Can a bag of water keep flies away?

A friend on mine posted this idea on Facebook and I wondered if anyone here had tried this. I read the theory about light refraction disorienting the flies, causing them to fly away and I guess that makes sense, but does it actually work? Science says no, but people still swear by it. If there is one thing on the planet I can't stand, it's flies. I will spend 30 minutes hunting down one. Knocking lamps across the room and generally spreading destruction on my quest to Kill The Fly. Ive been an underground miner and a welder, so a sandwich with some dirt on it doesn't bother me. But, something crawling on it that just came from a pile of dog poop or a dead possum is my limit.

science.howstuffworks.com...

In theory, refraction can be just as confusing for some species of insect, especially the housefly. It boasts a highly sensitive array of eyes which allow it to see in multiple directions at once. The insect's head mostly consists of a pair of large complex eyes, each of which is composed of 3,000 to 6,000 simple eyes. These eyes can't move or focus on objects like human eyes, but they provide the fly with a mosaic view of the world around them. Each simple eye provides one small piece of the puzzle, much like the way a screen's pixel delivers one detail of the larger picture. A housefly bases its sense of direction on the direction sunlight comes from. Some entomologists believe that when these complex, sensitive eyes experience refracted light, the insect becomes confused and flies away.

If all the factors are not taken into account, hanging water bags used to repel flies may seem to work due to the placebo effect. In medical terms, this is when people who think they're being treated for a condition feel better, even if that treatment treats nothing at all. The same effect could occur for people who think they are treating a pest problem. But what if the situation is even worse? What if the placebo actually increases the problem being treated? When Mike Stringham, professor of entomology at North Carolina State University, investigated the use of clear plastic water bags as a fly deterrent, he encountered just such a situation. Stringham conducted a 13-week field trial by installing commercial, water-based optical fly repellants on two egg farms. Stringham measured the fly activity based on the spots of regurgitated material the flies left after feeding. He concluded that areas equipped with water bags actually experienced higher levels of housefly activity.

Although

However, the study was not conducted under natural lighting conditions. Its purpose was to determine whether the water bags could be used to decrease fly populations on egg farms. The study didn't explore the possibility that direct sunlight increased the water bags' efficiency.

So, does it work or is it just another wives tale?

reply to post by DAVID64


You might like this :

You don't always have to be on swatter duty in order to get rid of flies. Whether the pests are bringing your picnic down or calling your living room home, I tested 10 ways to deter flies using stuff we all have in our homes. And I promise, you won't have to squash anything (unless you want to, of course).

Link here : www.diylife.com...

The bag of water is also in that link too.

I know how you feel though! i live smack bang in the middle of the countryside and at the moment we have scorching temperatures meaning that the flies just barge through the front door as soon as it is opened seeking the cool air.

Basil plants seem to work a little but i am going to try the water in a bag thing and see if works or not!

But i like to have fun with my electrified tennis racket too

Kindest respects

Rodinus

reply to post by Rodinus


I've got one of those too. Love that zzap. [ evil chuckle ]

reply to post by DAVID64


No it doesn't work I tried it this weeked the flutes actually landed on the bag

Originally posted by DAVID64
reply to post by Rodinus

 

I've got one of those too. Love that zzap. [ evil chuckle ]

Bwahahahahaha...



First time i used that thing i tried to take the fly off the metal grids with my bare fingers... never again... that hurts...

My son (who at the time was 7) thought it was highly hilarious and proceded to see if it did the same thing on our dogs wet nose... the dog did not appreciate it and sulked for nearly 3 days!

Kindest respects

Rodinus

On more of a serious note however here is something that my mother in-law passed down to us and works quite well. (she has chickens so gets a lot of flies)

There is a toadstool called the Amanita muscaria, you know the one that you see in fairy tales that is red with white spots on it?



Its common name is Fly Agaric or Fly Amanita and the toadstool is extremely toxic to flies and potentially dangerous to humans.

At the back end of August through until end of October this toadstool grows in the humid pine forests around the area where we live and my mother in-law normally picks about 15 to 20 of these (of course wearing disposable gloves and separating from other mushrooms to avoid cross contamination).

Once they have been picked she hashes them up and adds 5 hashed up boiled egg yellows (not the whites) and a couple of tablespoons of sugar and then lets everything go completely dry before storing in an airtight container for future yearly use.

During the summer time she shakes a little of this mixture onto a plate and places it outside on the kitchen windowsill (with window closed of course!)

All types of flies are attracted to this mixture (common house flies, bluebottles etc...)...

Result being that the flies will land on this concoction and die shortly afterwards (it can also be placed in the inside of the house but of course away from little hands and foodstuffs)

More info here on the toadstool :

en.wikipedia.org...

To get rid of house spiders, place a basket of Conkers (horse chestnuts) on the windowsill... and Hey presto... no more screaming spouse!

Kindest respects

Rodinus

Wife had done this out by the chicken coop, the bag is filled with water and a penny, the way she explained it to me is the flies think its a bigger bug and leave the area. Have not seen many flies around by the misquote are terrible.

reply to post by Rodinus


I have to be very careful what I sit out as insect repellent. I have 3 dogs that are very curious and will taste of, if not outright eat, just about anything they find that even remotely resembles food. This might be worth a try, I could hang it from the trees. Them being Great Pyrenees, they can reach pretty high.

reply to post by 19KTankCommander


I had been wondering what the penny has to do with it.

Originally posted by DAVID64
reply to post by Rodinus

 

I have to be very careful what I sit out as insect repellent. I have 3 dogs that are very curious and will taste of, if not outright eat, just about anything they find that even remotely resembles food. This might be worth a try, I could hang it from the trees. Them being Great Pyrenees, they can reach pretty high.

I would suggest hanging it as high as possible if you don't want 3 extremely stoned dogs staggering all over the place!

Kindest respects

Rodinus

reply to post by Rodinus


intresting Ive been watching the series called Siberia.

and they are eating theese same mushrooms as they have been a staple of the indiginous people for years.

the shrooms are poisionus to humans unless boiled first,

flies requrgitate their last meal on the next one so they can pre digest the new meal and suck it up.

. that is why they provide such a health hazard.

I saw this bag of pennies idea too, and figured it was worth a try. It seems similar to a concept that we use to keep birds out of the veggies. We hang strings of old CD's above the garden. When the sun hits them, they reflect bright, psychedelic, multicolor flashes of light, which somehow repel the birds. I don't know if they are startled, confused, or if they just hate the disco scene, but it works well and is quite pleasing to gaze upon.

reply to post by DAVID64


Lavender oil will repel flies. This works. You can add it to some distilled water and spray yourself, you can add it to a carrier oil such as almond oil or olive oil and rub yourself down, or you can simply set out a dish of lavender oil. Doesn't even have to be much.

In Real Life, I won't even share my secret of fly deterrence....consider yourselves lucky!

reply to post by DAVID64


the illusion of an eye? really don't know. Good luck....

We tried this in work but no luck, the flies just walk on the bags of water.

I am one of the people that has to swear by it. We bbq a lot in my yard during the summer and after reading about the little trick we decided to try it. I now have all my friends doing it as well.

The thing is though, we put at least like 10 cents worth of pennies in the bag and we lay them on the table where the food is making sure that it is in the sun so that it Can reflect the sunlight. We also use a couple bags.

But yes, it does work when done like that at least.

I've seen this too. Didn't they debunk it on MythBusters and in fact show that it only served to attract some insects?