Fly spray

[dilligaf]

Apart from the obvious (thank you) how exactly does a fly spray kill flies.
I don't like flies and have no inhabitions about spraying them but they do seem to suffer a horrendous death.

[Vanilla Face]

I find running after them armed with a newspaper as the best form of 'pest' killer. This not only produces a swift death for the flies, but you also benefit by working up a hard sweat and burning off a fair few calories. Job done!

[kwicky]

I'm still trying to work it out why the fly with such a beautiful design, is disease ridden and with no apparent use has been put on this planet. I don't think their imminent death will bring many tears to the slayer.

[stevie21]

Horrendous death? Screw them - they're manky wee things.

[Llamatron]

Kwicky, spiders have to eat something.

[Mortartube]

As far as I am aware, fly spray is a poison that coats the fly and is then absorbed into it's body causing death in a short time.

[Loosehead]

The breathing system of the fly is based on "Spiracles" they are effectively small holes all aver the body that allow air to diffuse in, they have no breathing apparatus as such. Fly spray blocks the holes and they suffocate. Similar with wasps.

[bazmoore]

i find an uzi 9mm more effective.
very good with midges

[rojash]

Most fly sprays work by disrupting the nervous system of the insects - I don't know of any which work by suffocating them; presumably in order to do that, you would need to ensure that you sprayed directly at the fly, and coated it all over!

[Loosehead]

I just remember reading about it rojash, they apparently coat themselves in the spray by flying through it until they have enough stuck to them. Never heard of the "Nerve gas" explanation. Do you have a link to the Nervous system explanation?

[rojash]

Loosehead, if you google Fly Spray Nervous System, you'll find plenty of articles, e.g:

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4156/i s_20020120/ai_n9626436

http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/2005-02/1 107818439.Bc.r.html

[dilligaf]

Thank you all for your answers. Whatever hapens it's not a nice way to go if you're a fly(or anything else).
I will still continue to spray them. We have just moved from north London to Norfolk and only just realised what flies are really like.

[arburgirl]

last year I bought a brilliant fly swatter for my dad whos terrified of wasps, I found it on the internet and it cost about �18. It is like a tennis racket but the strings across the middle are electrified and you put batteries in the handle to power it. my dad loves it, he doesn't even bat it about the air, he just holds it up and the flies just buzz along totally unaware until... ZAP!!! I think my dads having me on though about the smell of burning flesh in the house !