Make a Decoy for Spiders
Spanish canes (Arundo donax) are a favorite for making all sorts of items, including bows and arrows, javelins, peashooters, Popeye's pipes and blowers for low fires. By following these steps, you can recreate the high-pitched sound of an attacking mosquito or a fly in a panic. And they can even be used to make clever decoys for pesky spiders... and people, as you'll discover here. Just a note before you begin––the canes are better when they're green–the dry ones require more know-how and patience.
Steps
- Look around in your neighborhood to find Spanish cane. It's also known as giant cane, giant reed, carrizo, arundo and wild cane. A native to eastern and southeastern Asia, it can also be found in California, the Western Pacific, the Mediterranean and the Caribbean.
- Locate the extreme tip of the cane.
- Pull off the tip. Take care to hold the tip firmly when doing this and to avoid cutting yourself with the sharp edge of the cane leaves.
- Unroll the outer leaf of the tip to gain access to the inner ones.
- Pull out the inner leaves.
- Smooth out the outer leaf. This will be the decoy. Blow hard. You'll hear that it produces the high-pitched sound of an attacking mosquito or that of a fly in a panic.
- Go to a spider's hole or a cobweb. Try to attract the attention of the eight-legged dweller... If you're lucky, a spider will come rushing forth to investigate the apparent caught fly or mosquito!
- If you don't succeed with the spider, play kindhearted tricks on friends and family to cause them to think there's a mosquito in the room. Or, use the sound as a unique ringtone.
Warnings
- When cutting the cane, take care to avoid cutting yourself on either the cane or the cutting implement.
- Check for insects before handling freshly cut plant material, to avoid being unwittingly stung.
Things You'll Need
- Spanish cane
- Cutting implement
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