How intelligent are flies?

[#1]

Get the occasional one or two flitting around annoying me and a swipe with my hand often deters them for a few seconds but as soon as I make a grab for the fly spray they disappear

[#2]

They're not too smart, after all, how many times can something hit a window before realising they can't get through?

Does make me wonder though, do flies ever get headaches?

[#3]

What is the last thing that goes through a flies brain, when it hits your windscreen at 70 mph ?

it`s j anus

[#4]

I'd have said its globular attachments...

[#5]

Of course they are intelligent, how do you think the saying 'there are no flies on me' came about? 

[#6]

Nothing to do with intellegence, flies move in a irratic way and that's why it can be so difficult to swat them, compared to most other flying insects that tend to fly in a more direct line.

[#7]

@gleneagles No matey, they do fly in straight lines - our living room is quite long and when we kept getting them come in through the back door in the summer they'd fly from one end to the other in a straight line. It's the speed they fly at that causes them to change direction suddenly - or else they'll hit the wall. The only exception to this is when they're flying round in circles (or switching circular direction).

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Minivanman wrote:

Of course they are intelligent, how do you think the saying 'there are no flies on me' came about? 

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Nah, they're not intelligent mate, they're full of [-Censored-]

Moderator's note by Mike (Mav): Avoidance of swear filter edited as per Forum rules.

[#8]

They seem to be able to predict the movement of your hand if you try to swat them! I've always found a 12 inch school ruler with a flicking action the best cos they can't see it coming 

[#9]

I seem to recall reading somewhere that flies sort of run at a different time rate. Hand movements for example are detected by them as moving at a much slower speed hence their ability to avoid them. I try and get as close as I can and flick em' with a thumb and finger splat but an old school ruler? Much better idea!

And why do they circle around light fittings?  

[#10]

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Minivanman wrote:

And why do they circle around light fittings?  

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It think that's moths and they navigate by the sun but get fooled by artificial light 

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[#11]

Flies have multi-faceted multi-lens eyes, and they can work out the "angle of attack" from any fly swatting device,.... however you can confuse them about 80 to 90 percent of the time, by approaching slowly a "resting" fly, with both hands wide apart as if to give them a big hug.... then  slowly get as close as possible, and clap your hands very quickly... having two attack directions they usually fly straight up, and into your hands  ! wallop !.

[#12]

Yep, done that as well! 

[#13]

Easier just to spray them with a bit of Pyrethrin, nothing like a bit of chemical warfare against flies...

[#14]

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PeterLoftus wrote:

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Minivanman wrote:

And why do they circle around light fittings?  

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It think that's moths and they navigate by the sun but get fooled by artificial light 

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No flies do it too - but usually the smaller ones not the big ones.

@shutter dude you're happy to have flies in your hands? Yuck!!!

[#15]

@7up Better than a fly in your soup !   or crawling over your sarnie.....