A 'daddy longlegs' up close Wouter De Praetere via UnsplashI’m quite proud of how far I’ve come with accepting house spiders. But I confess I’m not so zen about craneflies – the winged, giant mosquito-looking critters I’ve always known as “daddy longlegs”. 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. 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. Advertisement AdvertisementAdvertisement AdvertisementGranted, some people – especially those in America – use the term daddy longlegs for other species, like cellar spiders and harvestmen.