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Health & Fitness

To Catch a Fly

This blog is sure to create a buzz. I have scoured the Internet and nowhere could I find this remarkable technique my wife intuited. This blog is a lifesaver – at least for flies.

My wife has taught me many things during 32 years of marriage. Some of them I remember. Linda perfected this technique for catching flies. When you try this and succeed, you will be amazed and soon declare yourself lord of the flies.

You have heard of the person who wouldn't hurt a fly? That's my wife!

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All kinds of contraptions have been invented to swat, zap or otherwise exterminate a fly from the household. No longer must you be a merchant of death.

You need only two things to catch and release a living fly – A transparent plastic glass and a 5x7 index card. The plastic tumbler should be tall, in the 12-ounce range and the index card needs to be large enough to cover the top of the tumbler. For safety reasons, only use a see-through plastic tumbler as opposed to one made of glass.

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You are now equipped to catch a fly. Contain your excitement, because you are about to do something totally cool.

Once the intrusive insect has been detected, wait for it to land on a solid vertical or horizontal surface. Grab your tumbler and card. Now, SLOWLY approach the fly with the open end of the tumbler centered above the fly. From a distance of about two feet, very SLOWLY move the tumbler toward the solid surface where the fly is until it is caught. 

Avoid the temptation to slam the tumbler down on the fly. Slow and steady is the key to this technique. Once the fly is contained in the tumbler, slide the index card between the surface and the mouth of the tumbler. You can now step outside and release the fly back into the wild.

This technique works incredibly well and avoids the problem of having splattered, glued or electrocuted fly debris around the house. More than that, the thrill of the hunt, capture and release is fun and fulfilling. It's a free and freeing activity.

Apparently, flies have a blind spot if approached SLOWLY from above and once they feel threatened, they tend to fly perpendicular from the surface they have landed, directly into the glass.

This technique requires minimal hand-eye coordination and no athletic ability. I am in my 50's and Wii rates my coordination skills as average for a toddler in orthopedic shoes yet I have captured and released multiple flies in the same tumbler using this technique. Yes, you can do this!

The next time you have an uninvited fly indoors, give this technique a try. There is no need to be a thug with every bug when you can catch a fly and release it to the outdoor sky.  

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