you can't train flies

...it's true... you can't.... I've tried.

[dogboy]

...so, lots has been going on with me lately.... girlfriend left me.... got a new carpet... cleaning out my life in general... and somewhere in this catharsis, someone let lots of black flies into my house. I guess its that season out here in farm country. we have flies all over the place. And I have no screens at all.

...and they drive me nuts. crazy. and I absolutely can't train them, no matter what I do.... unlike bees and wasps which run away in 1 on 1 combat with the RabidDog, I can't teach flies anything... they are relentless. You just have to swatter them to death.... rampages 3 times a day. the electric zapper just seems to kill moths... and I dont really have a problem with them... just the flies.

[rcjordan]

Feeling philosophic today, DB? Pondering your navel lint just not getting you to the true meaning of life?

[NFFC]

Call in the expert: Dionaea Muscipula [collectorscorner.com.au]

[Travoli]

We had a problem with that while camping once. We learned that flies CAN be caught with a bare hand. The secret is to slowly move your hand up to where it is sitting until your hand is 12 inches in front of the direction the fly is facing, and about 4-5 inches above the surface. If you can maneuver in closer, you can reduce the height above the surface. Then you just make the swiftest swipe you can, and close your hand. Flies usually take off and since they are faced in your direction, they fly AT your hand. It made for a fun game because no swatters were around. But I recommend washing your hands after playing. Our experience is that, once shaken vigorously and released, they fly away and do not return. Maybe that is the best way to train a fly.

[john316]

try flypaper

[Macguru]

I worked 15 years as a Special FX supervisor for the film industry. I did "trained" flyes once. I dont know if any of you guys watched "The Fly" (William S. Burroughs/David Cronenberg/Jeff Goldblum) Part of it was shot in Montréal.

I was hired so we could have flies obey to 3 simple commands; standing absolutely still, standing on the same spot while moving a bit, and fly. It took me 8 hours to find a solution.

Can any imagine what we did?

A clue, DB it's about to happen naturally.

[Marcia]

Travoli, I've watched a Karate Black-Belt sit and carry on a conversation, put palm up held very still, reach out and grab a fly without moving his eyes from the person he was talking to, or stopping mid-sentence. Awesome concentration.

dogboy, check out plain old flypaper [pestweb.com] from the good old days.

Man and animal have swatted, stomped and twitched to rid themselves of pesky flies since the beginning of time. In 1861 we invented Fly Paper. At long last people could sit and still kill flies.

[4eyes]

Dogboy - I have a Belgian Shepherd that gets about 1 in 3 of those flies daft enough to come into his range.

I suppose my Staffie would manage the same if I get her a ladder.

Failing that, when I was a kid my father bought my brother and I some plastic 'blowpipes' which shot a rubber suction dart with great accuracy and velocity. We used to sit there all afternoon potting them when they landed, (remember not to lick the suction cup after use though).

Fly Paper is the cowards way, the flies need to have a sporting chance:)

[Brett_Tabke]

I did my brothers farm chores last weekend while he was away. (2000 piggies, they had the flu/colds, 7 died. Redefines your definition of flies...)

[roscoepico]

DB, you can train flies....check out this tutorial on howto "Teach flies to work in a team"

[gizzard.fortunecity.co.uk...]

[dogboy]

bt, 2000!!!!!! <rofl>

Travoli, here is a tip to put your conversions over the top... if you want to take it to the next level, do the same thing except move the human body part back and forth smoothly and as fast as you can w/o loosing the fly....THEN slap. It must confuse them.

rc, yes. so much that I uploaded a new picture to my profile (which will replace the image of our coffee mugs)

.... thats right, folks. That is me in my finest hour.

[miles]

DB I went over to a friends house and they have an electrifyed fly swatter. It is the most amazing and most effective fly swatter I have ever used. Here is a picture of one like it [wackywillysweb.com...]

[mivox]

dogboy... you could always do like my old cat used to do: bat the insect against the window, so it falls to the window sill, stunned, then eat it.

[Marcia]

And if they get hungry, here's some info on fly food [herpnutrition.com]. That will make them more nutritious to eat.

