A ‘daddy longlegs’ up close Wouter De Praetere via Unsplash
I’m quite proud of how far I’ve come with accepting house spiders.
They’re not going to hurt us, after all, and though we might see more of them in autumn than any other time of year, they’re not “coming indoors” – they’ve likely always been there, and cannot usually survive outside.
But I confess I’m not so zen about craneflies – the winged, giant mosquito-looking critters I’ve always known as “daddy longlegs”.
These flitting, eerily spindly insects are terrifying for a reason. As a child, playground chatter had it that they carry the most powerful venom of any spider, yet they can’t break our skin to administer it.
But is that true?
Wrong on both counts, experts say
Speaking to HuffPost UK, ecologist, conservation scientist, and entomologist Professor Adam Hart of the University of Gloucestershire said this myth is wrong on more levels than I expected.
Firstly, he told us, craneflies “aren’t spiders”.
“They are in the same insect group as house flies and mosquitoes,” he said.
And not only do they not bite or sting people, but they “are not venomous in any way” – never mind being the most venomous spider in the world.
Granted, some people – especially those in America – use the term daddy longlegs for other species, like cellar spiders and harvestmen.
Harvestmen have poison (not venom), which they spray all over themselves when attacked, but this can only kill insects and spiders – and is far from the most powerful toxin in the world.
Cellar spiders can bite and do have venom, but not enough to kill us. The British Arachnological Society said “this species presents absolutely no danger to humans or to pets”.
Why do craneflies exist?
Though I find the creatures – which apparently love to fly in your face for no reason other than looking menacing – petrifying, Prof Hart points out that they have their place in the ecosystem.
Especially during the start of the colder season, he said, when they can help to provide a vital food source for birds and pollinators.
“They are totally harmless and provide a huge energy boost for insect-feeding birds and mammals at a difficult time of the year,” he shared.
They can also reveal the health of an ecosystem. More craneflies might mean a more diverse and flourishing natural environment, the Natural History Museum said.
“But,” Dr Hart conceded, “they can be really annoying! Keep windows shut and they will mostly stay outside.” You don’t have to tell me twice.
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