h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The trouble is the bad habit I know most about is abject laziness

AG

Well I just searched the guide and there are not entries on bad habits and if you suffer from abject laziness then you are the pefect person to write on the subject - if you can get off your butt

vegiman

A big hello to all you fly-killing researchers out there ! Think I need your help...

I life in Mainz, that's in Germany, and my little room is just about hundred meters away from the rhine river. Now, as the warmer, aehm, less colder time of the year nears, I like to work late at night with the window open... And now I've got literally hundreds of flies in my room, they are attracted by the light... but I can't work in the dark, can I ?
The methods of killing flies described in this forum seem to be fun... but they don't work against this fly invasion, at least as long as I don't make it a full-time-job.
So, here's my question: Does anybody know a way I can keep the windows open and the light burning and the flies OUTSIDE !?!?!

Only Mosquito netting over the window or something similar.

Other than that develop xray eyes
vegiman

Yeah, some other people told me to get a Mosquito netting, but I won't get one for two reasons:

a) It is a much to simple solusion
b) I wanna look at the stuff outside (some rather nice trees and the sky wich I would even more enjoy if there were not all the planes wich come and leave at Frankfurt airport, but at least these plane don't fly into my room as the flies do) without some strange white net between me and the stuff wich I mentioned somewhere in this sentence

The Left Ear of the Godess, KSC

PS: I had to get rid of the X-Ray eyes because one of my neighbours complaint about me laughing at... aehm... hm... Well, he was quite angry in fact.

Ummm? suspend from the window ledge a series of jars with somesticky solution (bubble mixture, sweet water or other drink like Coke etc) in them and the flies will hope fully be attracted to them and drown. There is I supose the danger that wil attract MORE flies, but it's a start. File under Diversionary Tactics

Clive

Hm... I think I give a try to that one... But I think I know what will happen: Some friend will drop in, saying something about "..drink...", take one of the glasses from the window an drink it. Then, when I say: "Aeh... that coke was full of flies !", he will just say: "So what?"
This kind of stuff allways happens to me...

But I think I got another idea: The flies are always attracted by light. (That's teh reason they come into my room while the planes don't) So I think I will take some candles (the kind that swims) and put them in the coke or whatever it is I will use. So, wether they follow the light or the sweet scent, they'll end in there... *nya,nya,nya*

I'll tell you in a few days if it worked.

So long, The Left Ear of the godess, KSC

Or: You might try buying, renting, or by another means, acquiring a spider. Nature's own infalliable method of dealing with the problem.

Clive

A spider ? I've got work for dozens of them !
Yeah, this rocks ! In some weeks you'll find me hanging around in the "spider"-forum, looking for a way to get rid of them...and till next year, I will have worked my way up the evolution-ladder up to tigers or something... Well, I prefer the flies, then. (Although it would be very interesting to see if tigers are attracted by light or coke, or if I can get some tiger netting for my windows...)

The Left Ear of the Godess, KSC

I suppose you could get a lead with a bright light bulb on the end and hang it out the window, then hope most of the flies are attracted to that one cos its brighter.

Other than that, get Infra-Red Glasses and read in the dark. - These will also enhanse the view from your window.

vegiman

Flies might be your smallest problem. By the way just imagine mosquitos. I myself are right now hunted by one for 4 hours. And the worst is: The bugger can´t get out by himself because I got mosquito nettings. But thats life.

R. E. Kentares

Put a carcass outside. The flies will prefer this to your lit room.

You could even place stick liquids in jars around the cadaver and erect a bright light next to it just to be sure.

Clive

Kentares, huh ?
THE Kentares ?
Are you the Kentares that I failed to meet in spain when you wanted to pick me up to bring me to the airport and I got some kind of breakdown because I was wandering around in the hot sun all day and paniced because I thought I was going to miss my plane ?
Waldparty ?

The Left Ear of the Godess, KSC

Uhh... Thanks for your help, guys, I think I just go and get that netting...

The Left Ear of the Godess, KSC

Probably best.

Clive

'es on to it. I have had great success with the let-em-jump-into-your-hands method ever since I adopted it. Several years ago while anchored in the James River across from Jamestown, my friend and I had a run of 72 flies in a row with no misses while listening to "A Prairy Home Companion" on the radio. If I hadn't had success in other surroundings I would have attributed it to the effect of Garrison Keiler's voice on the flies

*heh - heh, Big Guns.*

My next door neihbour demonstrated for me the other day, a fascinating tactic for dispatching of wing'd insects in your room. He keeps by his bed, a loaded Super-Soaker water pistol at all times. And when a creature (in this instance, a wasp) tries to come inside he saturates it until it can't fly then drops something heavy on top of the little bleeder.

Whole MINUTES of fun to be had firing Super-soakers around your room on the pretence of fly-swatting!

Clive