help! my house is overrun with a million cellar spiders - how do I get rid of the buggers!

[retryy]

First came across these spiders last year in my home. They looked all skinny and didn't bother me the odd one here and there.
Roll on this year and they're taking over my house! I've killed 25 already in 10 days! Is there a way of getting rid of them! They're everywhere!

You know they eat house spiders right?

Rather them than the giant house spiders!

Install a cat.

What's the problem?

Do you have a phobia? They're harmless. Why are you killing them?

Don't kill them - they are charming little creatures. And they eat the big huge house spiders so win win!

I found out they eat house spiders and now actively encourage them

We're moving house soon and I'm tempted to take some cellar spiders with me...

I know they look horrid things but there really is no need to kill them .

I'm sorry but yes I am scared of bloody spiders! I can't stand them! I found one in a saucepan this morning and almost missed it as the pan was black and was about to pour my food in! And their bloody dangly cobwebs just everywhere!

And how can these skinny things eat other house spiders! They don't even move fast and their bodies are tiny!

I had to search cellar spiders as I had never heard of them. You mean Daddy Longlegs! We had them at home when I was a child. They are benevolent. Don't kill them, OP. If you have to, scoop them up gently in your cupped hands and evict them. You really wouldn't like our place now. It's an old house with generations of spiders in every room including some confident and really big 'uns!

Suit yourself OP but you are only going to end up with more spiders.

Thank you @MrsMackesy I didn't want to look them up as I couldn't imagine what horror of spider could eat house spiders!

Daddy long legs aren't spiders! They're just big flies that would rather be outside, but when inside are quite handy.

Seriously keep them. They will keep your giant house spider and false widow spider population right down. I hate other spiders, but can happily pick up one of these things, as they are so unspider like.

If you still don’t want to keep them, but don’t want to pick them up, put a large glass over them, slide a bit of paper or card under and then take them outside and release them, don’t kill them.

There are spiders called daddy long legs spiders that have nothing to do with crane flies

@MaggieFS theres also a type of spider called daddy long legs, same family as the gangly harvestman spiders.

Oh. Well that's confusing. So these ones aren't crane flies but are a spider?

They are so awkward and gangly. Peas with legs.
I do wonder how they get hold of and eat the massive hairy house spiders. Not sure I fancy googling it though.

I call crane flies ‘daddy long legs’, they are not the same thing as cellar spiders. I think it’s one of those things that are maybe regional? A bit like how woodlice are known by different names depending on where you live, different long legged beasties are awarded the name ‘daddy long legs’ depending on where you live.

I am sorry for people who suffer actual arachnophobia but the general squealing about spiders on MN and constant talk of killing them is pretty dismal.

I have this constant fight in my house 🤣 I am under the assumption they stop/
Eat/ discourage other spiders- and living in Australia- hunstman spiders scare the crap out of me, so I'll keep the spindly legged buggers around hoping that's true!!

I think you can even buy long handled spider catchers if handling them is an issue - or use pp's glass and paper tip for free. Personally I quite like the cute little tickle you get in your hands when evicting them and I've brought the DC up to be the same. They find spiders and other insects fascinating. It's similar with butterflies and large moths. We get a lot of those in at this time of year to evict gently too. Don't be too hard on the little critters, OP. They are useful to us in the home and birds, frogs and lizards feed on them outdoors.

I hate spiders, but can cope with cellar spiders knowing they deal with the big bastard ones.

I also call crane flies daddy long legs BTW.

I have them too. I never kill spiders but we are over run with them. DH is removing several a day just from dds bedroom and I am removing lots too.
They also make lots of fluffy white web.
Ours moved in last year and have vastly multiplied.

The RSPB also refers to them as crane flies / daddy long legs!

www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/other-garden-wildlife/insects-and-other-invertebrates/flies/cranefly/

I am phobic of spiders too op but I have trained myself to accept these are not real spiders - their bodies are wrong, they are generally slow moving and they do indeed eat the big ones. In fact one did just that in my daughters bedroom one night when she was asking me to get rid - after seeing it in action she also decided that they are not real spiders and welcome to camp out so long as they keep a distance if there is a way you can learn to live with them great. If not they are pretty easy to catch in a (large) glass and evict without damaging them, no need to go straight to killing them.

One thing about them is that, unlike most spiders, they don't recycle their Web once they are done - they just move on to a new one. Hence finding lots of dusty cobwebs building up!