I got this in an email. Checked snopes, but no results. Did a web search and found plenty that supports it works. With summer approaching I thought it would be good to share. If anyone tries it let us know. 
Bags of Water Hung to Keep Flies Away
- Thread starter Jade Tigress
- Start date
CoryKS
Senior Master
I've never heard of this, but HowStuffWorks has a page on it. They don't have a conclusive answer, though.
Snopes has a page too, but they've also classified it as "Undetermined".
Snopes has a page too, but they've also classified it as "Undetermined".
Y'know I just saw this on another forum concerning mosquitos & it working on them as well.
Two of the biggest summer time annoyances maybe done away with with just water.
I'm in, Flies and as clfsean says, maybe mosquitos too.
Stop them alive in their tracks.
Stop them alive in their tracks.
What on earth are "grackles", Stacey?
Xue Sheng
All weight is underside
The Grackle
:lol: You say that as if it should mean something to me, Xue .
I'm guessing a kids story 'monster'?
.I'm guessing a kids story 'monster'?
Xue Sheng
All weight is underside
:lol: You say that as if it should mean something to me, Xue
I'm guessing a kids story 'monster'?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Grackle
It's bird
I did post a picture
Poor bird - fancy getting lumbered with a name like Grackle :lol:.
dancingalone
Grandmaster
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Grackle is right. They're loud and aggressive. They tend to gather near restaurants where they can scavenge for food. I've seen them steal bread right from tables where people are sitting and eating. They are big, too. About a foot tall.
Yes, grackles are nasty little bastards. Filthy, aggressive, loud, thieving....the best thing you can say about them is that they've chased off most of the pigeons in Austin. And nothing gets rid of them. My neighbor has one of those fake owls that are used to keep birds away from an area. One day I looked over to see a grackle sitting on the owl's head, pecking its eyeball out. A friend of mine saw a flock of them kill a hawk. Ick.
SensibleManiac
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I'll try this out this summer.
First Action
Orange Belt
I wonder why it works... I think it must have lots to do with the pennies. Perhaps it polluted the water and the flys/mossies are deterred by this... But then again, they land on crap so I doubt pollution would bother them
Very interesting though, will have to test it out.
Very interesting though, will have to test it out.
I'll have to check it owt too... just can't figure it though... obviously the pennies have something to do with it but the bags are sealed so something about the baggies having that combination of water and copper/zinc to them is what deterring flies.
I'd rather have Grackles than those damned Starlings. They're not native to the U.S. and have literally multiplied by the millions. Grackles are prettier in spite of their nasty habits. But then Magpies are considered pest birds as well.
:idunno:
I don't think it has anything to do with the pennies; I've seen lots of this done, and no pennies are used here. I vaguely recall reading a theory about this that said it had something to do with the reflection of the water....very vaguely.
OP
- Thread Starter
- #17
I read it has to do with the flies eyesight so it doesn't work on other bugs because they don't see the same way flies do. The water and pennies cause some sort of reflection that scares the flies away. Much like the way they flee as soon as you raise something to swat them.
thardey
Master Black Belt
I saw this years ago at a restaurant in Mexico.
No pennies, just water in plastic baggies hung about 10 feet apart. They had no idea why it worked, but they swore it kept the flies away.
No pennies, just water in plastic baggies hung about 10 feet apart. They had no idea why it worked, but they swore it kept the flies away.
