Is it immoral to hoover up a spider?

Yeah Right · 08-10-2025 01:38PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123887015#Comment_123887015

Spiders need a new PR guy. They're the good guys, who are actively patrolling your house so they can help with getting rid of the others.

They're the good guys.

Mr.CoolGuy · 08-10-2025 01:52PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123888586#Comment_123888586

Saying spiders are the good guys patrolling and getting rid of the others is like saying the local 100 conviction "patriot" is the good guy patrolling getting rid of them foreigners

fatbhoy · 08-10-2025 02:36PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123888586#Comment_123888586

Yeah but they really creep me out. Like really.

JupiterKid · 08-10-2025 02:42PM

Nope, I would hoover up big and horrible house spiders all the time.

As for small or baby spiders, I would usually put them in my hand and put them outside.

Everlong1 · 08-10-2025 02:46PM

Prefer to avoid killing them if possible. I have one of these devices which is handy for catching them and putting them out.

https://www.amazon.ie/Catcher-Grabber-Animals-Capture-Balcony/dp/B0FLJ89D1L/ref%3Dasc_df_B0FLJ89D1L?language=en_IE&mcid=0e5d0bfa6ee43336adb9775626cca08d&tag=ieshopgode-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=743936166681&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=6035356584385669898&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1007850&hvtargid=pla-2441369163970&psc=1&language=en_IE&gad_source=1

ollaetta · 08-10-2025 03:05PM

A friend of mine has a problem with fruit flies in his brown bin. Solves it by shoving the hoover nozzle under the lid and turning it on for a short blast. Murderer!!

randd1 · 08-10-2025 03:08PM

I have to kill them.

I couldn't care less if there was a spider in the house, but herself has extreme arachnophobia, to the point if a spider managed to hide before I could kill it, she wouldn't able to sleep for the night or else she would wake up from nightmares. And I'm not talking big ones either, money spiders are enough to cause her pure terror and panic.

She nearly crashed the car some years back when one fell out of the visor onto her when she was driving, panicked completely and started crying her eyes out.

Unfortunately for some people, it's a very real fear and she's one of those that has it. She's a bit braver now the kids have been born to the point she'll throw something at the them to squash them, but that's about it.

It does mean thought that if one is seen in the house, they have to go to the great web in the sky. I fell bad about doing it, but for her sake (and consequently mine to be honest) I have to kill the poor feckers.

If she's not around, I'll catch them and leave them outside, and stay quiet about it.

mrslancaster · 08-10-2025 04:16PM

Hate spiders. Any seen inside the house are hoovered up and I don’t feel one bit guilty. Tbf, we don’t seem to get as many these days since we started to wipe down doors and windows regularly with a solution of water and vinegar. A few sprigs of fresh rosemary around the place seems to help too. Haven’t tackled the shed yet - there’s probably dozens out there now 😫

magick · 08-10-2025 04:18PM

Normally i dont, but when it comes to giant house spiders in Aug, then its Hoover'in time!

Sleepy · 08-10-2025 05:32PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123888922#Comment_123888922

There's therapy available for that. One of my mates was a similar level of archnophobe (hilariously so, used to scream for his little sister to remove spiders from the house to our great amusement as kids!).

Before going backpacking, he decided he better do something about it since he was going to Australia and got aversion therapy which apparently worked since he's now capable of doing the glass and card thing if he needs to (he'll still get the wife to do it if she's at home but he can do it when he needs to).

Gorteen · 08-10-2025 09:45PM

I'd never vacuum a spider…

Also, I often wondered how many people (like me) open a window and 'guide' a fly/butterfly out rather than try to kill it?

BaywatchHQ · 08-10-2025 11:45PM

I sleep in the spare room if there is a giant house spider in my room. I can cope with the small ones. I actually find spiders quite relatable, they are natural loners like me who many people hate.

Hotblack Desiato · 09-10-2025 02:05AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123888843#Comment_123888843

Got something very similar in Aldi a while back for less than half that much.

greasepalm · 09-10-2025 02:10AM

That sucks

ledwithhedwith · 09-10-2025 02:36AM

They get smacked with a squash racket and then flushed

OneEightSeven · 09-10-2025 05:26PM

Depending on what tools I have available, I either kill them or flip them out the door.

_Kaiser_ · 09-10-2025 06:01PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123892100#Comment_123892100

This is the only tool you need.

Kills flies, spiders, silverfish - everything! Within seconds too.

Plus it gives a nice smell as it deploys it's death spray!

I hate all insects.

Making an Effort · 10-10-2025 12:13AM

I bet Netanyahu doesn't feel bad if he hoovered up a spider

-=al=- · 10-10-2025 12:53AM

Always hoover up the big ones I can't be dealing with that much spider. This year has been real bad for spiders, The SO has a blood curdling scream every few days seeing one. Although todays scream was for a ladybug

They were useless for the fruit flies in Summer so their part of the deal was not kept. There's at least 5 hopefully in the hoover atm

satguy · 10-10-2025 04:42AM

Yes ..

