Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2023/12/27/body-butter-for-spider-lovers.html
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So, new superhero-resolution for 2024.
Get a job at Sellafield, slap on the spidermagnet lotion, wait for the inevitable.
Oh, and then learn to sew, become a chemist. Shit, this is a bit more complicated than I thought.
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“Thwipp!”
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This can only escalate to people rubbing horses on their skin to chase away the cows/goats/dogs/cats/birds etc. that showed up in sequence.
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here’s a wild unsubstantiated theory: the main ingredient of this ‘body butter’ comes from seed of the African tree: Vitellaria. Living in this tree is a moth/caterpillar (see below: source of food)
The edible protein-rich caterpillars of the moth Cirina butyrospermi which feed solely on its leaves are widely collected and eaten raw, dried or fried.
If a substantial amount of these caterpillars were ground into the ‘body butter’, would that scent it enough to give the come hither to our spider (bros)?
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“like kryptonite for spiders” != spider attractant
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It’s a feature, not a bug.
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Bubble Yum 2.0
Something about this lotion is really bugging me 
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We have five jumping spidera. They are adorable. My girlfriend seems to attract enough of them as it is so we won’t be trying the lotion.
Also this: is adorbs:
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This reminds me of those other unexpected animal attraction problems, like car electrical wiring whose insulation attracts rodents to chew on it, or (also car) emissions vent openings that attract spiders. Or turtles and dress shoes, although that’s a specific kind of attraction.
I suppose there isn’t much you can do to find this stuff out ahead of time unless someone bothers to compile a list of “chemical ingredients that attract undesirable animals.” I know spiders are actually ecologically desirable.
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I visited Butterfly World in the 1990s and strongly believe that my lotion attracted several butterflies to land on and stay on my legs for several minutes, their little proboscisces trying to lap up the stuff.
Much prefer to attract butterflies than spiders, since i am allergic to spider bites.
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If someone only sees a spider once in three years, they aren’t very observant, and I have zero trust in their conclusions.
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To be fair, it’s hard to see them when they jump into your mouth in the night…
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