# I guess I knew it'd be gross but... **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 17, 2000, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-guess-i-knew-itd-be-gross-but/29653 "2000-08-17T01:54:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![timmar68](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/97f17d/32.png) [@timmar68](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/timmar68)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2000, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-guess-i-knew-itd-be-gross-but/29653/1 "2000-08-17T01:54:16Z")
I’m sure you all have done it. Today a pesky fly was bothering me so I used my bare hands to try to swat it. I’ve done it many times before. Only this time I succeeded. I got it. I also almost puked. Why the heck didn’t it occur to me that if I actually swatted it I’d have fly guts all over my hand? EW EW EW EW EW! I literally screamed and washed my hands for about 10 solid minutes to get the sensation off my hand. But the good part is, I used my toasted coconut scented soap and now I smell awesome. 🙂 And one time I got a fly with a rolled up towel in the first shot. I was quite proud of myself. Anybody else here ever swat a fly with their bare hands? Bleah! ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2000, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-guess-i-knew-itd-be-gross-but/29653/2 "2000-08-17T01:56:14Z")
I swat the little bastards with my bare hands all the time. You have to sneak up on them and get real close. If you start swinging from far away they feel the breeze and fly away. I absolutely LOVE the feeling of a tiny crushed exoskeletin smothered in bugblood on my hand. Yum. ---
**Author:** ![CanadianSue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@CanadianSue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanadianSue)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2000, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-guess-i-knew-itd-be-gross-but/29653/3 "2000-08-17T01:57:19Z")
Yuck! they had the oddest squishy guts. ---
**Author:** ![Rich\_G7subs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85e7bf/32.png) [@Rich\_G7subs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rich_G7subs)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2000, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-guess-i-knew-itd-be-gross-but/29653/4 "2000-08-17T02:05:15Z")
C’mon,haven’t you seen “The Karate Kid”? You’re supposed to use chopsticks to catch flies! ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2000, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-guess-i-knew-itd-be-gross-but/29653/5 "2000-08-17T03:26:33Z")
One of the kids at the library caught one and shook it up and down in his hands. “Do flies get sick? Do they throw up?” “I don’t know,” I said, “but they walk around in dog shit.” I thought he was gonna get sick. ---
**Author:** ![Demo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/demo/32/8472_2.png) [@Demo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Demo)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2000, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-guess-i-knew-itd-be-gross-but/29653/6 "2000-08-17T03:45:36Z")
I normally do the old gym towel whip. Of course, the towel goes directly into the wash if I hit one. ---
**Author:** ![nashiitashii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7c8e57/32.png) [@nashiitashii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nashiitashii)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2000, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-guess-i-knew-itd-be-gross-but/29653/7 "2000-08-17T03:59:24Z")
I accidentally swallowed a fly. It was really gross. I tend to leave the little buggers alone unless they’re after my food. Then I will attack them with my hands. ---
**Author:** ![Gunslinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gunslinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gunslinger)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2000, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-guess-i-knew-itd-be-gross-but/29653/8 "2000-08-17T04:46:28Z")
I use a rubber-band gun. Works reasonably well. ---
**Author:** ![Homer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/df788c/32.png) [@Homer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homer)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2000, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-guess-i-knew-itd-be-gross-but/29653/9 "2000-08-17T04:54:12Z")
I knew an old ssskuggiii who swallowed a fly. I don’t know why she swallowed a fly. Perhaps she’ll die. –Tim ---
**Author:** ![nashiitashii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7c8e57/32.png) [@nashiitashii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nashiitashii)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2000, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-guess-i-knew-itd-be-gross-but/29653/10 "2000-08-17T04:55:51Z")
_ **Shush.** _ I’ll only let you get away with it if you can pronounce my username correctly. ---
**Author:** ![etgaw1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ed655f/32.png) [@etgaw1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etgaw1)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2000, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-guess-i-knew-itd-be-gross-but/29653/11 "2000-08-17T07:17:25Z")
i found the best method is to clap your hands right above them. They see your hads comming and take off right into you hand gets them everytime. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2000, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-guess-i-knew-itd-be-gross-but/29653/12 "2000-08-17T13:03:16Z")
