# Waterbags--Doug does an oopsie **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [September 20, 2001, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waterbags-doug-does-an-oopsie/82894 "2001-09-20T22:39:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MysterEcks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f475e1/32.png) [@MysterEcks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MysterEcks)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2001, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waterbags-doug-does-an-oopsie/82894/1 "2001-09-20T22:39:58Z")
In [What’s the purpose of bags of water hanging in restaurants?](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mwaterbags.html) **Doug** says: > [@](#): > > Not mosquitoes, not no-see-ums, not spiders, not roaches, not yellowjacket wasps, just houseflies. […] The reason it doesn’t work on any other insects is that the other insects listed don’t have eyesight worth a plugged nickel. [Underscoring added] I assume you see the problem. ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2001, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waterbags-doug-does-an-oopsie/82894/2 "2001-09-20T23:01:25Z")
> [@](#): > > The water bag acts a bit like a lens–try it some time–in which the movements of people in the area are reflected. … Shirley that should be refracted. ---
**Author:** ![paekeung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/71c47a/32.png) [@paekeung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/paekeung)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2001, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waterbags-doug-does-an-oopsie/82894/3 "2001-09-21T01:21:32Z")
I live in Korea where they have put an inexplicable twist in the baggie full of water practice. Instead of using transparent sandwich bags, restaurant owners frequently use those big ugly pink latex dishwashing gloves. What do you suppose the reason is behind this? ---
**Author:** ![MysterEcks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f475e1/32.png) [@MysterEcks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MysterEcks)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2001, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waterbags-doug-does-an-oopsie/82894/4 "2001-09-21T02:36:44Z")
Maybe they think the gloves are prettier…or maybe they just have a lot of them on hand. And don’t call me Shirley. ---
**Author:** ![Trenchmouth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ce73a5/32.png) [@Trenchmouth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trenchmouth)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2001, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waterbags-doug-does-an-oopsie/82894/5 "2001-09-21T02:39:09Z")
Uh, then why are houseflies so fearless when it comes to annoying those big humans who constantly swat at them with big hands and rolled up newspapers? They assume a baggie is a bigger threat than that? Come on! ---
**Author:** ![goatfin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/eada6e/32.png) [@goatfin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/goatfin)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2001, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waterbags-doug-does-an-oopsie/82894/6 "2001-09-21T06:24:41Z")
On a road trip through Nebraska a few summers ago I happened upon this odd practice. The ziploc bags I saw weren’t hanging from anything, they were just lying on the window sills. These particular bags of water were far from effective, as I actually saw a fly land and casually clean itself for five minutes or so on the bag. This may have been due to the bag not being hung, but rather sitting still on the the sill. I’m sure it wouldn’t be hard to set up an experiment to find out, but hey…I’m no scientist. Maybe we could look into getting a grant. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2001, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waterbags-doug-does-an-oopsie/82894/7 "2001-09-21T12:34:02Z")
\<\< Uh, then why are houseflies so fearless when it comes to annoying those big humans who constantly swat at them with big hands and rolled up newspapers? \>\> I should wait for Doug to answer, but it seems fairly obvious that flies’ defensive posture is fast movement. They aren’t fearless when you come up to swat at them, they dart around like crazy, rather than sit still. Goatfin, if the water bags were just sitting on the window ledge, then presumably they weren’t at a good angle to catch the movement of the customers. ---
**Author:** ![TwistofFate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@TwistofFate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwistofFate)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2001, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waterbags-doug-does-an-oopsie/82894/8 "2001-09-21T13:11:48Z")
as a corollary, I have seen many people put 2-litre plastic bottles full of water on their lawns to stop dogs pooping there. How would that work? (which it does, BTW, we havent had a dog poop on our lawn at home for 2 or 3 years since my mother started putting out the bottle of water) ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2001, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waterbags-doug-does-an-oopsie/82894/9 "2001-09-21T14:11:44Z")
If this is the nitpicking thread, I myself was wondering how many beers ol’ Jason had to think he was on an _outside patio_ while looking at bags hanging from the _ceiling_. ---
**Author:** ![Fiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e274bd/32.png) [@Fiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiver)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2001, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waterbags-doug-does-an-oopsie/82894/10 "2001-09-21T16:32:39Z")
Regarding the OP: **MysterEcks** , of all nitpicks I’ve ever seen on this board, that is by far the nitpickiest. ---
**Author:** ![MysterEcks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f475e1/32.png) [@MysterEcks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MysterEcks)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2001, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waterbags-doug-does-an-oopsie/82894/11 "2001-09-21T22:36:40Z")
**Fiver** : that should be “the most nitpicky.” Why, yes, I _am_enjoying myself. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2001, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waterbags-doug-does-an-oopsie/82894/12 "2001-09-22T23:28:25Z")
**Fiver** , you obviously haven’t seen some of the physics discussions in this very forum. Figuring an answer that depends on the quantum mechanical uncertainty in dropping a 1 kilogram hammer is a lot nitpickier than pointing out that flies aren’s spiders. Personally, though, I suspect that Doug originally used the appropriate scientific term, “creepy-crawlies”, and that it was changed by Little Ed. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2001, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waterbags-doug-does-an-oopsie/82894/13 "2001-09-24T21:33:48Z")
Quercus said: > [@](#): > > If this is the nitpicking thread, I myself was wondering how many beers ol’ Jason had to think he was on an _outside patio_ while looking at bags hanging from the _ceiling_. If it was an outside patio that was covered, what should he call it? What if it were a building with big open patio windows and half walls, like Joe’s Crab Shack? If he’s looking up at it from the inside, it’s a ceiling. If he’s looking at it from the outside, it’s a roof.