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Why you should NEVER kill daddy long legs - the important reason to set them free


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Charley Webb says she 'nearly cried' at crane fly

Keeping your free of these quick-moving insects can be tricky all the time windows and doors are left open. While you may be enjoying the late summer breeze as the humid weather continues through September, it makes your home an accessible and inviting environment for daddy long legs. Killing these harmless bugs is unnecessary and also damaging to the food chain - but how can you banish daddy long legs from your home while keeping them alive?

While spiders are common creepy crawlies in the late summer, daddy long legs are a less harmful bug that finds its way onto the walls and ceilings of our homes.

Even the smallest of spiders can cause irritating bites leaving us swollen and red, making it hard to resist wanting to squash them when found on tables and surfaces.

Despite their spidery-looks , daddy long legs are actually a a large type of cranefly according to the Wildlife Trust.

Their harmless nature means that the long-legged beings pose no threat to your house or the people in it - so hold back on squishing these spindly creatures.

READ MORE: Mrs Hinch fan shares how to get rid of fruit flies ‘once and for all’

Crane fly/ daddy long legs and starling bird in tree

Why you should NEVER kill daddy long legs - the important reason to set them free (Image: GETTY)

Daddy long legs on corner of ceiling

Why you should NEVER kill daddy long legs - Daddy long legs eat dead insects (Image: GETTY)

Why you shouldn't kill daddy long legs

Despite their rather unnerving presence in the home, daddy long legs can serve many uses in the home.

They are not only beneficial for biodiversity in your home garden, but also for their omnivore appetite.

As omnivores, these long-legged and delicately winged creatures act as natural vacuums for other insects.

Daddy long legs on wooden fence

Why you should NEVER kill daddy long legs - daddy long legs are beneficial to your home (Image: GETTY)

Letting daddy long legs stick around in your home may benefit you in the long run.

Not only do they act as vacuums for other insects like spiders and ladybugs, but they are also great for clearing up fungus and other nasty particles in your home.

These wall-jumping insects are ideal for ridding your home of:

  • Spider
  • Aphids
  • Dead insec
  • Fungus
  • Bird droppings
  • Worms
  • Snails

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Infographic on world largest spiders

Why you should NEVER kill daddy long legs - the important reason to set them free (Image: THE EXPRESS)

While these harmless insects have little trouble catching other bugs and spiders around your home, they can be tricky to catch themselves.

Keeping your home free from pests like the daddy long legs is easily done with just one sheet of paper and an empty glass.

If you catch them while stationary on a wall or a flat surface, this is a good way to guide them out of your home.

Setting daddy long legs free into your garden allows them to thrive - though beware of their egg-laying tendencies on your garden lawn.

Speaking on the this evening on BBC Two, Said: "Birds love leather jackets and they’ll eat it, crane flies birds eat... I think we just have to accept these things.”

Starling eats bug in trees

Why you should NEVER kill daddy long - birds eat daddy long legs (Image: GETTY)

Great for birds…

Freeing any daddy long legs you find in your home is the kindest way to rid them from inside your property if you really can’t bear the thought of them in your home.

Though it may seem like your home is full of them at this time of year, preserving the declining species is essential for the environment and food chain.

Crane flies, like the renowned daddy long legs, are a very important food source for a range of birds including starlings, golden plover, ruff, and grouse.

  • A lack of crane flies is thought to play a huge part in the decline of the starling, whose breeding numbers have fallen by more than 50 percent in 25 years.

Speaking to the Guardian, Matt Shardlow, of the UK insect charity Buglife explained: "Crane flies are an important part of a healthy ecosystem.

They are food for birds, bats, hedgehogs and many other animals and some crane flies are highly endangered and conservation priorities in their own right."

Key facts about daddy long legs

Adult daddy long legs only live for five to 15 days so even if they are crawling through your home, they won’t be around for long if left alone.

They are attracted to light so it's best to turn one light on in a dark room if you’re on a rescue mission to release them back outdoors.

The most common type of crane fly/daddy long legs in the UK is the Tipula paludosa, although there are over 300 different species.