My husband kills hornets, wasps, bees, etc. by flicking at them with his middle finger. Freaks me out every time. ---
**Author:** ![SwimmingRiddles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/43a26b/32.png) [@SwimmingRiddles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SwimmingRiddles)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2000, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-guess-i-knew-itd-be-gross-but/29653/13 "2000-08-17T14:09:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Democritus \* > \*\*I normally do the old gym towel whip. Of course, the towel goes directly into the wash if I hit one. \*\* As opposed to the old gym towels that you don’t get the flies with, which get reused until they’re crusty? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Sealemon88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c68b51/32.png) [@Sealemon88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sealemon88)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2000, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-guess-i-knew-itd-be-gross-but/29653/14 "2000-08-17T14:15:41Z")
I’ve squyished baby roaches with my bare hands. I’ve only managed to catch a fly with my hands once or twice. For some _real_ fun, try squishing a mosquito right after it’s sucked some of your blood. Mmmmm…blood splatter! ---
**Author:** ![SouthernStyle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@SouthernStyle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SouthernStyle)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2000, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-guess-i-knew-itd-be-gross-but/29653/15 "2000-08-17T14:16:08Z")
The old dirty gym towels are bait. The new clean towels are weapons. ??? ---
**Author:** ![Dragwyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dragwyr/32/2855_2.png) [@Dragwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragwyr)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2000, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-guess-i-knew-itd-be-gross-but/29653/16 "2000-08-17T14:21:32Z")
When I was young and dumber, I was working on my homework in my room and there was this fly. Every time it landed, I’d try and swat it with my hand… but I’d always miss. Well, this fly was really getting on my nerves and I was now following it around, waiting for it to land, then trying to swat it… still missing, of course. Sometimes it would land on the wall, my arm, the desk, and I’d still miss it. It finally landed on me, and had managed to get me into a swatting frenzy The stupidity I felt when I realized I had just swatted myself in the crotch was much more prevelant than the feeling of pain that suddenly ran through my groin after performing said swat, and much much greater than any feeling of satisfaction that may have surfaced because I FINALLY got that damn fly! I look back on it and laugh. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![SouthernStyle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@SouthernStyle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SouthernStyle)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2000, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-guess-i-knew-itd-be-gross-but/29653/17 "2000-08-17T14:50:25Z")
**Dragwyr** , The important thing is that the little sucker DIED! ---
**Author:** ![JimmyNipples](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/eb9ed0/32.png) [@JimmyNipples](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JimmyNipples)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2000, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-guess-i-knew-itd-be-gross-but/29653/18 "2000-08-17T15:07:34Z")
What a bunch of rookies… **THE PROPER WAY TO CATCH AND KILL FLIES** Lay down on the kitchen floor, cover yourself with honey. Wait for a goodly amount of flies to get stuck and then roll over. It’s really quite simple if you put a little thought into it. Sheesh. ---
**Author:** ![Vestal\_Blue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/5e9695/32.png) [@Vestal\_Blue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vestal_Blue)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2000, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-guess-i-knew-itd-be-gross-but/29653/19 "2000-08-17T19:07:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by etgaw1 \* > \*\*i found the best method is to clap your hands right above them. They see your hads comming and take off right into you hand gets them everytime. \*\* Yep! But if you’re successful, they never touch your hands; the pressure wave gets’em, and they lay there, dead, wings askew. ---
**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:** [August 18, 2000, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-guess-i-knew-itd-be-gross-but/29653/20 "2000-08-18T20:29:47Z")
I’ve seen my sister sitting at a picnic table skewering flies on a toothpick. She had an dozen-diptera shish kebob going once. Blech. I got into my van once and it was full of kamikazi mosquitoes. One was buzzing my face so I quickly clapped my hands to get it. I forgot I had been brandishing the ignition key. I practically drove the key through palm of my hand. Moron! AND the little bitch got away. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-guess-i-knew-itd-be-gross-but/29653.md?page=2)