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.

  • Lost_My_Mind@lemmy.world
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    4 days ago

    Orrrrrrrrrr, and hear me out…

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

    • pdxfed@lemmy.world
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      3 days ago

      Build him a garage and leave the door open and watch him lose his mind trying to get one of his buddies out of it.

  • YeahIgotskills2@lemmy.world
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    3 days ago

    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.

    • shalafi@lemmy.worldOP
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      3 days 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.

  • Kn1ghtDigital@lemmy.zip
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    4 days ago

    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.

  • Theatomictruth@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    4 days ago

    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

    • edgemaster72@lemmy.world
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      4 days ago

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

      context

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

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    4 days ago

    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.

  • BurgerBaron@piefed.social
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    4 days 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

  • OpenPassageways@lemmy.zip
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    4 days 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.

  • village604
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    4 days 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.

  • fatcat@discuss.tchncs.de
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    4 days ago

    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.

    • riskiedingo@lemmy.world
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      4 days ago

      And I somehow managed to read “house fires” and I was confused how fire launched backwards for a moment.