# Flies, Baggies and Pennies **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 9, 2012, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flies-baggies-and-pennies/627656 "2012-07-09T02:18:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SanDiegoTim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@SanDiegoTim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanDiegoTim)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2012, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flies-baggies-and-pennies/627656/1 "2012-07-09T02:18:02Z")
This sounds so absurd, I don’t know why I’m even inquiring. That said, I’ve heard that hanging a Baggie with a few ounces of water and a few pennies inside will keep flies away. While I’d like to hear it’s true, I wasn’t born yesterday. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2012, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flies-baggies-and-pennies/627656/2 "2012-07-09T02:30:07Z")
It’s total bullshit; it fits all the criterion for a pseudo-scientific explanation, but Cecil doesn’t seem to have [caught up with that yet.](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1956/whats-the-purpose-of-bags-of-water-hanging-in-restaurants) [We’ve done this before.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=654991) [And before that.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=617598) ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2012, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flies-baggies-and-pennies/627656/3 "2012-07-09T02:45:40Z")
There’s a popular cafe nearby that’s been around since the 70s–they use this trick for their outside dining area. I figure it must be somewhat effective…why bother doing it all these years if it doesn’t work? ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2012, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flies-baggies-and-pennies/627656/4 "2012-07-09T15:59:57Z")
A BBQ place near me did it last year, but no sign of them this year. Maybe it didn’t work and/or maybe they got tired of answering questions about it. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2012, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flies-baggies-and-pennies/627656/5 "2012-07-09T16:14:42Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > There’s a popular cafe nearby that’s been around since the 70s–they use this trick for their outside dining area. I figure it must be somewhat effective…why bother doing it all these years if it doesn’t work? Possibly because no one’s ever proven to them that it **doesn’t** work – after all, who knows how bad the fly problem would be if they didn’t hang the bags? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2012, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flies-baggies-and-pennies/627656/6 "2012-07-09T17:02:23Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > It’s total bullshit; it fits all the criterion for a pseudo-scientific explanation, but Cecil doesn’t seem to have [caught up with that yet.](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1956/whats-the-purpose-of-bags-of-water-hanging-in-restaurants). With all due respect, that ain’t Cecil, but staffer Doug. What’s interesting, thought is that former staffer who wrote that article, [Doug Yanega,](http://www.discoverlife.org/who/CV/Yanega,_Douglas.html) ain’t exactly a lightweight on the subject of entymology. JFTR, I don’t buy it, either. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2012, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flies-baggies-and-pennies/627656/7 "2012-07-09T18:09:50Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > With all due respect, that ain’t Cecil, but staffer Doug. True, true, but it’s on Unca Cece’s web site and presumably posted with his approval. It’s an odd posting for a site such as this when there’s so much contradictory evidence. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2012, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flies-baggies-and-pennies/627656/8 "2012-07-09T18:38:04Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > . . .[Doug Yanega,](http://www.discoverlife.org/who/CV/Yanega,_Douglas.html) ain’t exactly a lightweight on the subject of entymology. Or maybe he is. His specialty is entomology, not entymology, which would be the study of the origin of insect names (should that ever be added as a field of study). ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2012, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flies-baggies-and-pennies/627656/9 "2012-07-09T19:22:05Z")
Supposedly, it works better with shiney objects in the water. The sun reflecting off of the shiney objects are supposed to confuse the flies and make them go the opposite direction. ---
**Author:** ![Victor\_Charlie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7ea924/32.png) [@Victor\_Charlie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Victor_Charlie)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2012, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flies-baggies-and-pennies/627656/10 "2012-07-09T19:27:39Z")
Right up there with plastic milk jugs on the lawn to keep defecating dogs at bay. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2012, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flies-baggies-and-pennies/627656/11 "2012-07-09T20:56:52Z")
ETA: Removed because I forgot I was in GQ. Carry on. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2012, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flies-baggies-and-pennies/627656/12 "2012-07-09T21:30:03Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > There’s a popular cafe nearby that’s been around since the 70s–they use this trick for their outside dining area. I figure it must be somewhat effective…why bother doing it all these years if it doesn’t work? Because it’s an easy way to assuage the bumpkins who would be telling them they need to hang bags of water with pennies in it to keep bugs away. So I guess they are effective on at least one type of pest. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![tapu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@tapu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tapu)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2012, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flies-baggies-and-pennies/627656/13 "2012-07-09T23:56:22Z")
> [@Victor\_Charlie](#): > > Right up there with plastic milk jugs on the lawn to keep defecating dogs at bay. Who would want plastic milk jugs sitting around in their yard?? ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2012, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flies-baggies-and-pennies/627656/14 "2012-07-10T00:33:41Z")
> [@tapu](#): > > Who would want plastic milk jugs sitting around in their yard?? You’d rather have dog shit? ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2012, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flies-baggies-and-pennies/627656/15 "2012-07-10T00:33:48Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > There’s a popular cafe nearby that’s been around since the 70s–they use this trick for their outside dining area. I figure it must be somewhat effective…why bother doing it all these years if it doesn’t work? You should point out to them how effective they are at keeping elephants away. And if Barack Obama has never stopped in for a snack, it’s probably because of those damned bags. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2012, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flies-baggies-and-pennies/627656/16 "2012-07-10T01:02:56Z")
I wonder if maybe the cafe never had a bug problem to begin with–maybe some “idea” guy said, _“If we hang these up, we’ll never have to worry about flies!”_ – and they just went with it. Can’t argue with the results! ---
**Author:** ![tapu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@tapu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tapu)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2012, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flies-baggies-and-pennies/627656/17 "2012-07-10T01:36:22Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > You’d rather have dog shit? Yes. I’ve cleaned up more than dog shit in my life. And even if I tarry, that dog shit doesn’t stick out as much as a bunch of milk cartons strewn around my lawn. I don’t know… maybe this taps into my secret shame of being a hillbilly. Although back there, we leave both in our yards. ---
**Author:** ![Victor\_Charlie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7ea924/32.png) [@Victor\_Charlie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Victor_Charlie)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2012, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flies-baggies-and-pennies/627656/18 "2012-07-10T02:08:56Z")
> [@tapu](#): > > Who would want plastic milk jugs sitting around in their yard?? Those who believe that, for some incomprehensible reason, dogs are so terrified of plastic milk jugs they won’t dare share the same space with them. ---
**Author:** ![tapu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@tapu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tapu)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2012, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flies-baggies-and-pennies/627656/19 "2012-07-10T02:22:10Z")
I’m going to go test that on my dog. Although, he’s generally terrified already. Maybe because I follow him around, like he does me, and he gets real skittish, looking over his shoulder and such. ---
**Author:** ![Victor\_Charlie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7ea924/32.png) [@Victor\_Charlie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Victor_Charlie)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2012, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flies-baggies-and-pennies/627656/20 "2012-07-10T02:57:36Z")
> [@tapu](#): > > Yes. I’ve cleaned up more than dog shit in my life. And even if I tarry, that dog shit doesn’t stick out as much as a bunch of milk cartons strewn around my lawn. I don’t know… maybe this taps into my secret shame of being a hillbilly. Although back there, we leave both in our yards. Okay, you win Post of the Day honors.