# Is flypaper cruel and/or am I a sadistic monster? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 25, 2013, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-flypaper-cruel-and-or-am-i-a-sadistic-monster/667101 "2013-08-25T01:46:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2013, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-flypaper-cruel-and-or-am-i-a-sadistic-monster/667101/61 "2013-09-02T01:08:28Z")
:eek: Not one hour ago, I was in the hardware store buying rolls of fly paper! The last week, we have been swarming with flies down in the basement, I have no idea why. We swatted 25 Friday night alone. Today the cat bestirred himself and batted a monster almost an inch long out of the air, and I killed it (the fly!) with a broom. So the rolls of fly paper are hanging up (though I wanted a Bates Motel For Flies where they check in, don’t check out). I hate flies more than ANYTHING else gross in the world and wish them nothing but ill. Die Die Die Die Die Die Die… ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2013, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-flypaper-cruel-and-or-am-i-a-sadistic-monster/667101/62 "2013-09-02T02:09:38Z")
Flies. Fuck 'em. ---
**Author:** ![Razncain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9d8465/32.png) [@Razncain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Razncain)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2013, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-flypaper-cruel-and-or-am-i-a-sadistic-monster/667101/63 "2013-09-02T02:20:44Z")
[Fly powered airplanes](http://flypower.com/) can be entertaining. The link provided say it’s crucial not to superglue their feet otherwise they will stop beating their wings. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2013, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-flypaper-cruel-and-or-am-i-a-sadistic-monster/667101/64 "2013-09-02T02:30:14Z")
I am of the firm belief that flies know what they are, are horrified by it, and actually want to die. Why else would they constantly fly in the face of the nearest Human, screaming “Help! I’m a Fly! KILL ME!!!” ---
**Author:** ![JoseB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/joseb/32/1530_2.png) [@JoseB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoseB)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2013, 10:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-flypaper-cruel-and-or-am-i-a-sadistic-monster/667101/65 "2013-09-03T10:21:50Z")
Man, where was I that I didn’t see this thread before? Ah, yeah, in a business trip rather far away from home… Well, what I personally prefer to do with troublesome flies is catch them and then feed them to my pet venus flytrap. Yes, it is horrible, being digested alive by an angiosperm… But, on the other hand, well, it’s _flies_ – therefore, fuck them. ---
**Author:** ![LAV25](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/97f17d/32.png) [@LAV25](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LAV25)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2013, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-flypaper-cruel-and-or-am-i-a-sadistic-monster/667101/66 "2013-09-03T18:12:21Z")
An electrician friend of mine used to shoot them down with circuit cooler spray. They wake up after a while, but the whole resurrection thing was pretty cool to me at the time (just a kid). He also had a pretty good compressor, if you catch one on a screen door you can dice it with a blast of air. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2013, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-flypaper-cruel-and-or-am-i-a-sadistic-monster/667101/67 "2013-09-03T19:26:16Z")
[QUOTE=Tibby or Not Tibby] Flies are too stupid to have feelings, you say? Hogwash. Here’s a complex trick you can teach flies in a manner of minutes that even the smartest dogs could never master. Next time you’re surrounded by flies (e.g. around garbage cans or dog feces), stick out you tongue and sprinkle a few granules of sugar on it. Within a minute or two, your tongue will be crawling with flies. The feeling is quite pleasing, although the aftertaste is a bit off-putting. [/QUOTE] I don’t think that’s a trick I _want_ to teach a dog, either. “Here, Fido, come crawl on my tongue.” ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2013, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-flypaper-cruel-and-or-am-i-a-sadistic-monster/667101/68 "2013-09-04T02:33:25Z")
> [@Tibby or Not Tibby](#): > > Next time you’re surrounded by flies (e.g. around garbage cans or dog feces), stick out you tongue and sprinkle a few granules of sugar on it. Within a minute or two, your tongue will be crawling with flies. The feeling is quite pleasing, although the aftertaste is a bit off-putting. Note to self: Do not French-kiss **Tibby or Not Tibby**. ---
**Author:** ![gunchris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecb155/32.png) [@gunchris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gunchris)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2013, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-flypaper-cruel-and-or-am-i-a-sadistic-monster/667101/69 "2013-09-04T04:57:20Z")
you have to get good fly-paper- cheap ones the tack don’t work. I used to hate insecticide, then I moved off grid to a ranch with poor screens- I hate flies - I wouldn’t torture anyone or thing but I do not go out of my way to end a flies suffering like I would with a spider/wasp/bee if they got stuck on it. the ranch doggies chase mice like crazy so we often find nest with lots of baby mice in them, we give the baby mice to the chickens. they tear them up worse then Ernie Borgnine in Willard…you killed Ben! ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2013, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-flypaper-cruel-and-or-am-i-a-sadistic-monster/667101/70 "2013-09-05T04:21:54Z")
The stickiness of cheap flypaper doesn’t last forever, but neither does the free real estate. The one next to me is about due for replacement because it’s full. Mostly full of little tiny things and a bunch of immature houseflies. Just one adult. There was a horsefly flying around the other day, but I think my dog ate it. He’s what you call “ball crazy” and can’t resist anything flying past him. ---
**Author:** ![NameDrej](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/85f322/32.png) [@NameDrej](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NameDrej)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2013, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-flypaper-cruel-and-or-am-i-a-sadistic-monster/667101/71 "2013-09-07T23:23:48Z")
candles and torches are a waste of time. However, if you douse yourself with citronella oil and set yourself on fire, you will repel just about everything. 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-flypaper-cruel-and-or-am-i-a-sadistic-monster/667101.md?page=3)