Instagram influencer @Gennywest_orlandorealtor divulged a quirky anti-fly trick involving nothing more than a bag of water, which she claims has kept the pesky insects at bay.
Revealing her unusual method on social media, she explained: “Okay, why do I have a plastic bag filled with water on my sliding door handle?”
Genny shared how advice from a plumber introduced her to this ‘Southern thing’ claiming: “Everybody’s having a really bad time with flies, and so the plumber came and he said ‘It’s like a southern thing, you had a bag of water on your doorway, and you won’t have a fly’.”
Sceptical yet intrigued, she gave it a go only to discover that it was effective at keeping pesky flies away.
Curious about the concept’s origins, she reached out to fellow Instagram users urging: “So I want someone who is fully southern – I have lived my time in the south but I am not a fully southern – born, raised, to tell me why this works.”
The post garnered lots of attention with hundreds responding. One user @thatcookie_oc offered a scientific reasoning: “The fly bases his movement by light and the refracted light coming through the water in the plastic bag confuses the fly causing him to move on to a place that is easier on the eyes.”
Another user @beachmamaallie suggested that Genny add a coin to the bag for maximum effectiveness, suggesting: “It’s the light refracts off the water in the bag put a penny in there and it works even better it confuses their weird eyes and makes them stay away.”
According to Rocky Beninato, founder and licensed exterminator at Quality Affordable Pest Control, the traditional custom is thought to have originated in the southern states of the US to help keep flies away from stewing iced tea in summer.
However, it remains anecdotal in its use with little evidence to prove its effectiveness. “I don’t recommend relying on this method of keeping insects at bay”, said Nicole Carpenter, president at Black Pest Prevention.
She explained that while the method of refracting light through the water and bouncing off the shiny pennies, creates visual patterns that might confuse some insects, it is not effective on all kinds of bugs.
But Genny claims it has worked wonders on the fly problem in her house, saying: “I have not had a fly in my house, or even around me when I’m outside since. It’s literally water in a zip lock bag and I hung it on my door. Is it Voodoo? I’m not sure.”
Offering other insights as to why it may work so well, Instagram user @littleviolentnomad insightfully revealed: “As someone who still lives in Alabama and grew up there, this is what I was told when I was growing up…
“When you hang a bag of water with a penny in it, light hits the bag and refracts out. Because of the penny, what the fly sees is this dark looming figure with light coming from behind it and it believes that it is a predator. This is why they avoid the areas where those bags are hanging.”
Chey_clase responded: “I’m from the Dominican Republic and I’ve seen this my whole life in every food market or street restaurant, I’ve heard they get scared by their own reflection in the water!”
