I have always heard the saying as “You catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar” meaning that people cooperate better if you use praise rather than criticism.
I came here at lunch during the really slow time for the message boards to say it is vinager that I rembered. I see I am not alone in thinking that.
It’s just good form to post a link to a staff report you are commenting on. Instructions on how to post a link can be found in the About this Message Board section.
Thank you very much. (Hi Arnold)
That’s very nice… try and be helpful, finish it off with a smarty pants hiya to the moderator, and then use the wrong moderator’s name.
Sorry C K Dexter Haven I knew this was your section to keep an eye on, really I did. 
Mea Culpa
-Doug
I think everyone in the world originally heard it as involving honey and vinegar. Remember, the person asking the question referred to the co-worker as being annoying. Certainly butchering a well-known expression while being both crude and inaccurate must rate high on the annoy-o-meter.
I think the guy was mixing metaphors. The shit/fly combination is an attractant relationship, as in “he stuck to him like a fly on shit”. His statement makes little sense, as flies are attracted to both sugar and shit.
[Newsradio]
Dave: Bill, have you ever heard the expression “It’s easier to catch flies with honey instead of vinegar”?
Bill: Dave, have you ever heard the expression “Only a hillbilly sits around and tries to figure out the best way to catch flies”?
[/Newsradio]