Turbo Spider Catcher

Kittyfrisk

Thought I'd share this adapted spider catcher hack.

I tried several spider humane vacuum catchers, but they were all too feeble or broke too soon.
I don't mind spiders generally, but when they are of the size & speed of the type that I regularly get, I had to do something.

So I took the plastic tubes from the crap battery device, fitted some ultra fine stainless mesh over one end secured with rubber O rings & added the magic ingredient, a Dyson cordless vacuum.
Result, something that can pull bees and flies out of the air, suck up the smallest & largest of UK spiders without harming them and they don't make it into the main chamber/bin, just detach the tube & drop the bugs outside.
Plus, its a proper bloke sized unit, my brother in law loves it 

sev112

What are you doing at the weekend?...

Kittyfrisk

Cheeky 
Probably still clearing up a recent massive cluster fly outbreak 
Rural life is not all it's cracked up to be 

ICBM

That's neat. I have a turbo spider catcher too... this one is not mine, but it looks just like it in spider detection mode.

















It auto-converts to launch mode and then the spider is gone.

Kittyfrisk

^ I had two. They would rush up to the big spiders, stop, have a close look & then let the spider run away.

ICBM

Kittyfrisk said:

^ I had two. They would rush up to the big spiders, stop, have a close look & then let the spider run away.

Spiders and moths are the only thing mine hunts. And other cats... he's pretty useless otherwise, which is actually a good thing for the local wildlife.

I quite like spiders and moths too, so I'd prefer it if he was even more useless really.

Sassafras

You do know spiders usually make their way back to where you found them?
They're like hairy evil looking crawling homing pigeons. 

Sassafras

ICBM said:

Kittyfrisk said:

^ I had two. They would rush up to the big spiders, stop, have a close look & then let the spider run away.

Spiders and moths are the only thing mine hunts. And other cats... he's pretty useless otherwise, which is actually a good thing for the local wildlife.

I quite like spiders and moths too, so I'd prefer it if he was even more useless really.

I like spiders in the garden but as soon as they come in uninvited they've signed their death warrant.

Kittyfrisk

^ Yeah, its a game we play.
Some of mine are big enough to put GPS tags on, but that wouldn't be sporting 

axisus

I'm old school. Glass and a bit of card.

Iamnobody

axisus said:

I'm old school. Glass and a bit of card.

I’m older school and just use my hands  - being very careful not to hurt their little legs.

The Mrs is shit scared and unfortunately has passed that onto the kids. I could see it coming and did everything with them - helping me removing them letting them stroke them etc!

Unfortunately her fear was stronger...

Spiders kill flies and should be a welcome guest in any house.

ICBM

Iamnobody said:

I’m older school and just use my hands  - being very careful not to hurt their little legs.

Spiders kill flies and should be a welcome guest in any house.

Small ones I pick up in my hands, but the big ones are too fast and difficult to catch without risking injuring them. I rescue them with an old Seymour Duncan pickup box and a card if I see them before the spider killer does... MrsICBM and the kids have been trained to as well, although they're all 'scared' of spiders.

Sassafras

I know spiders kill flies but not without spinning webs all over the house so you end up living in a Halloween house of horror.
It's not like they shoot them on the wing.

sw67

My wife’s 2 cats murder and eat anything that gets in the house. Flys , spiders , moths , butterflies seem to be their favourite but they  like the odd mouse or bird 

hywelg

What's wrong with your hands?

It's not as though we have black widows here.

axisus

Iamnobody said:

axisus said:

I'm old school. Glass and a bit of card.

I’m older school and just use my hands  - being very careful not to hurt their little legs.

er yeah ...... did I mention that I have an irrational fear of spiders! Actually fear is probably too strong a word, but I get more & more uncomfortable as they get bigger. 

Iamnobody said:

The Mrs is shit scared and unfortunately has passed that onto the kids. I could see it coming and did everything with them - helping me removing them letting them stroke them etc!

Unfortunately her fear was stronger...

I made 100% sure not to show any dislike of spiders when my kids were growing up, we always showed them the captured spider in the glass and they would come and see as we let them out in the garden. Worked for us, they are all OK with spiders and 3 of my kids will just pick them up to throw out.

I had a pal who's mum would freak out at the merest sight of spiders when he was growing up, and he said that she definitely passed it on to him so I really wanted to avoid that.

Sassafras

I once shot a spider from about 50 feet away with a BSA Scorpion air pistol with fixed sights. I got it square in the body, death was instantaneous. Not a bad shot even if I say so myself.

ICBM

hywelg said:

What's wrong with your hands?

It's not as though we have black widows here.

No, but we do have 'false widows', which although nowhere near as dangerous as the real thing are possibly wise to be wary of.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steatoda_nobilis

Sassafras

Cats are bloody useless. They kill birds that don't come in the house and just play with insects and mice that do come in the house.
Useless freeloading bastards.

Iamnobody

axisus said:

Iamnobody said:

axisus said:

I'm old school. Glass and a bit of card.

I’m older school and just use my hands  - being very careful not to hurt their little legs.

er yeah ...... did I mention that I have an irrational fear of spiders! Actually fear is probably too strong a word, but I get more & more uncomfortable as they get bigger. 

Iamnobody said:

The Mrs is shit scared and unfortunately has passed that onto the kids. I could see it coming and did everything with them - helping me removing them letting them stroke them etc!

Unfortunately her fear was stronger...

I made 100% sure not to show any dislike of spiders when my kids were growing up, we always showed them the captured spider in the glass and they would come and see as we let them out in the garden. Worked for us, they are all OK with spiders and 3 of my kids will just pick them up to throw out.

I had a pal who's mum would freak out at the merest sight of spiders when he was growing up, and he said that she definitely passed it on to him so I really wanted to avoid that.

I tried really hard - overcompensating for the wife. It worked for a time as well, you did better than me!

The kids are not quite as bad as their Mum and are more likely to use a cup and card removal technique but still have an unhealthy fear.

The wife just screams and leaves the room. 

PhilW1

Iamnobody said:

I’m older school and just use my hands  - being very careful not to hurt their little legs.

The Mrs is shit scared and unfortunately has passed that onto the kids. I could see it coming and did everything with them - helping me removing them letting them stroke them etc!

Unfortunately her fear was stronger...

Spiders kill flies and should be a welcome guest in any house.

I used to do this too, with a smile on my face and a carefree attitude to stop the kids being frightened,, while screaming like a baby on the inside !