Many people make this mistake. Vacuuming up a spider, intentionally or not, is never a good idea… We explain
Autumn is here, and with it, our eight-legged friends are returning to our homes. Yes, you may have started to find spiders in your home. These little creatures love to find refuge in every corner of the house, especially when the temperatures drop. If you are one of the 40% of French people who panic at the sight of a spider, according to Christine Rollard, a research professor at the National Museum of Natural History in Paris and a spider specialist, interviewed by the magazine Psychologiesyou may have over the years opted for a radical method: the vacuum cleaner!
This is a mistake and it is high time to put an end to this belief. Put away your pseudo-weapon of mass spider destruction today! While this method may seem practical and quick, it is far from being 100% effective. Too often, the little (or big) beast will manage to get out of your vacuum cleaner more or less quickly. Some spiders will die from asphyxiation from the dust and the power of the suction, but this is not the case for all of them. However, your device can be transformed into a very welcoming home for this little beast.
In the vacuum cleaner bag or in the tank, the spider will be able to feast on your food scraps, even the tiniest crumbs. The surprise guest will then be able to easily survive and reappear a few hours, or even a few days later by following the light at the end of the nozzle of your vacuum cleaner.
Do you clean your vacuum cleaner after each use? Even if it is deprived of its loot, the spider will not be caught off guard. You should know that a healthy spider can survive for a very long time, up to 200 days, without eating because it manages to live on its reserves. This is what Swedish arachnologist Kajsa Mellbrand explains in the magazine Illustrerad Vetenskap. As you can see, vacuuming up spiders to trap them in your vacuum cleaner will have no effect except to make them go into survival mode.
So, how can you get rid of them effectively this fall? Unfortunately, there is no miracle solution. It is not recommended to kill them because they are useful to our ecosystem. In our homes, they will even rid us of certain pests such as mosquitoes, flies or midges.
Here is a simple, ecosystem-friendly and effective method:
- Get a glass and a piece of paper.
- Slowly place the glass over the spider to capture it.
- Carefully slide the sheet of paper under the glass, being careful not to injure the spider.
- Then carry the glass with the spider outside.
- Release the spider far from your home, giving it a second chance in the wild.