Why is it that it’s SO difficult to swat a fly with your open hand, yet almost impossible to miss with an item in your hand? Does the mere length of 6 inches increase the air speed of the swatter in relation to your extended hand THAT much?
two guesses
a) you move a newspaper towards the wall a lot faster than you would smash you hand into it
b) subconscious fear of fly gook
Not sure if this is your question, but…
The swatter has holes that allow the air its passing though to slip though, without too much disturbance.
Your hand is a solid mass, that causes the air to build up pressure becuase it can’t get out of the way as easy. The air pressure will start a swirling air current away from motion of your hand, which will help the fly get out of the way.
The fly swatter is also providing a great amount of leverage, i believe. Think of it this way: could you deliver as much force against a baseball with just your arm as you can with a baseball bat? Also, consider the ‘springy’ handle of the flyswatter.
You are not going to hit the table with your hand at the same speed or you would hurt yourself. Also your hand is not flat so it would be easy to get the fly between your fingers. Also the fly swatter can move much faster than your hand and lets the air through.
The correct technique for using your hands is not to swat them but quickly catch them in flight as they take off. This might look difficult but it is actually much easier than swatting them with your bare hands.
I can catch a fly as it takes off 9 times out of 10. Once I was with this girl and I did it and kept my hand closed with the fly inside and she thought it got away. She looked at me like I was stupid if I thought I could catch it that way. I told her i had it. She didn’t believe it. It cost her a drink when I opened my hand and the fly flew away.
Now comes the second part: the fly is in your hand but still very much alive. If you open your hand it will fly away. You cannot squash it in your hand. How do you kill it? The answer is you smash it against the floor. You have to do this really hard. Throw it against the floor with all your might and it will die. this part may be more difficult for some people than catching it in the first place.
I have found that you should clap your hands together just above and BEHIND the fly, and you will catch it as it performs some kind of reverse take off.
If you rattle the fly around in your hands you can stun it enough to just drop it on the floor - then you can kill it any way you choose.
Russell
And another thing.
I have once, and once only, caught a fly with chop-sticks, a la Karate Kid. I have reasonable success catching flies one handed, mid flight - but it hasn’t impressed anyone so far.
Russell
I believe wolfman and RussellM were correct.
IIRC, flies have tiny “hairs” all over their bodies. When you bring a solid surface down over the fly (hand, newspaper, etc.), this increases the air pressure. The fly (or more specifically, the fly’s hairs) sense this and cause the fly to skeedaddle.
Also, flies DO briefly “jump” backwards during takeoff. If you want to catch a fly with your hand(s), the “hand clap” method (thanks, Russ) or a swift swipe from the side should do it.
Russell, I have caught flies and other flying insects by clapping both hands but they have to be in flight. If a fly is landed somewhere I always use the one hand technique.
Watch a fly take off sometime. The posters are right - they take off backwards. Whatever technique you use, aiming right behind the fly so as to catch their sitting position with the leading edge of whatever you’re using greatly improves your percentage. Of course, then the bastards have to land on the edge of a table, facing inwards.
BTW, why does a fly take off backwards?