The Web Is Freaking Out Over This No-Kill Spider Catcher

Some people use bug spray, others use a boot but there's a more humane way to catch spiders.

My Critter Catcher has been making videos about its product since 2012, but since Insider picked up on it and posted a video of the amazing arachnid eliminator on its Facebook page on April 12, it has gone viral, receiving over 61 million views and over 800,000 shares.

So what gives this device a leg (or eight) up? It’s the insect-friendly invention’s brilliantly benevolent nature. Instead of killing a spider (or wasp, grasshopper, roach, scorpion or any of the other pests the gadget’s site claims to be able to nab) this product allows one to catch and release. The no-kill device is also appealing to people who have a fear of creepy crawlers, being that it’s on a 25.5-inch-long stick, which offers plenty of distance between human and bug.

My Critter Catcher, which resembles one of those grabbers used by the elderly, consists of a handle, and the stick, which has a circular brush on the end of it. To get rid of a tiny unwanted house guest, you squeeze the nozzle, opening the brush, place it over the insect and then let go, like so:

Once the creature is trapped in the brush’s bristles, you can take it outside, squeeze the handle again and release it back into the wilds of your backyard:

“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,” Tony Allen, My Critter Catcher’s inventor, wrote in the patent.

According to an article written by Linda S. Rayor, assistant professor of Entomology at Cornell University in How Stuff Works, killing spiders is bad news. The fierce hunters help keep the ecosystem in check by eating insects -- despite their creepy appearance which freaks some people out..

In fact, Allen, was inspired to make his product because his son was afraid of spiders, according to Business Insider.

Who knew a phobia could be flipped into an Internet phenomenon?

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