# Flyswatters **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 30, 2000, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flyswatters/18175 "2000-04-30T17:10:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eada6e/32.png) [@aha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aha)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2000, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flyswatters/18175/1 "2000-04-30T17:10:15Z")
What exactly makes a flyswatter quicker than the hand? Is there a scientific or mathamatical equation for it? ---
**Author:** ![Steve-o](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecc23a/32.png) [@Steve-o](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve-o)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2000, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flyswatters/18175/2 "2000-04-30T17:42:06Z")
It is quicker because of two things. One is that it becomes an extension of your arm, thus making your arm longer. The longer your arm, the further the end of it has to move when arcing the same angle as a shorter arm. If you can make this movement in the same amount of time as the short arm, the end of the long arm must be travelling faster. The other reason is that on top of the above principle, your wrist flexes with each swat to increase the speed of the fly swatter, thus adding extra speed to the increased arm length principle. ---
**Author:** ![johnpriest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@johnpriest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpriest)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2000, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flyswatters/18175/3 "2000-04-30T17:50:43Z")
Also, the holes in the flyswatter keep it from creating an air wave blowing the fly away. If you swat a fly with fingers open you’ll have better luck. ---
**Author:** ![Rechenanlagen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e19b73/32.png) [@Rechenanlagen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rechenanlagen)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2000, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flyswatters/18175/4 "2000-04-30T18:07:34Z")
The best time to swat is when the fly is seated and rubbing its front legs together. That means it’s scheming, same as cartoon vilians. The best angle to swat is from behind. When the fly pushes up to start flying it has to leap rearward. Spiders should be hit from below, since their instinct when startled is to fall. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2000, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flyswatters/18175/5 "2000-04-30T18:43:34Z")
This is _not_ off-topic, merely at a slight tangent. 🙂 If you see a mosquito busily sucking your blood, you can trap the little bug-ger. Just place the 2nd and 4th finger on each side of her, stretch the skin, and use the 3rd (birdie) finger to squish it at will. Works best if you sneak up from behind and set the trap quickly. As a bonus, you might even get some of your blood back, if you squish slowly enough. The author is not responsible for any diseases incurred while engaged in playing this game, Peace, mangeorge ---
**Author:** ![aha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eada6e/32.png) [@aha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aha)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2000, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flyswatters/18175/6 "2000-04-30T19:00:25Z")
DID YOU KNOW THAT BY: Using the thumb and middle finger to make them look like an “Ok” sign, one can ease up on a fly and _flip_ his ass up between his antennae in one quick flip. Gotta be stealthy though and it’s kinda slow going if you have a lot of them. ---
**Author:** ![Steve-o](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecc23a/32.png) [@Steve-o](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve-o)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2000, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flyswatters/18175/7 "2000-04-30T19:22:38Z")
I had a cousin who swore up and down that if you trapped the mosquitoe as you have described, and just left it there, it would eventually pop. Never tried it myself, but it sounds cool. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2000, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flyswatters/18175/8 "2000-04-30T21:10:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*\* > DID YOU KNOW THAT BY: > > Using the thumb and middle finger to make them look like an “Ok” sign, one can ease up on a fly and _flip_ his ass up between his antennae in one quick flip. > > Gotta be stealthy though and it’s kinda slow going if you have a lot of them. > > \*\* * * * Okay, aha, I’ll stick to the topic. Did you know that you can use a flyswatter to chase smart-assed kids around the house? **Steve-o** ; I’ve heard that too, but never had the patience. I’ll try it next time. I am older now, after all. Well, gotta go. There’s a NASCAR race on the tube. Peace, mangeorge ---
**Author:** ![mattmanz\_da\_man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/db5fbb/32.png) [@mattmanz\_da\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mattmanz_da_man)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2000, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flyswatters/18175/9 "2000-04-30T21:26:01Z")
Actually, I HAVE tried **Steve-o** ’s “mosquitoe popping” method, and it, disappointingly, did not work. I’ve since heard that the mosquitoe has to have hit a relatively large blood vessel for the little bugger to swell up till he explodes. ---
**Author:** ![Alphagene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Alphagene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alphagene)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2000, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flyswatters/18175/10 "2000-05-01T03:04:39Z")
Cecil knows all: [Can you make mosquitoes explode by flexing your muscles?](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/970822.html) ---
**Author:** ![Steve-o](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecc23a/32.png) [@Steve-o](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve-o)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2000, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flyswatters/18175/11 "2000-05-01T03:47:46Z")
OOOOHHH! OOOHHH! Did they do the tapeworm thing? Sign me up! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2000, 9:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flyswatters/18175/12 "2000-05-01T09:11:10Z")
In China I saw the cleverest fly swatter which I have not seen anywhere else. It looks like a toy tennis racquet and has only parallel metal wires. It works on batteries and zaps the insects like the high voltage bug zappers we know except you catch them in flight. I thought it was quite ingenious and wonder why i have not seen them in western countries. ---
**Author:** ![Myron\_Van\_Horowitzski](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@Myron\_Van\_Horowitzski](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myron_Van_Horowitzski)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2000, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flyswatters/18175/13 "2000-05-01T16:14:31Z")
My sister used to sit at the picnic table and _skewer_ flies with a toothpick. On good days she’d have a cocktail pick full of a dozen at a time. Bleech.