Robot Spider Scares Woodpeckers Away

Robot Spider Scares Woodpeckers Away MISCELLANEOUS EQUIPMENT Pest Animals 31-3-34 Having never had a woodpecker problem on our farm before, my husband and I were shocked recently when one decided to move in and start chopping away at the wood siding on our garage. We couldn't believe how much damage he did in a short time whacking holes of all sizes into the building. We needed to act fast, or it would only be a matter of time before he would run out of wood and move on to our house! It's illegal to shoot woodpeckers, so I quickly searched the internet for possible solutions. A website for "The Birds-Away Attack Spider," got my attention. It's a large, hairy, black, battery-operated spider that looks like a huge tarantula. It's sound-activated so that when a woodpecker comes knocking, the spider starts moving. You hang the spider from a hook under the eaves. When activated, it quickly drops down an 18-in. string while making a loud noise. Then it steadily climbs back up the string, ready to attack again. There's no shortage of testimonials on the website claiming that this product works great, and someone even says theirs had scared a delivery man and made a baby cry. I figured it was worth trying. I bought three units, which arrived in a week by UPS. My husband put two up at one end of our garage where most of the damage was. He placed the other one on the opposite end where the woodpecker hadn't frequented as often. It didn't take long before our woodpecker came calling, and sure enough, the deterrent worked and scared him off. He tried again a few times with the same results before he got smart and landed further over a couple of times, just far enough that his tapping didn't set off the closest spider. That's when we knew that what the instructions had said about installing a spider every 10 ft. was actually important. Before we got a chance to add more spiders, our woodpecker stopped returning on his own. Within two days of putting up the Attack Spiders, our woodpecker was gone, and he hasn't been back since. Each Attack Spider costs $15, plus S&H (batteries not included). Wholesale prices are also available. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Sophron Marketing, 11902 Hwy. 49, Sonora, Calif. 95370 (ph 888 767-4766 or 209 532-1728; fax 209 532-7401; info@birds-away.com; www.attackspider.com).

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