# Lazy Flies **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 15, 2009, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lazy-flies/506509 "2009-08-15T10:23:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jormungandr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@Jormungandr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jormungandr)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2009, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lazy-flies/506509/1 "2009-08-15T10:23:17Z")
I wonder if someone can explain this to me. Last weekend, I had sort of a fly infestation in the laundry room, whose door leads to the backyard. I got out my swatter and killed about 15 of them…in 3 mins. Usually, I’m lucky if I kill just one of them in that time, but 15!!! Over the next hour, I killed about 5 more here and there as easily as the other ones. Later, I took out my recycling and killed one on the recycling can…with a 2 liter bottle. Did I just happen upon flies that were dying or can something environmental (It was about 95 that day)affect their movements that unusually slow methods can catch them? ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2009, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lazy-flies/506509/2 "2009-08-15T12:12:17Z")
Usually the very old flies can’t get out of the way of a swatter. One time I hand swatted one only to have it “give up” and not even try to fly away. ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2009, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lazy-flies/506509/3 "2009-08-15T13:12:35Z")
I know they are sometimes too tired or too cold (A/C) to really make an escape or dodge the swatter. I don’t think it is much more complicated. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Buttons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@Mr\_Buttons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Buttons)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2009, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lazy-flies/506509/4 "2009-08-15T16:35:40Z")
They could’ve been dehydrated/starving too. I doubt there’s much food in the laundry room, and if you don’t have a sink/the room isn’t mildewy, they would probably run out of water sources and dehydrate pretty fast @ 95 degrees.