The average life span of an adult daddy long legs can vary from 223-774 days and in that time the female may produce from two to eight egg sacs containing a mix of fertilised and unfertilised eggs.
After a pair mates in the autumn, the female uses her long ovipositor to lay her eggs in a cleft in the soil. The eggs hatch with the warmth of spring. Many species of daddy longlegs live less than one year, though some may survive for several years.
Other fun facts about the Daddy-Long-Legs spider
Despite their cannibalistic tendencies, Daddy-Long-Legs spider mothers are very caring and protective of their young. After laying her eggs, the mother spider will wrap them in silk and carry them in her mouth for three weeks.
"They're not looking for shelter, they're out looking for a mate and then looking to lay eggs, they end up in houses because their favourite habitat is short grass and we have lawns." Daddy long legs lay eggs in the ground which can sit for a year. They grow, hatch out of the shell and pop out of your lawn.
Female daddy-longlegs lay their eggs in soil, under stones, or cracks in wood. The eggs are laid in the autumn and hatch in the spring. In the northern areas of the United States, daddy-longlegs live for only one year.
You should avoid killing daddy longlegs, not only because there are alternative ways to move them along without harming them, but they also prey on smaller insects and so work to our advantage when it comes to insect control.
Food sources: Daddy long legs feed on decaying plant matter and small invertebrates, so if you have a lot of dead leaves or other organic matter around your home, this can attract them. They may also be attracted to areas with a lot of insects, as these are a food source for many species.
These arachnids are not known to bite humans and are not considered dangerous to either the health or structure of your home. Because harvestmen are considered beneficial pests, it's ok to leave them be if you find them lurking around your house.
Daddy long-legs are very beneficial to a house or home. They are omnivores and eat insects, other spiders, pests such as aphids, dead insects, fungus, bird droppings, worms, and snails. They are great to have in a house or garden.
If you sprinkle boric acid in places where daddy longlegs enter your home you should be able to repel or kill them. Boric acid has crystal-like microscopic particles which make tiny cuts on the insects.
Although the daddy long legs is one of Australia's most common and frequently seen spiders, it isn't native to Australia and was accidentally introduced to this country from Europe many years ago.
How long do craneflies or daddy long legs live? The adult cranefly is only alive for around two weeks and its main purpose is to mate and lay eggs. Dr Erica McAlister, a fly expert at the Museum says, 'Most adults have a life span of 10-15 days but there is variation across the species.
A species of spider called Pholcus phalangioides which is found in cellars, basements and dark corners of houses. It's also called the Daddy Long Legs spider or Cellar spider.
Daddy longlegs are prone to drying out, he says, so bunching together allows them to create a microenvironment. “It's kind of like body heat, but it's body humidity,” he says. “They are huddling together to maintain that.”
Some species abseil
Some spiders find the creases in your blanket a very appealing place to snuggle up. If your bed is against a wall, spiders such as Steatoda grossa (false widow) or Pholcus phalangioides (the daddy-long-legs spider) are likely to build a web down the side.
Spiders, of all varieties, also hate the smell of peppermint, so try spraying peppermint oil along your door frames to deter them.
Yet despite their apparent harmlessness, Daddy-long-legs have little trouble catching, wrapping and killing much larger Huntsman spiders. They have even been known to catch Redback spiders and Funnel-web spiders, both of which are far larger and more toxic than the Daddy-long-legs. So, what's their secret?
Daddy longlegs can secrete a glue-like substance they use to trap prey, similar to how a spider spins a web to catch unsuspecting critters. They are most dormant during the day but will come out at night to hunt small bugs and arthropods such as ants, aphids, worms, and beetles.
According to an old French peasant legend, seeing a daddy longlegs in the evening is a good thing, foretelling good fortune, happiness, and hope.
The Daddy-long-legs Spider feeds on insects and other spiders.
To keep daddy long legs out of your home, trim plants away from your house and clean up the wood, trash and other debris around the perimeter of your house. Seal cracks and crevices around your foundation, windows, and doors, and repair broken screens so they have no way of entering your home.
A spider species known to frequently infest homes is the Cellar Spider, also commonly called Daddy Long Legs. This spider earned its descriptive (yet unoriginal) nickname due to their very long and thin legs.
Daddy long legs spider - Pholcus phalangioides
A large spider, but with a very small greyish body and long thin legs. They prefer the warm and constant temperatures of our homes, garages and sheds, and are rarely found outdoors as they cannot survive winter temperatures.