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Killing Flies

Straight answers to factual questions
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feder1
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Killing Flies

#154273

Postby feder1 » July 23rd, 2018, 8:27 am

DAK why smaller and medium sized flies seem immune to fly spray?

I use two different types and just reaching for a can makes the B52 variety start to say their prayers because they know their end is nigh.

The smaller flies are energised by a thorough drenching in “quick action” fly spray. They are costing me in fly spray and probably evolving into superflies on it.

Lootman
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Re: Killing Flies

#154274

Postby Lootman » July 23rd, 2018, 8:30 am

I still do what my dad did - roll up a newspaper and whack them.

My wife would never allow me to use those sprays in the house anyway, although she doesn't seem to mind me gleefully bludgeoning bugs.

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Re: Killing Flies

#154279

Postby kiloran » July 23rd, 2018, 9:10 am

No fly sprays allowed at Kiloran Castle either, so I bash them with a fly swat.

But why won't they keep still so that I can bash them? The smaller flies especially seem to be able to fly continuously for ages, apparently converting food calories into mechanical energy at an efficiency of over 500%. Or are they solar powered?

--kiloran

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Re: Killing Flies

#154282

Postby Redmires » July 23rd, 2018, 9:22 am

No fly sprays here as well. I've come to the conclusion that the easiest way is to get the Dyson out and have a purge once a day. My wife prefers to swat them on the windows - but annoys me by leaving the smear on the glass "as a warning to the others" !!

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Re: Killing Flies

#154284

Postby Lootman » July 23rd, 2018, 9:28 am

Redmires wrote: My wife prefers to swat them on the windows - but annoys me by leaving the smear on the glass "as a warning to the others" !!

I also take the "pour discourager les autres" approach and leave smeared fly entrails on the window panes. I cannot confirm that it works with flies, but it definitely does not work with ants, who will cheerfully march past thousands of their dead colleagues, presumably programmed to go on a suicide mission for the Queen.

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Re: Killing Flies

#154295

Postby stewamax » July 23rd, 2018, 9:56 am

Flypaper is used here (sorry little chaps); around 20p a roll.
It also forestalls the small blobs (flypoo?) that flies leave on window panes.

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Re: Killing Flies

#154305

Postby Slarti » July 23rd, 2018, 10:20 am

Haven't used fly spray for years, indoors, due to allergic reactions.

I do have an electric tennis racket like swatter that is very effective. One touch with it while the button is depressed and they drop for easy collection.

It also works well as a mechanical swat for the larger ones.

Slarti

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Re: Killing Flies

#154325

Postby ten0rman » July 23rd, 2018, 11:10 am

Yes, the electronic device does indeed work well, with a satisfying buzz! Other than that, I tend to use a cloth. Whisked fast enough, and they can't get out of the way, so they are either stunned or killed. Either way, a piece of toilet tissue ensures the desired result.

ten0rman

dragnips
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Re: Killing Flies

#154447

Postby dragnips » July 23rd, 2018, 4:22 pm

'electric tennis racket' - also good for giving fingers a painful zap!

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Re: Killing Flies

#154449

Postby PinkDalek » July 23rd, 2018, 4:28 pm

DAK the answer to the OP's "DAK why smaller and medium sized flies seem immune to fly spray?"?

Slarti
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Re: Killing Flies

#154451

Postby Slarti » July 23rd, 2018, 4:30 pm

dragnips wrote:'electric tennis racket' - also good for giving fingers a painful zap!


No, the PP3 battery isn't that powerful :lol:

Slarti

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Re: Killing Flies

#154452

Postby Slarti » July 23rd, 2018, 4:33 pm

PinkDalek wrote:DAK the answer to the OP's "DAK why smaller and medium sized flies seem immune to fly spray?"?


The droplets issued by the spray are too big to get in through the fly's breathing apparatus?

It is specifically a House Fly spray and the other flies are not House Flys?

They are small enough to fly between the droplets?



Slarti

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Re: Killing Flies

#154462

Postby madhatter » July 23rd, 2018, 4:53 pm

DAK why smaller and medium sized flies seem immune to fly spray?


Not bought new fly spray for years (maybe 15?) but I had the impression that both the Vapona and Raid sprays at the time were very effective on any size fly or mozzie but didn’t bother clothes moths. The moths would spiral down most pleasingly, only to fly off seconds later if not jumped up and down on immediately.

