in their mouths until the eggs hatch, as opposed to resting them in their web like other spider species do. The cluster of eggs gives the sac the appearance of an unripe blackberry. The sacs are created from a thin layer of silk that is see-through. As a result, the webs can build up in excessive volume in a somewhat short period of time, creating a noticeable cobweb appearance in the home or building.įemale long-bodied cellar spiders may produce up to three egg sacs each containing 13-60 eggs t hroughout the course of their life. Unlike species that expend their webs and then make new ones, or clean their webs to reuse them, cellar spiders will continue to layer additional, new webs on top of their old ones. These pulsations help to entrap any insects that have approached the web and become the spider’s next meal. When bothered, a cellar spider will repeatedly pulse its body to make its entire web shake. In commercial buildings, cellar spiders tend to spin webs in corners near doors that are left open.Ĭellar spiders prefer to hang upside down in their webs as they wait for prey, which typically consists of other spiders and insects. Within these structures, cellar spider webs are usually found in dark and damp places, including but not limited to the corners of eaves, windows and ceilings in cellars, basements, crawlspaces and garages. in the basement, garage or other dark are as.Ĭ ellar spiders construct loose, irregular webs in areas with higher relative humidity and moisture, such as homes, sheds, barns and warehouses. Also, consider using tightly sealed plastic boxes to store seldom-used items, such as boots, baseball mitts, skates, etc. Inside, keep clothes and shoes from piling up on the floor and shake them out before putting them on. Make sure to wear gloves when moving the wood, and inspect it carefully before bringing any wood pieces indoors. Pholcus phalangioides, commonly known as daddy long-legs spider or long-bodied cellar spider, is a spider of the family Pholcidae. Homeowners should also store firewood at least twenty feet from the home on a raised structure to deter spiders from hiding out in the wood. Additionally, it is good practice to consider using a dehumidifier in basements, cellars and crawl spaces, since cellar spiders thrive in moisture. ![]() Homeowners and business owners should consider using yellow light bulbs for exterior light i ng, as they may reduce the number of cellar spiders and other insects that are typically attracted to white-light sources. ![]() To keep long-bodied cellar spiders from entering structures in the first place, seal cracks around the foundation of homes and buildings with a silicone-based caulk.
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