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Spider-Snatching Gear
Sure, catching spiders in your bathroom is easy. But collecting them in the wild is more of a challenge and requires some special tools. Since most spiders hunt when it gets dark, collecting usually happens at night. Spider scientists (known as arachnologists) wear lamps on their heads so they can find eight-legged creatures in the dark. Some arachnids like tarantulas and scorpions glow bluish-green when a black light is held over them. Another useful tool is an aspirator, a long rubber tube with a stopper in a plastic vial. Scientists put an aspirator over a spider they want to catch, then suck on the top of the tube. One problem that scientists have when using an aspirator is that they usually collect lots of dust instead of spiders. This happens because the small screen that covers the tube can pull in any tiny particle in its way.