Also, they're sensitive to moving shadows. As with motion sensors, if you move slowly enough, they cannot sense you. Slowly circle behind them and they jump into your death mitts.

Anyway, this has worked out better for me than a Bic lighter and hair spray. But that works too.

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[–] 69 points 9 months ago (1 child)

Orrrrrrrrrr, and hear me out......

You build a tiny replica house so that the fly isn't homeless. Then he'll leave you alone.

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  • [–] 30 points 9 months ago (4 children)

    My go-to trick is to get a water bottle that sprays an aerosolized mist and just spritz the area liberally.

    Most insects(?) can't fly with wet wings and become easy to handle.

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  • [–] 10 points 9 months ago (3 children)

    Add something a little viscose to the solution like a mild cleaning product to gunk up their wings. Then SPLAT!

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  • [–] 0 points 9 months ago (2 children)

    but then i will feel bad when i change it to long range squirt mode and get the mean outside cat with it

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  • [–] 26 points 9 months ago (2 children)

    There are these particularly annoying flies that I encountered in Florida. When they land you can blow on them which will cause them to hunker down and brace against the wind leaving them vulnerable to a swat

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  • [–] 23 points 9 months ago (1 child)

    I didn't know I was supposed to get a crushing hand. I only got these two flimsy ones.

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  • [–] 18 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

    tbf Crushing Hand is quite a high level spell, can't blame you for not having it known/prepared

    contextCrushing Hand is a spell from 3rd Edition and earlier Dungeons and Dragons

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  • [–] 15 points 9 months ago (5 children)

    You could also just shoo them outside. I'd prefer to not have fly guts all over my hands, and I don't really have the need to kill every fly I see.

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  • [–] 5 points 9 months ago (2 children)

    If you're careful with it you can grab them when they take off without squishing them. I do catch and release like this it's much faster than trying to shoo them outside, plus the window doesn't need to be open for long so less likely another one wanders in during the process

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  • [–] 15 points 9 months ago (8 children)

    I just blow em away with this bad boy. Best 50 bucks I ever spent. So much entertainment.

    https://www.bugasalt.com/pages/shop-collections

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  • [–] 4 points 9 months ago (2 children)

    Was going to say the same. I’ve had a few of these over the years (they’re cheap plastic and break). But they are amazing.

    I have a moth problem right now but they are no match for this. The salt gets sprayed like a shotgun blast and will get them as long as you shot in their general area.

    I also use it on spiders. Every summer I have black widows around the house and this thing works wonders on them.

    Just try not to drop them or keep the salt loaded in them too long. Those two things seem to be what has killed my previous ones more often.

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  • [–] [S] 3 points 9 months ago (3 children)

    I've got one! Annoyed my wife leaving salt all over the kitchen window sill.

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  • [–] 2 points 9 months ago (2 children)

    Yeah, cleanup is annoying, but I think it's worth it.

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  • [–] 13 points 9 months ago (1 child)

    You talk like someone who doesn't have carnivorous plants.

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  • [–] 12 points 9 months ago (1 child)

    I never kill flies. I just feel bad. I do, however, trap them in a glass beaker and release them outside. It's super-easy, you just go slow. Once they settle, slowly lower the glass over them. Then slide a bit of card between the glass and the surface and transport them outside.

    Honestly, I have no idea why I do this. Maybe I subconsciously hope these small acts will balance my karma and somehow negate my illegal IPTV subscription.

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  • [–] [S] 6 points 9 months ago

    I try not to kill anything but flies (overwhelming in the summer), cockroaches inside, and fire ants (invasive and destructive). I refuse to use poisons or herbicides, only fire ant bait.

    Keep on! I've seen our insect populations crash since I was a child and the upstream ecosystem is suffering. Young people would be fucking appalled if they emotionally knew what I knew, seen what I've seen.

    But good news! Our yard is the only reason we have frogs and dragonflies back on the block! More to come.

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  • [–] 12 points 9 months ago*

    Move slow enough too and a fly won't percieve you moving very well. Benn Jordan's video about what the world sounds like to different animals taught me that. Flies basically live in constant bullet time.

    11 minutes in for the insect segment: https://youtu.be/Gvg242U2YfQ

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  • [–] 5 points 9 months ago

    Any kind of spray you have lying around should make their wings too laden to fly. Simple Green, Windex, Axe Body Spray, etc. Could probably just be a spray bottle with water too.

    Then you can do what you will with them.

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  • [–] 4 points 9 months ago

    Also, their night vision is terrible.

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  • [–] 4 points 9 months ago (1 child)

    Man... I'm way to tired. I red your post as "Houses" (without the fly part) and I was so confused why you want to catch a house and if this is some kind of surreal post. Nope, just can't read, houses can't jump.

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  • [–] 3 points 9 months ago*

    I like to get a dishcloth and whip them.

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  • [–] 3 points 9 months ago (1 child)

    clapping with both hands works too

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  • [–] 3 points 9 months ago

    Can confirm this works. I used to astound all of the waitresses when I was a dishwasher because I could swat a fly every time without fail.

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