Leave it to the Mythbusters

 

Not too long ago I posted about the device abovea 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 claimand like much of my researchI 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 thisthat 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. Nan “invisible walltheory did not hold up as you can imagine and the bag of water did zero to repel fliesand 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!

 

Kòmantè yo fèmen.