Michael - The old “trap and clap” method. You can also approach the fly at a normal speed and, instead of slapping it, clap your hand just above the fly to intercept it as it takes off. Some alternative methods are to hold perfectly still and watch the fly until it starts washing itself, then strike quickly while it’s distracted, just like jumping him in the shower.

Because, you know, flies don’t stay in once place for very long. However, because the fly motion vision is so sensitive you would have to move so slowly that either you get bored and give up, or the fly just takes off. How fast the edges of your hand expand relative to the fly’s vision is what trigger is to flee, so a slow hand could confuse the fly. Yes, this is possible.īecause fly motion vision is processed very fast, you can theoretically trick the fly by just moving very slowly. Kate - After discussing this question with several researchers at an animal vision conference in Finland, literally as naked scientists in the sauna, we all agree. But what does our expert think - here is animal visual specialist, Kate Feller, from the University of Cambridge…

So without winging an answer to this one ourselves, we put it to our listeners and Ian from Melbourne, Australia has discovered that confusing the fly with a clap of the hands makes the job easier. Michael Wheeler’s been buzzing about this question from John.

Slow motion bug squish