Sitting on the porch of a local restaurant tonight and saw a ziploc bag of water tacked onto the eve of the porch. I asked what this was for and was told that it was there to keep the flies away from patrons while they ate in the open air. No one could tell me how or why it worked, only the swore that it did. Anyone ever heard of this? What's the mechanism that keeps flies away? Or maybe my leg was really getting pulled?
I've always heard bread sacks work best. You often see them over drive-thru windows around here. I've tried them at picnics with little beneficial result but makes a great conversation starter.
Is the bag supposed to be in the sun? I wonder if the sun's rays refracting through the water might distract, attract, or repel flies.
Chuck
They do it allover az and new mesico the water is supposed to confuse the insect and they stay away. They also turn plastic bottles upside down on stakes and put them in gardens. Don't have clue if works or not.
I read somewhere it is because of a flys many eyes and the water magnifies everything and basicly blinds them.
Gettin Back To My Country Roots
HARUMPH !!!
"I'm not from your planet, monkey boy!"
"HARUMPH !!! " Is that all you have to say, Pat? C'mon, you can do better than that. Let's have some data to back up your opinion. I expect to have your dissertation on my desk Monday morning. [img]/forums/images/icons/smirk.gif[/img]
Jazz, here is a lesson in practicality.
You said, "I expect to have..."
Well, expect in one hand and expectorate in the other and see which one fills up first!
Indeed, HARUMPH!!
[img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]
"I'm not from your planet, monkey boy!"
People put clear jugs of water (glass jars or 2 liter pop bottles) out in the lawn and it is supposed to: 1. keep dogs away or 2. reduce the number of a. chiggers, b. ticks, c. stinging insects, d. etc 3. if hung in fruit trees supposedly reduced bird predation of fruit, 4. does whatever the cousin of the waitress who used to work at that truck stop befor the bypass went through and they went out of business, says it does.
Ever looked at a body of water with waves or ripples in bright sunlight? Ever notice any effect on bugs? Is there a shortage of mosquitos near water exposed to bright sun and some ripple forming wind?
If you want to have light mess with a bug, buy one of the small green laser pointers (legal) that is strong enough to burn a hole in a black trash bag or pop a dark baloon and go shoot bugs with it. Blind flies (and other bugs) might be fun to watch.
You can get a Fresnel lense pretty cheaply (or use a large magnifying glass) and set it out in the sun with something the bug likes as bait near but not in the focal spot. The bug lands on or gets near the bait and is incinerated. These devices can be automated by the same technology (some passive) that is used to auto allign tracking mounts for solar panels. The manual version has to be touched up in its aim every few minutes but is mildly entertaining at outdoor food rituals.
One man's meat is another's poison. One person's folk wisdom is another's amesement. Due to strong consideration for political correctness I have avoided mentioning the first 6-8 comments that came to mind. Some who were not incensed would have been greatly amused.
[img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]
"I'm not from your planet, monkey boy!"
Put those glass jugs off water in the right place and incerate weeds! [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]
Egon [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]
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