Are you wondering what do cellar spiders eat? Well, luckily, they aren’t poisonous. In fact, they’re even good mothers! Read on to learn more about these common critters. In addition, you’ll learn about their feeding habits, which are important to their survival. As a bonus, you’ll learn a bit more about their behavior and avoid letting them take over your home!
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Cellar spiders aren’t poisonous
These tiny arachnids live in damp and dark places. They have long, thin legs, a small body, and are difficult to spot. They are a common pest in New York and Long Island and aren’t poisonous. Their webs are often covered in dirty cobwebs. This means they aren’t dangerous, and you can leave them alone. Despite the name, cellar spiders aren’t poisonous and rarely bite humans.
They don’t sting
The fact that cellar spiders don’t sting is a good thing, because these little creatures are much more agile than their cousins, the widow spiders. Although they don’t sting, their webs are quite profuse and unsightly. In addition, they are not very social animals. In fact, they only live together during mating season. But despite their lack of venom, you may want to avoid them if you can.
They are good mothers
Cellar spiders are good mothers, and they tend to wait to lay their eggs until they have food available. Once the eggs hatch, the mother takes care of the spiderlings for nine days. Once they have shed their pre-nymph skins and become fully-grown spiders, they move on to build their own webs. In contrast, the orb weaver abandons her egg sacs before the spiderlings emerge.
They aren’t poisonous
Despite their fangs and venom, cellar spiders aren’t poisonous to humans. In fact, their fangs are similar to those of the brown recluse spider. However, they’re much smaller and therefore cannot harm humans. As such, it would take a substantial amount of venom to injure a human. Nevertheless, cellar spiders are still considered a pest, even if they’re not toxic.
They aren’t harmful
If you’ve ever wondered why cellar spiders are in your house, you’re not alone. They are an incredibly common pest in most homes. Unlike other types of spiders, they prefer dark, damp spaces. They often hang upside down from ceilings and wall-to-ceiling corners. The best way to avoid them is to keep your home clean and dry and replace exterior white lighting with sodium vapor lights. To keep these spiders from getting inside your home, seal cracks in your foundation, door and windows.
They build loose, irregular webs
Although it may be hard to believe, cellar spiders build loose, irregular webs that are visible to humans. These webs are often found in dark and damp recesses of homes. They are often found in unoccupied areas of buildings, in loose bark, or under rocks. The spiders feed by entangling prey in their webs, sucking it up. Then, they drop the prey to the ground.
They live in caves
There are many types of cellar spiders. Many of them have long, hairy legs, and the legs can be more than two inches long. They usually have yellowish brown bodies, and have two sets of three eyes. The largest species is the Artema atlanta, which is eleven millimeters long. This species was introduced to North America and currently lives in a small area of Arizona and California. Another common species, Pholcus phalangioides, is found throughout the world.
