Kill a Fly
Got a fly in the house? Need to get rid of it quickly? Sure, you could catch the fly with your hands and let it go, however, killing it is easier. Here are some tips.
Contents
Steps
Squashing
- Wait until the fly is stationary. It is much easier to hit a fly that is not moving. Be stealthy! The fly is probably scoping you out as much as you're scoping it out.
- If it's in a position you don't like, wreak havoc around it. It'll be forced to go into a different, hopefully, more open area. If you know it's somewhere but don't know where, turn off the TV and anything else that's making noise. This will enable you to hear the fly and track it more easily once it takes to the air.
- Sneak up Behind Someone. Get close enough to be able to swing and hit the fly, but not so close that it startles the fly into flying around again.
- This takes some skill. You are up against an evasion artist. Before the fly takes off, it is executing a complex pre-flight routine: precise leg-to-eye positioning is taking place moment-by-moment. The extraordinary eyes (viewing field nearly 360°) pinpoint your location and the fly's nervous system translates this perception into precise leg positioning. These optimize instant take-off in the most likely evasive direction. And this is why it often seems that the fly is blessed with precognitive powers.
- Swing at the fly. You'll need to be able to swing fast and accurately. If flies are a constant problem, start practicing your aim and stealth (and clean up and shut your windows and doors).
- The fly is planning to fly away at the last second. What you have to do is to predict where it is going to fly and aim there. You're going to beat him at his own game. Try to get him into a corner to limit his possibly flyaway zone.
- Clean up the mess. Be sure to clean up the remains of the fly after swatting it. Or you could leave it, completely creep out your family, and leave a stain on the wall.
- You may want to use Windex, Pledge, or some sort of cleaner. This goes double if your victim was one of those huge, bulbous, super-buzzy flies.
Asphyxiation
- Grab something in a spray bottle. Almost anything will work. Odds are if you shouldn't breathe or ingest it, neither should the fly. However, certain items found in your bathroom or kitchen will work better than others.
- Windex is a pretty safe bet. As is Lysol, Formula 409, and Fantastik. Hairspray will work eventually, but you'll need to douse it thoroughly.
- Spray the fly. Get as close as you can to it without scaring it away. Then bam! Grab that bottle and drown him in that toxic fluid! He never stood a chance.
- Make sure he's dead and not just stunned. If you don't, he might end up reviving and taking off in flight. If you're using hairspray, this goes double. Make his pain as short as possible by doing a thorough job.
- Dispose of the fly and clean the area. You don't want a sticky mess on your wall from whatever you sprayed it with -- especially if it's a window (double the reason to use Windex -- no streaks!).
- Of course, if you used Febreeze, good thinking! Now your house smells great, too.
Snipe Shooter
- Grab a rubber band.
- Lure the fly to a more easy to aim location. You can do this by waving at the fly. Hopefully a few tries the fly will sit on a nice place for you to aim.
- Creep closer and aim the rubber band about {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} away. (Range where the fly feels it is safe but actually it's not).
- Release the Kraken! (Fire your weapon.) Repeat if you miss.
- Ensure fly is dead. Some flies are just stunned and will be back to normal after a few minutes.
- Repeat if alive. Or you can just swat it with anything since it is in a stunned state.
- Dispose of fly. Then, assume your victory pose.
Things You'll Need
- Fly
- Flyswatter, rolled up newspaper, or hand.
- Cleaning spray
- Rubber band
Tips
- Try remaining as still as possible before executing the death strike fly in order to deactivate the leg positioning and make the fly less able to respond instantaneously (especially when using method one).
Warnings
- Read and observe the warnings on the bottles of household cleaners and chemicals used for asphyxiation.
