Subject: It’s a tick, it’s a spider, it’s a ??
Location: Lawton, Oklahoma
June 11, 2013 1:04 pm
Dear Bugman,
My son and I are very curious about a bug we found in our house. I have found 3 live ones and two dead in a week. One was on our curtain and the rest on the floor. They have eight long legs, not as long as a daddy long leg, more like a spider. They also appear to have one abdomen which is brown on the back and a tan color underneath. They appeared after my husband sprayed our yard and mowed the grass. He says they are much too big to be ticks. Any help would be appreciated! Thank you!
Signature: Matlock Family
Dear Matlock Family,
You are correct that this is not a Tick. This is a Harvestman in the Arachnid order Opiliones. Distantly related to Spiders, Harvestmen do not have venom. The Daddy Long Legs you mentioned is another name for one group of Opiliones. See BugGuide for more information on Harvestmen.