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How to catch a housefly and other winged insects

Kent Wang

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The trick is to get a clear plastic bag (produce bags from the grocery bags are the best). Wait until the fly lands on something. Hold the bag by the mouth, slowly approach the fly (it won't be able to see the bag because it's clear), drop the mouth of the bag around the fly. Frightened by the sudden movement, it will fly into the bag.

Now you can squish it or let it out outside.

I've tried this on flies but have not had much success with other winged insects. Mosquitoes are pretty tricky. It'd probably work on moths.

When I was a kid, my dad owned a Chinese restaurant / sandwich shop (you could order low mein and a cheesesteak) I caught over two dozen flies in one day. Despite my efforts, the restaurant folded shortly afterwards.
 

DBoon

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cup with lid
fill cup with apple cider vinegar + tiny bit of dishwashing liquid
poke small hole in lid

watch.
 

Kent Wang

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That works very well with fruitflies. Never tried it with flies. I did catch a fly with honey once. The vinegar didn't seem to work:
 

Jumbie

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Chopsticks.
 

emptym

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I read once that since flies tend to take off backwards, if you clap your hands a few inches above and behind one, you'll catch it. It works more times than not. Of course, it's messy.
 

imatlas

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Originally Posted by Jumbie
Chopsticks.

I knocked a fly out of the air with a pencil once. It was more of a nervous reaction to the fly than anything else, and I've never been able to repeat the trick.
 

jrandall

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Rubber bands work very well.
 

AgentQ

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No joke, one time I was being pestered by a particularly annoying fly, and so I whipped out my linen Wang and after two failed swats made a direct hit.
 

binge

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Originally Posted by Kent Wang
That works very well with fruitflies. Never tried it with flies.

I did catch a fly with honey once. The vinegar didn't seem to work:



I appreciate your scientific rigor.
 

imhotep

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hand towel. beat them out of the air with it. they will hit the ground and be knocked out for about 30 seconds. during this time you finish them off by hitting their general location with the towel using a whip-like motion. i've killed ~50 flies in the last 3 d with this method.
teacha.gif
don't ask.
 

imhotep

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oh i see you want to catch them. i cannot help you with that as i am a killing machine.
 

Slopho

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Originally Posted by imatlas
I knocked a fly out of the air with a pencil once. It was more of a nervous reaction to the fly than anything else, and I've never been able to repeat the trick.

We blacks go straight street and put up the dukes when ever a winged bug is near by. "I stole that bee."
 

KitAkira

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Originally Posted by Helix
Fly vs. Remote Control. I hit a home run.
Problem with hitting them is sometimes you don't know where they went or if they died....
 

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