[Macguru]

>info on fly food

Ok but at 30$ for a 5lbs bag, it is quite for gourmet flyes. I guess Brett and DB can find something cheaper and faster with 2000 pigies and 200 dogs around.

[Mike_Mackin]

DB

You many be on to a source of $$$.
The brits use larval maggots. Ask NFFC to broker them across the pond.

A case history describing the use of sterile larvae (maggots) in a malignant wound. [worldwidewounds.com]

(edited by: Mike_Mackin at 5:08 pm (gmt) on Sep. 7, 2001

[NFFC]

>The brits use larval maggots. Ask NFFC to broker them accross the pond.

Sorry DB already comitted to clients on the larval maggots keywords, very competitive field.

[Macguru]

Thanks Mike,

Great pics! I think I will skip lunch today.
The question is How can you sterilise maggots?

[Mike_Mackin]

>The question is How can you sterilise maggots?

With a VERY sharp knife in a process similar to [but somewhat MORE extreme than] a circumcision.

[Macguru]

Ok,

Now tell me how you can tell appart males from females maggots? That would be a start...

<added> did you mean vasectomy?</added>

(edited by: Macguru at 5:36 pm (gmt) on Sep. 7, 2001

[Mike_Mackin]

YUP

[roscoepico]

Males and females are hard to distinguish. Females are usually larger and can extend the tip of the abdomen to form an ovipositor which is used to lay eggs. Sometimes males have enlarged eyes which meet on top of the head.

[Marcia]

>Sometimes males have enlarged eyes which meet on top of the head.

Which is no doubt more pronounced when they are in heat.

[dogboy]

hehhehhe

Marcia and John316, I have 2 strips.... very effective but nasty.... cleaner, I guess, than smearing them on everything:) need to get more but the open door projects are coming to a close soon....plus I think we might get some snow in the high country tonight. (I covered my tomatoes just in case)

But I still can't help but feel a little pity...

<tiny fly voice>
'hey guys... my feet are stuck.... I mean they're *really* stuck.... I can't move.... oh no, this really is bad...'
</tiny fly voice>

heheh.... death by swatter.

[Twilly]

Dogboy,

Hope that Flypaper is the non toxic variety ?

If not, don't let the hounds anywhere near it !!

Otherwise, it won't only be flies it swats

Twills

Edit for baddddddd spellin' lol

[theperlyking]

Have you tried those ultrasonic pest repellents to repel them? I dont know how well they work but worth a try.

I usually give flies a sporting chance by trying to get them with a rubber band :)

I seem to remember catching flies with my hand when I was younger but i'm a bit more squeamish now.

[rcjordan]

Get yourself a good, old-fashioned dart gun with the big rubber suction cup dart ends and have some fun. Oh, maybe you'd better pick up some 409 and Windex, too. No NERF stuff, that's for wussies.

When I was a kid, I found a toy sawed-off double-barrel shotgun that shot massive darts, now if you could find one of those that would be some real fun.

[Twilly]

Can you still buy those old fashioned type pea shooters ?

Or how about a sling !! :)

Twills

[Marcia]

I don't know about regular flies, but I can attest to the fact that fruit flies love beer. What works: leave some beer to go flat in a coffee mug. (Sorry dogboy, it had to be said, despite your recent loss. My continued condolences to you; I understand the pain of it.)

The fruit flies will gather to it. You then shoot them with Windex or other ammonia window cleaner (the cheaper it is the better it works). It is cheaper and more effective than insect sprays, and not unsafe for pets.

[JonB]

liketravoli sadi: my grandmother once told me how to catch a fly and i can catch any fly now.The key is to apporach in the direction they will fly.

In house we use some roll that looks like film roll.You pull the sticky "film" out of roll.

while seaching for picture of this roll i found several pages worth checking:

Here is one interesting (They discovered that flies are attracted to other flies that look like they are eating(!) ):

[halcyon.com...]

here is one more fun(but strong language used):

URL snipped. Sorry but we have to think of the little ones

But before you kill them check if they are not "protected":

[thefirmhand.com...]

Hehe:
[hotstuff4horses.com...]

Sorry to hear about the girl.

Jon

(edited by: NFFC at 11:19 am (gmt) on Sep. 22, 2001