Not too long ago I posted about the device above – a cool looking glass bulb which supposedly uses light to scare away flights. That claim hit my skeptical nerve, and I discussed it in my previous post. Over the past weeks I’ve been researching reasonable methods to test this claim – and like much of my research – I procrastinate and end up watching TV. But every once in a while it pays off; and to my amazement I stumbled upon the Mythbusters and their Bug Special (Season 8, episode 26). One of their mini-myths was exactly this – that bags of water can scare away flies! The test was designed pretty well, however the concept as to why it would have worked is flawed. As I discussed in my previous post, flies would and should be able to handle refracted and reflected light. A “invisible wall” theory did not hold up as you can imagine and the bag of water did zero to repel flies – and it might have actually attracted a few who were looking for a droplet or two of moisture around the edges. I am still left wondering if the motion of scattered light would have any effect on fly behavior (however unlikely). Looks like I missed my opportunity for a Mythbusters consult!
