Best flashlight application EVER!

flashflood

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Joined
Mar 9, 2011
Messages
608
One of the marks of a true flashaholic is that you find yourself looking for new and interesting ways to use your toys. Any excuse will do. You just sort of... try stuff.

If you are squeamish, stop reading now.

This weekend, I noticed a fly on the glass shower door. I happened to have my Neutron 1C in hand. So naturally, I thought: what will the fly do if I shine this light on it? I did, and to my surprise, the fly didn't move. I moved closer. Still it remained put. I got in very close, moving the flashlight to within an inch of the fly. It didn't budge. It seemed to be somehow paralyzed, hypnotized, transfixed by the light. So I grabbed a tissue, and while shining the light through the glass, reached around the other side of the glass and :poof:. The fly never saw it coming.

Of course, this advanced fly-swatting technique only worked because the fly was on a glass surface that I could reach both sides of. Interesting, but not terribly practical.

This got me to thinking: if flies really are immobilized by light, why not take a more direct approach? If the fly is sitting on a flat surface, you should be able to take the light all the way up, trap it within the bezel, and let the LED bake it.

So this morning, there was a fly buzzing around the kitchen. I grabbed my brightest light, an Elektrolumens EDC-XML. I returned to the kitchen and watched the fly zip around, waiting for it to land on something. It eventually chose to park on top of my aquarium light. I shined the flashlight on it from about six feet away, and steadily approached. It did not move. Even at a distance of just a couple of inches, when the light would surely be blinding, the fly was somehow unwilling or unable to move. So I gently set the light down over the fly, imprisoning it within the bezel. At this point it finally decided to move, but it was too late. After a few seconds of buzzing, it was all over: the heat of the LED, confined to such a small space, baked the little sucker.

To avoid inflaming the insect community, I will not be releasing photos of the body. But it is a remarkably effective technique. I have no idea why it works, but I am now 3 for 3 with my quantum fly swatter.
 
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radioactive_man

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Joined
Mar 10, 2011
Messages
208
Location
Denmark
You're doing it wrong. Everyone knows, that you should use a 500 mW laser to shoot down flies. Bonus points if you do it without permanently blinding anyone. :devil:
 

DaFABRICATA

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Jan 10, 2007
Messages
3,946
Location
Michigan
VERY COOL!:thumbsup::eek:oo:

Lights seem to do strange things to animals!:duh2:
A few nights ago, I went for a bike ride with a lady friend down to the lake.
I was shining my V10R Ti into the water and suddenly the fish started jumping!
As soon as the light was turned off the fish stopped jumping.
Again, lit up the water and they started jumping again!
Maybe it helped them to see insects on the surface or just above it, (I don't know) but it got me thinking....If I had a net, could I actually catch fish using only a flashlight and net?:thinking:

I'm going to try the "Fly Killer Technique" next time ones buzzin around here!!!
Keep us posted if you're body count goes up!:popcorn:
 

Zeruel

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Jan 1, 2009
Messages
3,286
Location
SIN
Beware..... what goes around comes around.....



6683.gif

by Gary Larson


;)
 

skyfire

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Dec 4, 2009
Messages
1,823
Location
Los Angeles
interesting... LoL
looks like my catapult will do more than just sit on my desk. im definitely going test this technique.
when i get the chance Im going to try a warm tint vs. a cool tint.
i get different reactions from my cat and dogs with tint difference.

and fishing with a flashlight seems like a great idea. LoL.
back then, I remember seeing a video of a guy using a D10 as a lure. but more than likely he was showing its waterproofness.
 

jwyj

Enlightened
Joined
Sep 28, 2009
Messages
328
Location
Malaysia
What a great idea! I will try using my Mag623 and see how it goes for the flies that sometimes landed on our fish meal.
 

whitedoom34

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Aug 26, 2006
Messages
115
flashflood, you sir, need to browse right on over to the incan forum and build yourself a 100+ watt hotwire. If you think your LED lights are hot... :devil:
 

