Stupid fly swatting tricks.

As I was working in my home office, there was a particularly annoying fly that wouldn't seem to go away. He was also evading my efforts to swat him with my hand. Just for fun, I wondered if a short-range blast of my HotRetina MR-X (12,000 lux!) would bother him. He landed on my right hand, and slowly... ever so slowly... I moved the MR-X into position with the left... then... BAM! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif Direct hit with the hotspot of the beam.

Funny thing is the fly didn't move. In fact, as I moved my right hand around (remember, the fly was sitting on this hand), keeping the light focused on the fly all the while, he never once moved. It was as if all that light caused sensory overload, and the fly was dumbfounded! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif I could easily have squished the fly any number of ways, so long as I kept the beam shining on him.

I'm not sure if I encountered a strange fly, or if he simply had never seen a MR-X before. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif Either way, it sure was a fun way to spend a couple minutes of the workday! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

I remember hearing someone said "stunting" a fly with a surefire before.... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/hahaha.gif stupid fly /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

same thing here: while blinded at close range with various lights, the become completely motionless! a while after the light is moved, they start moving again /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif fun!

You should see one of those guys literally explode when touched with the "grid' of my electric zapper..(looks exactly like a small tennis racket, and takes 2-AAs. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/whoopin.gif

I call it my Luminoous Bun Starter, aka the "Zapper". /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

will that zapper do in a wasp?
might be cheaper in the long run than shooting them down with brakeclean or gumout.
we get way too many in the warehouse.

Might have to try that trick here!!

[ QUOTE ]
snakebite said:
will that zapper do in a wasp?
might be cheaper in the long run than shooting them down with brakeclean or gumout.
we get way too many in the warehouse.

[/ QUOTE ]
We have "yellowjackets" here. red/yellow color-apprx.1" long.

Last time I hit one of those hornets (?), he didn't explode, but his wings caught on fire, and he made a fatal crash landing..-smelling like burned skin.. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif

-dead before he hit the ground, I believe... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif I've used my zapper a LOT in the last 3 years.

p.s.-surplus outfits usually sell that unit for 10-$12 (Johnson-Smith also has it.)

vcal, I totally believe you about the zapper racket being so effective, but I'm wondering how it can do that on 2AA? Does it have some kind of voltage boost circuit? Also, does it zap you if you touch it? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

milky, the racket gots a lot of stranded wire. if you touch any one, you would not get zapped. However, if you touch more than one, then you shall feel being zapped /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
feel somehow like being electrocuted.
We got a lot of those rackets back here in Asia because we have way too much mosquitos there.
you can smell the mosquitos being barbequed there, sometimes their bellies explode. heck, the stronger ones can even kill a cockroach. Pretty scary, it is, but you can always wanted to use one when you live there.

I use 2-NimHs in the zapper. It does make a nasty spark if the bug has much moisture in it. When my service porch was infested with 100s of gnats, I swung the racket around wildly to make contact with the flying critters and listened to dozens and dozens of little snapping pop sounds like little tiny firecrackers going off.

I haven't had the guts to try the "juice" on myself..-I'm curious, though. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Where does one get one of these fun items? $$?

I have a two D model(!), Harbor Freight sells'em for like $9 bucks. Even the woodboring (bumble) bees explode!

In fact I just checked their site HERE and they have'em on sale right now for only $7.99!

Thanks for the link. I bookmarked it for purchase later. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

These zapper are widely available in Hong Kong and China (they're made in China). It cost around $2.00 here in Hong Kong. Some of them uses 2D and latest models uses 2AA. If 2AA is used, I suggest using nimh rather than alkaline.

Alan

All, I see that Amazon.com has the 2AA model for $12.99 over here. Remember that a $25 total order at Amazon.com entitles you to free shipping.

Alan, any chance you might ship a bunch of them to use in the States? I'll bet they would end up much cheaper for us, even after paying for shipping.

Do these things really work that well, to risk playing with a hornet or some such? 2 alkalines really generate enough juice to fry a bug like that? Do they die immediately when touched? What happens?

Can you tell I'm interested?

Phaserburn, if you buy the rackets, please buy the one from Charlie's link, much more durable and stronger. YOu would want to swing your raquet back and forth and the one from amazon would not hold much. Beside, the way i see it, the one from amazon just has one sheet of wire in it, while the one from charlie's link got 3 sheets. The 2 sheets was for protection, so you would not zap yourself (you still can, but that would have been happened intentionally). Also, i think the bigger one is stronger in zapping ability.

the raquet is really strong. Just make sure you are trying to kill a bug that can fit between the two wires, or in the case of the bigger one, can get into the inner sheet of wires.

Why? I thought that if the bug touches the wires he gets zapped; does the bug have to be hit hard enough to get stuck on the raquet, or just touched?

just touched, but the if the bug soo thin, it will pass right through the net anyway. And if the bug soo big (like tarantula /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif ), they cannot even get in the net (the bigger one anyway), as they can always touch the net from the racquet with only one sheet of wire