Backyard Safari Bug Vacuum By moonbeam973 on Nov 18, 2009 - Updated Oct 15, 2011

I bought this at Target, and I don't remember the exact price, but it was somewhere around $20. I needed something to catch spiders (I'm terrified of the little buggers!) and release them outside, instead of killing them. This is the only one I could find, and it was in the toy department. It works well on small or average size spiders, but it's not quite strong enough to suck up the larger, creepier ones. There are two different attachment heads - one has an oblong opening, the other has a small, circular opening (that's the one I always use), 2 collection pieces (both are the same, and they attach between the vacuum itself and one of the green attachment heads. Each one has a screen at one end and a magnifying glass at the other. Once the bug is inside, you turn a knob on the outside of the tube which brings the magnifying glass straight across the opening, sealing off the bug's escape. And then, you can examine the bug through the magnifying glass, if you so choose), and the vacuum itself. The vacuum has two or three different levels of suction, but I always keep it on the highest. When you are ready to release the bug, you remove the attachment head, detach the collection tube from the vacuum, take the tube outside (sold separately is a bug habitat, if you really are into bugs), turn the knob to move the magnifying glass out of the way, and just shake the bug out. Bug is safe, but out of your house! It's pretty durable, but sometimes I have trouble locking the collection tube into place on the vacuum.