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Cellar Spider (Pholcidae)
Identify it, prevent it, and know when to call. A South Florida guide from Pro-Spray.
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What Is a Cellar Spider?
Cellar spiders are the long-legged spiders many people call "daddy longlegs." They hang upside down in loose, irregular webs and, when disturbed, shake rapidly so they blur. They eat other insects and even other spiders. The main complaint is the cobwebby look they give garages, high ceilings and lanai corners.
How to Identify Them
A tiny body on extremely long legs is the giveaway. Harvestmen, the other "daddy longlegs," have one round body segment and live outdoors on the ground. If the spider has a shiny round abdomen and a coarse, sticky web, compare it with the brown widow.
Life Cycle
Females carry their eggs in a loose bundle held in their jaws until the spiderlings hatch. The young stay close for a short time, then spread out and build their own small webs. Cellar spiders are long-lived for spiders and keep reproducing indoors, so in quiet corners the webs can multiply without anyone noticing until the garage ceiling looks gray.
Look-alikes and How to Tell Them Apart
- Harvestmen: one round body section, no silk and no web; mostly outdoors on the ground and on walls.
- Brown widow: round, shiny abdomen with an orange hourglass underneath and a coarse, sticky tangled web; worth checking carefully in garages and under patio furniture.
- Common house spider: more compact, with shorter legs and a rounded, patterned body.
- Crane flies: long-legged too, but they have wings and fly to lights.
Where They Hide in South Florida Homes
Garage ceilings and the tops of garage door tracks, laundry and utility rooms, closets, under bathroom and kitchen sinks, around attic hatches, high corners of vaulted ceilings, and the upper corners of pool enclosures and lanais. Homes that are closed up for the summer often come back to a lot of webbing.
When to Call a Pro
Call if webs return within days of cleaning, if you're also seeing many other spiders or the insects they feed on, or if you're not sure whether a spider in the garage is a cellar spider or a widow.
Signs of Cellar Spiders
- Messy, tangled webs in corners, especially in garages and high ceilings
- Long-legged spiders that vibrate when touched
- Dust-collecting old webs along trim and in closets
Is it dangerous?
- Harmless
Harmless, but their loose webs pile up quickly.
Prevention Tips
- Vacuum or broom webs regularly; persistence works.
- Reduce clutter in garages and storage areas.
- Use yellow bulbs outside to draw fewer of the insects they feed on.
- Lower humidity in closets and utility rooms.
How Pro-Spray Treats Cellar Spiders
We sweep down webs at eaves, garages and entries during service, treat cracks, corners and the exterior perimeter, and target the insects they feed on. Regular quarterly service keeps web buildup down. Our Bug Free Guarantee: If pests come back between visits, so do we, at no extra cost.
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$50 OFF your first service
+ FREE inspection
Then stay protected with our $125 quarterly pest control plan, about $42/month.
New customers only. No code needed and no expiration. Mention this offer when you call or text.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the daddy longlegs the most venomous spider?
Do cellar spiders bite?
Why do the webs come back so fast?
Reviewed October 2026 by Pro-Spray's family-run team
Pests don't wait.
Protect your home today.
Get $50 OFF your first pest service and a FREE inspection & estimate. Ongoing protection is $125 quarterly (about $42/month), with no contracts and no cancellation fees.
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