How to Remove a Bug Rather Than Kill It

Catch a flying bug, such as a butterfly, fly, moth, bee or wasp, with a butterfly net. Quickly pinch the top of the net, near the handle, closed with your fingers to trap the bug in the net and prevent it from flying out. Go outside and release the bug a few feet from your home.

Capture a crawling bug such as a spider or beetle by placing the mouth of a jar over the bug. Carefully slip a piece of paper under the mouth of the jar without allowing the bug to escape. Once the paper is completely under the mouth of the jar and the bug itself, flip the jar and paper over to trap the bug inside the jar. Hold the paper over the jar to prevent the bug's escape and go outside. Place the jar on the ground, on its side, and allow the bug to crawl out on its own. If it is having trouble getting out of the jar, gently tilt the jar upward to help it out.

Set a humane trap for crawling bugs, such as cockroaches, that you may not see, if you suspect you have some in your home or have seen one scurry past you. Wrap a jar in a piece of newspaper, taping it around the sides of the jar to allow the bug to crawl up the side. Cut out a small piece of fruit, such as a peach or apple, and place it inside the jar to lure the bug. Rub petroleum jelly around the inside of the mouth of the jar to prevent the bug's escape. Leave the jar to sit in an area you suspect the bug to be overnight. In the morning, you may find a bug in the jar, which you can then release outside of your home by pouring out the contents of the jar in your yard.