Quick Facts About Daddy Longlegs
- Common Names: Daddy longlegs, granddaddy longlegs, harvestmen
- Scientific Group: Opiliones
- Number of Species: More than 6,500 worldwide
- Related To: Spiders, ticks, mites, and scorpions
- Not True Spiders: They do not produce silk or venom
- Beneficial Role: Predators, scavengers, and decomposers
- Active Season: May through November
- Most Common in Fall: Often seen in large groups around harvest time
- Control Needed?: Rarely necessary
You see them almost every day, but very little is known about daddy longlegs, also called grandaddy longlegs or harvestmen. While not true spiders, they are related to spiders (Figure 1). Daddy longlegs belong to a group called Opiliones, which contains over 6,500 different species. The common name, daddy longlegs, likely came about because of their small oval body and long legs, and the name harvestman because they are most often seen in large numbers in the fall around harvest time (though they can be seen from May to November).
Figure 1. Daddy longlegs are a group within the arachnids, which also include spiders, acarids (ticks), and scorpions.
Photo courtesy of Encyclopedia Britannica
Daddy Longlegs Identification and Description
While they have eight legs and an outward appearance of a spider, daddy longlegs lack two of the most important features that make a spider a spider: silk production and venom.
Daddy longlegs do not have spinnerets (which spiders have) to produce silk and make webs, nor do they have venom glands in their mouthparts (which spiders have and use to quickly kill and digest prey).
An urban legend states that the daddy longlegs are the most poisonous spiders in the world, but their fangs are too small to penetrate human skin (and they’re not even true spiders!). This is not true, as they do not have venom glands or fangs, so they cannot (and will not) bite you.
Daddy longlegs have mouthparts similar to those of crabs or scorpions that are used to hold prey while they eat.
How Daddy Longlegs Defend Themselves
To protect themselves, daddy-longlegs produce a pungent odor most predators find distasteful.
Legs easily break off, and this ability to break off legs is similar to the ability of lizards to break off a portion of their tail if being attacked by a predator.
Dislodged legs may continue to twitch, which can serve as a distraction to predators.
Figure 2. The Eastern harvestman, Leiobunum vittatum, is common in South Carolina. This one is missing a front leg.
David Coyle, ©2026, Clemson Extension
Daddy Longlegs Life Cycle and Habits
The body of most adult daddy longlegs is about 1/16 to 1/2 inch long, oval, with very long legs.
Males and females tend to have smaller bodies, though females have longer legs.
The second pair of legs is the longest, and they are used as a sensory structure, similar to the way insects use their antennae.
Daddy Longlegs Reproduction
Females lay their eggs in soil, under stones, or in cracks in wood.
Eggs are laid in the autumn and hatch in the spring.
Daddy Longlegs Lifespan
In the northern areas of the United States, daddy longlegs live for only one year.
In South Carolina and the rest of the Southeast, daddy longlegs can overwinter as adults and live for up to two years.
What Do Daddy Longlegs Eat?
Daddy longlegs are generally beneficial.
They are omnivores and have a very broad diet that includes small insects, including plant pests such as aphids.
Daddy longlegs also scavenge for dead insects and other carcasses and will eat feces and other organic material.
Where Are Daddy Longlegs Found Around Homes?
In the fall, they can become a nuisance when they congregate in large clusters on trees and homes, usually around eaves and windows.
Additionally, they can be found in damp crawl spaces, unfinished basements, and garages.
Rarely are daddy longlegs encountered inside finished, living spaces of homes.
Daddy Longlegs Control and Prevention
Since daddy longlegs are beneficial predators and scavengers in nature, control is rarely necessary.
The clustering behavior occurs only during the fall and for a brief period.
Daddy longlegs do not damage structures when they cluster.
How to Remove Daddy Longlegs
If control is necessary due to many daddy longlegs (that might be considered unpleasant), insecticide sprays labeled for exterior use on spiders can be applied directly to daddy longlegs found outdoors.
However, in nearly all situations, chemical control is not necessary.
Most daddy longlegs can be removed from structures with a vacuum or broom.
Sources
- Goodnight ML, Culin J. 2025. Arachnid. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/animal/arachnid. Accessed 28 November 2025.
- South Carolina Forestry Commission. 2013. Daddy longlegs.
Originally published 10/04
