The very best trick.....EVER

Jun 1, 2009
1,737
Hunter 49 toronto
This is the most amazing trick to know on a sailboat. Candidly, you’re not going to believe this works, so when you try it, you’ll be doubly amazed
Here’s the scenario:
You come back after a nice afternoon sail, and there are about 1000 flies inside the boat, mostly sitting around on the headliner. As it gets later in the day almost all of them are hanging around on the ceiling.
Well, smacking them with a newspaper leaves a big mess, plus they tend to sense the incoming air pressure, and get out of the way.
The “fly guns” work great, but you’ve got fly guts to clean off your ceiling.
So, here is a way to clear out all the flies with no mess, and actually have fun doing it. And.... this really works 100% of the time.

Get a clear drinking glass, with a fairly wide rim. It can be any height, but I prefer the shorter cocktail type glasses, cause the rims are wider.
Put in a shot of dishwashing detergent. It’s better if it has a bit of lemon or light fragrance.
Fill the glass almost all the way up, and get it a little bubbly at the top.
Now, here comes the magic part:
Get the glass about 12” underneath the fly, and slowly lift it up. I believe it’s because they like the smell, but they tend to stay put.. Keep lifting it slowly.
At some point, the fly is going to want to be somewhere else, but makes a critical mistake. (Which will be very amusing to you)
Flies know that they can use the surface tension of water to bounce off of it, so their tendency is just to aim for the water in the glass, do a ricochet, and fly away.
The problem is that the dish soap removes the surface tension, the flies hit it, and sink... flapping their wings all the way to the bottom of the glass while you laugh hysterically.
You can clear your ceiling in 15 fun-filled minutes doing this.
You’re welcome.
 

RoyS

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Jun 3, 2012
1,739
Hunter 33 Steamboat Wharf, Hull, MA
Great idea! Especially since you cannot find a decent fly swatter anymore.
 
Jul 7, 2004
8,402
Hunter 30T Cheney, KS
Didn't know it works on flies, but we use this trick at work for gnats. We use apple cider vinegar and soap. We just set the traps out. Gnats are attracted to the sweet smell and sink when they hit the liquid.
 

BrianH

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Feb 14, 2005
102
Hunter 44 LaSalle, MI
Great idea! Especially since you cannot find a decent fly swatter anymore.
Reminds of a time we went to the local dollar store looking for a bunch of fly swatters for a kids game at a family reunion. We couldn't find any when walking around the store, so we asked at the front registers if they had any fly swatters. The gal looked at us kind of funny, gestured to display with bottles of water and said that's all they have. She thought we asked for FLYS water (whatever that is). For us, they have been called FLYS waters ever since!