Apr 17, 2011

Water Filled Baggies & Pennies Repel Flies

Getting outdoors is a past time shared by many folks, whether your camping or enjoying a picnic in the park. People have tried many remedies for warding off bugs by applying insect repellent, which provides contact protection, however the unwanted pest will continue to invade your space. To avoid this you may consider bringing along a screen tent for optimal results,another common folk remedy for repelling flying pests, however, consists of nothing more than a plastic bag filled with water and adding a few shiny pennies. Sounds too good to be true? Try it out for yourself...

How does it work?

Fill a large, durable plastic bag with clear, fresh water. This water, with its capacity for refracting and reflecting light, will be perceived by flying insects as high optic flow. Flying insects avoid regions of high optic flow in order to prevent collisions. Regarding the science behind zip log bags of water? Research found that each of the millions of molecules of water presents its own prism effect and given that flies have a lot of eyes, to them it’s like a zillion disco balls reflecting light, colors and movement in a dizzying manner.

Place a shiny penny into the bag, the shiner, the better. This penny should only increase the amount of reflection (optic flow) put off by the bag. Multiple pennies may work even better, so long as they increase the amount of reflective material in the bag. Don't add so many, however, that they're liable to strain or break the bag.

Seal the bag shut and provide a way for the bag to hang, should be strong enough to hold the full weight of the bag.

Hang the bag outside a doorway, from the limb of a tree,or anywhere that you are have a bothersome fly population.

Monitor the bug population to see if it has any effects, there is no exact science and results can vary, try hanging the bags in different locations or add multiple bags for best results.

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