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@ Troy
2023-09-10 02:11:04To Kill A Mocking Fly
Although this may not be the most practical way of killing flies, it sure does come in handy when other tools aren’t available. It’s also a great demonstration in perception and physiology. With science at your disposal, you can finally show this type of pest a lesson.
The World Through A Fly’s Eye
The first principle to understand is what goes on inside the fly’s brain when a threat is approaching. If the right eye sees a threat coming directly from the right, a signal is sent to the brain to “fly to the left”. As amazing as this next part may sound, the same is true for the left side sending a signal to “fly to the right”.
The Exploit
The exploit in this hack involves sending threat signals to both eyes at the same time, and in equal proportion. This will cause both signals of “fly to the left” and “fly to the right” to trigger simultaneously, causing the fly to go (nearly) straight up.
Application
For your first attempts, it is best to attack flies that have landed on a level surface. It is possible to pull this off successfully when they are on a vertical surface, or other angled surfaces, but save that for when you’re ready to level up.
With the fly on a level surface in front of you, align yourself so that you are either facing the fly head-on, or tail-first. With your hands about shoulder-width apart, on either side of the fly, clap about 4”-6” above the fly. I’ve noticed this height varies with temperature, as the flies slow down when it’s colder. (I just reached around my laptop monitor and killed another one, btw).
Once you have this down, you’ll finally have leveled the playing field. You won’t be able to get them every time, but you can dwindle the population down enough to a tolerable measure.