Daddy Long Legs
Daddy Long Legs are spider kind of insects which very closely resemble spiders. This is because of their eight legs and spider-shaped body but they have not been classified as actual spiders. They belong to family “Phalangiidae” and are also known as Harvestmen.
HOW TO IDENTIFY DADDY LONG LEGS
Appearance:

Daddy Long Legs. By I, Alvesgaspar, CC BY 2.5
Daddy Long Legs have small, one-segmented, oval shaped body which measures 5/16 – inch in length. They have a pair of eyes and thin hair like eight legs. The reason behind such a name is their appearance and having legs much bigger in size as compared to their body. Their second pair of legs is longer than others and functions as their taste and smell organs.
Behavior:
Behavior which makes a distinction between Daddy Long Legs and true spiders is that they are unable to spin silk webs, which is a characteristic feature of spiders. Moreover, they have two eyes contrary to the unique eight eyes of spiders. They have small weak fangs which are incapable to pierce through the human skin. Their tendency to gather together in rural areas during harvesting time gives them the name of harvestmen.
Mostly they live outside and hide on trees, under leaf litter, logs or under rocks but if the outside conditions are too hot and dry, they invade houses in which they hide in basements, attics, crawlspaces and other dark and secluded places. They aren’t dangerous for humans, but their ability to gather in large numbers and rapidly increase in their population is a real nuisance for any home.
They usually feed upon small insects like flies, small ants and sometimes take in carcasses and feces.
Signs:
Daddy Long Legs usually hide in dark corners and aren’t seen crawling in homes, but you can witness them at night moving around. They live in clusters and create big hair-like masses which can be seen in basements, near shady trees or in crawlspaces. They produce a nasty odor, and in case of serious infestation the unpleasant smell will guide you about the Daddy Long Legs’ presence.