Badly Drunk Boy · 10-10-2025 08:26AM

A colleague of mine once hoovered up a mouse, by accident (I think). He recorded the sound of the mouse scurrying about inside the hoover bag, and set that as the ringtone on his phone. Worst ringtone ever, except I sort of liked it. I presume he set the mouse free after its mechanical inhalation…

taxAHcruel · 10-10-2025 06:13PM

Can't say I would moralize on it one way or the other. I just struggle to get into the head space of being bothered by them at all. Especially the head space of not being able to relax if you see a spider in the home. As if only the spider you can see is the only spider in your house.

The reality is there are probably loads of spiders in your house. You just do not see them. There is probably enough of them that there is at least one looking directly at you at any moment. The difference between sleeping in a room where you have seen a spider and not seen a spider is probably entirely imaginary therefore.

According to spider expert from Trinity College Collie Ennis - generally the reason you will see a spider at all is that during mating the male spider goes wandering looking for the females. This often gives people the (false) impression that there is a particular time of year spiders are coming into invade the house. Actually they were likely there the whole time. Its just they go wandering and become visible to you at certain times. And if you see one at all it's likely male therefore.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123889338#Comment_123889338

I did this for a friend some years back after he had a rather embarrasing time of it when we were visiting his house. A rather - robust - spider made it's presence known and his wife screamed to get rid of it. He couldn't bring himself to do it either. Both terrified of spiders.

In the end he sheepishly asked me to do it. I quite thoughtlessly asked my daughter to do it who was 8 at the time. Was laziness on my part but I realized later that probably just compounded his humiliation.

But my kids have all been gutting fish, hunting rabbits, eating pet geese for Christmas dinner, and working in the gardens since a young age. No bother on them to have worms or insects, or spiders wasps and bees, crawling all over them.

Anyhoo he talked to me about it later and I did the whole "therapy" thing for him. It took a few weeks. The process is quite simple though and doesn't need a professional really. Just a few steps and a some patience.

magicbastarder · 10-10-2025 06:30PM

i assume there is some genetic basis behind arachnophobia, just as there is of a fear of snakes.

if you're arachnophobic, don't listen to the podcast episode of 'the critter shed' where collie ennis explains how he ended up in the eye and ear after an incident with a spider.

(should be pointed out that the spider in question was not one you'd find in your house)

Hippodrome Song Owl · 10-10-2025 07:13PM

I'm not sure where my huge fear of spiders and certain insects (crane flies and moths) came from. Nobody in my family is bothered. And I have no issues at all with most creepy crawlies or even with mice, rats, bats, etc, so I'm not generally fearful.

taxAHcruel · 11-10-2025 09:29AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123895317#Comment_123895317

He is somewhat of a hero of mine and I have managed to meet him on a few occasions. Absolutely lovely and pure human being. His child like joy about all kinds of bugs, spiders included, is infectious. Most of what I know about spiders is from him. The episode you mention is also quite a good one because the way he tells the story - especially the part where he ended up in ER - ends up really hilarious.

As for the genetic basis - no one in science seems too sure. A few hypothesis are out there some more convincing than others.

I have a hypothesis of my own though it seems it is not original. I came up with it entirely by myself but when I googled it a bit a few scientists have had the same idea already. My hypothesis is that the brain when it comes across another animal/human is scanning for clues about intention - and theory of mind. Your brain is looking for features like shifty eyes, flexing or tensing limbs and more to gauge the intention of the other creature.

So the more "other" a creature seems in not having features the brain can make sense of the more creepy and scary they seem to you. And there are very few creatures that move and look "other" than spiders and snakes at first. Too many or too few limbs - all with movement that is very alien to us. Spiders lets move in a weird rippling pattern very alien to us.

Similarly horror films work on that area of our brain. Think of horror films where they get the scary ghost child or person to move in really weird disjointed and often near impossible ways. Children with long dark hair almost entirely covering features like the face is another go to technique. Like "The Ring" the girl in that has hair over the face and moves in a "stop motion" fashion.

That triggers our brain's pattern and intention seeking aspects to go "I have idea what the F this is! Be best just to get the hell out of here!" and makes it scarier to us.

But it also explains how the more you get to know a creature the less scary they seem. So if you work with or around bugs and spiders a lot (like me and my kids do) your fear of them goes away. The brain less "others" them and they seem less creepy and weird.

magicbastarder · 11-10-2025 09:41AM

I've met Collie a couple of times myself, plus a couple of the crew he hangs around with from the herp society (Rob Gandola has a couple of good stories too).

tabby aspreme · 11-10-2025 10:01AM

IMG_20251008_194237.jpg

Came across this lad a few days ago, that's a 50 cent coin in the pic, he's now an outdoor spider hopefully

Avatar in the Post · 11-10-2025 11:21AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123896602#Comment_123896602

They are harmless. The only spider I would hoover is a false widow. They are not native and can be killed with a clear conscience as they prey on native spiders.

But, it’s too late they are here to stay. BTW, if a spider is hoovered it will be killed, the big ones anyway as it’s like being inside a hurricane and they will be bashed around the hard parts of the vacuum cleaner.

murpho999 · 13-10-2025 02:15PM

What is the hatred for spiders. They're harmless and don't bother humans or cause problems apart from webs.

I always leave them be as they eat flies and silverfish which I have had problems with.

Ash.J.Williams · 13-10-2025 02:17PM

I get them stoned and watch them

Is it immoral to hoover up a spider?

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