Some sort of defence mechanism to get out of trouble fast, I suppose.

But Fly sprays of old were not much cop, but the later ones were much better. I wonder if the more effective active ingredients turned out to be harmful enough to the environment to have since been banned?

The Raid contained Tetramethrin 0.32% and d-phenothrin 0.07%
Vapona had the same active ingredients but slightly lower concentration at 0.25% and 0.05% respectively.

I don’t have a new can to compare with.

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Re: Killing Flies

#154466

Postby jfgw » July 23rd, 2018, 5:13 pm

Slarti wrote:
dragnips wrote:'electric tennis racket' - also good for giving fingers a painful zap!


No, the PP3 battery isn't that powerful :lol:

Slarti


I will not bother (intentionally) testing your theory.

Julian F. G. W.

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Re: Killing Flies

#154469

Postby bungeejumper » July 23rd, 2018, 5:21 pm

Conventional cheapo fly swatters, with very long handles and enough air gaps in the business end of the thing. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kingfisher-Pac ... B006UD22KM. Newspapers will never be as good, because the airflow simply swooshes the fly to one side as it approaches - which isn't the ideal thing at all.

We once bought my brother in law one of these fly swatter guns (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mayhem-Fly-Gun ... B07C98KP3D), where you fire the swatter at the fly. A captive nylon thread stops it (theoretically) from demolishing the house. It was intended as a joke, but it quickly proved devastatingly effective. :lol:

BJ

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Re: Killing Flies

#154470

Postby Slarti » July 23rd, 2018, 5:28 pm

jfgw wrote:
Slarti wrote:
dragnips wrote:'electric tennis racket' - also good for giving fingers a painful zap!


No, the PP3 battery isn't that powerful :lol:

Slarti


I will not bother (intentionally) testing your theory.

Julian F. G. W.



Having done the tongue test across the terminals of a PP3, when a young and foolish boy, I know that they don't hurt.
And I can't use tens machines as they do hurt me, even on the lowest setting. :o

Slarti

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Re: Killing Flies

#154480

Postby gryffron » July 23rd, 2018, 5:48 pm

Fly sprays are nerve agents. They don't need to breathe them in, contact is sufficient. Yes, they are targeted at the very specific group of flies that tend to bother us the most. Houseflies, Horseflies and others of similar shape and appearance. They are (deliberately) pretty much harmless to people(*), bees, aphids, etc.

Gryff

(*) I don't recommend testing this. I doubt either the nerve agent nor the aerosol propellant will actually do you much good. But it has nowhere near the effect it has on a fly!

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Re: Killing Flies

#154482

Postby marronier » July 23rd, 2018, 5:55 pm

An old deterrent from 100 years ago was to have bouquets of mint in water as they don`t like the aroma. People stopped using them when fly sprays became available.


Ants , by the way , don`t like human sweat and won`t cross it. On learning this , I tested on the trunk of a plum tree, where the ants were going up and down like motorway traffic. I wiped my forehead with my thumb and drew a ring round the trunk, leaving a narrow gap. The resultant confusion and logjam was very amusing.

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Re: Killing Flies

#154514

Postby csearle » July 23rd, 2018, 8:12 pm

Slarti wrote:Having done the tongue test across the terminals of a PP3, when a young and foolish boy, I know that they don't hurt.
At the risk of veering off-topic, I bet when you stuck your tongue there you didn't have a diode pump between the battery and your tongue. I strongly suspect that these "Exterminator" style swatters have just such a device, which chops the 9V (or whatever) on and off, then "pumps" this up to many hundreds of volts.

I have one, might get the scope on it later if I have time. What I don't recommend is sticking your tongue on one! :D

Regards,
Chris

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Re: Killing Flies

#154545

Postby csearle » July 23rd, 2018, 10:34 pm

csearle wrote:
Slarti wrote:Having done the tongue test across the terminals of a PP3, when a young and foolish boy, I know that they don't hurt.
I have one, might get the scope on it later if I have time. What I don't recommend is sticking your tongue on one! :D
Just a quick follow-up. I stuck my oscilloscope on my "Exterminator" fly swat and pushed the button. I saw a cyclic waveform with an amplitude of just over 10000V with a period of about 150µs. Each cycle consisted of a voltage spike followed by a rapid decay.

Regards,
Chris


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