Toohotruk

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Feb 16, 2007
Messages
2,717
Location
The Highway to Hell
I've used my ROP to fry spiders...that sucker throws off some heat! :sweat:

And I loved the cartoon too! :crackup:
 
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flashflood

Enlightened
Joined
Mar 9, 2011
Messages
608
Thats the absolute PERFECT insert for this thread!!!
Good find Zeruel!!:crackup::crackup::crackup::crackup::crackup::twothumbs:crackup::crackup::wave::thumbsup:

+1. Love it! BTW, my favorite Larson ever is "Car!".

Glad to see that others are going to give this a shot -- it will be interesting to see what people's experiences are, not only with different tints and intensities, but also different geographies. If this works on some fly populations but not others, we may accidentally end up doing science here.
 
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Gregozedobe

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Joined
Nov 25, 2009
Messages
922
Location
Canberra, Australia
-- it will be interesting to see what people's experiences are, not only with different tints and intensities, but also different geographies. If this works on some fly populations but not others, we may accidentally end up doing science here.

Well, I just tried it with a small, annoying fast fly in Canberra, Australia. At first the fly stayed still, but as soon as the light gets close enough to get hot the bugger just flew away every time. Maybe Oz flies are a bit smarter or something - certainly they are very successful at getting everywhere.

I have used a different technique with great success on blowflies that venture inside. They are attracted to light, so I switch the house lights on and off to manouvre them into the toilet (room). In that confined space I am deadly with a fly swat !
 

Ginseng

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Feb 27, 2003
Messages
3,734
What a great idea! I will try using my Mag623 and see how it goes for the flies that sometimes landed on our fish meal.
Why stop at flies? You could be doing scorpions, maybe even racoons with that hot wire. :D

Wilkey
 

Bullzeyebill

Flashaholic
Joined
Feb 21, 2003
Messages
12,164
Location
CA
What is there about high powered lights that brings out the killer instinct in flashaholics? :eek: LOL

Bill
 

cm_mtb

Enlightened
Joined
Dec 2, 2009
Messages
210
Location
Colorado
VERY COOL!:thumbsup::eek:oo:

Lights seem to do strange things to animals!:duh2:
A few nights ago, I went for a bike ride with a lady friend down to the lake.
I was shining my V10R Ti into the water and suddenly the fish started jumping!
As soon as the light was turned off the fish stopped jumping.

Last month, I shined my E2e w/ LF IMR bulb on a stream that was running through a marsh. The fish started behaving exactly as you described... it was pretty cool!
 

flashflood

Enlightened
Joined
Mar 9, 2011
Messages
608
VERY COOL!:thumbsup::eek:oo:

Lights seem to do strange things to animals!:duh2:
A few nights ago, I went for a bike ride with a lady friend down to the lake.
I was shining my V10R Ti into the water and suddenly the fish started jumping!
As soon as the light was turned off the fish stopped jumping.
Again, lit up the water and they started jumping again!
Maybe it helped them to see insects on the surface or just above it, (I don't know) but it got me thinking....If I had a net, could I actually catch fish using only a flashlight and net?:thinking:

I'm going to try the "Fly Killer Technique" next time ones buzzin around here!!!
Keep us posted if you're body count goes up!:popcorn:

And another one gone,
and another one gone,
Another one bites the dust!
 

enomosiki

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Mar 13, 2011
Messages
1,109
Reminds me of a friend who killed a bug with his HID light.

If I remember the story correctly, he found some sort of bug on the wall of his room. He took his HID spotlight and shined at it, and it didn't move at all. After a few minutes, he heard a *pop* and then the bug fell off the wall. He also mentioned that he started smelling funny odor.
 

ishmael

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Dec 14, 2008
Messages
90
I think that's why its generally illegal to fish at night with a light...at least it is around here.
They sell green submersible lights around here specifically for fishing. All the big chains have them.
 
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