While the sight of a spider in your home may be bad enough, the thought of attempting to capture it and re-home it safely outside can be terrifying for those who suffer from arachnophobia.
A novel idea by a Clondulane inventor has gone viral around the globe, allowing people to safely capture spiders and place them outside without fear of hurting the animal or getting too close to it!
Tony Allen, who resides in the Mill House in Clondulane, designed the critter-capturing device over a decade ago as his son had a fear of spiders and he spent years attempting to remove them from his room.
The device works like a litter-picker, scooping up the spider with bristles and holding it in place, until you release the trigger and let the spider go free somewhere less obstructive.
While the product has been around for several years – it won the gold medal with distinction at the Geneva Inventors Show back in 2006 – a recent article in Insider, a UK-based media outlet, caused the invention to go viral. A video posted online by Insider has been viewed over 93 million times since April 12.
“Many people regard the presence of insects such as spiders inside a building as a nuisance. However, many such people do not wish to kill the insect and would prefer to have a convenient and simple way of disposing of the insect without killing it,” Mr Allen said of his product.
The spider catcher retails at around €12 and can be purchased from a variety of sites, including www.spidercatcher.net.
