How to Catch Spiders With a Gourd

Pluck the gourd when it is mature and the stem has withered. Wash it with soap and mild disinfectant and leave to dry in a dry area with direct sunlight. Make sure the gourd is not touching any others. Turn it every couple of weeks. When the seeds start rattling inside, the gourd is ready to be hollowed out.

Cut the top off the gourd and place this to one side. Cut down into the gourd with the sharp knife, about half an inch from the edge. Drag the knife around in a circle in a sawing motion. When you have completed a circle, use the spoon to scoop down into the gourd and remove the ring of gourd flesh you have cut.

Cut into the gourd using circular cuts, being careful not to break the skin. Scoop the flesh out and cut down further until you are an inch from the bottom of the vegetable. Put the top back on the gourd and press an open hinge against it on the join, making a mark on the vegetable to show where the screw holes go. Drill four small holes in the gourd and use these to screw the hinge into place.

Corner a spider and block off one of its exits with a sheet of card. Open the gourd bottle and shepherd the spider in that direction with the cardboard. Carefully, without injuring the spider, push him into the gourd bottle and tilt it backwards, so the spider falls to the bottom.

Close the lid and transport the spider to a safe place like a garden or waste ground. Open the lid of the bottle and drop the spider out into the undergrowth.