Author Topic: UV fly death  (Read 3162 times)

Beardy

  • Shedist
UV fly death
« on: 16 August, 2020, 02:30:25 pm »
Does anyone know anything about UV fly killers? We’re being driven made by flys and I was considering a UV based solution. Any input gratefully taken.
For every complex problem in the world, there is a simple and easily understood solution that’s wrong.

Ben T

Re: UV fly death
« Reply #1 on: 16 August, 2020, 03:32:45 pm »
Slippers tend to work for us.

T42

  • Apprentice geezer
Re: UV fly death
« Reply #2 on: 16 August, 2020, 04:05:10 pm »
Fly papers, fly swats & swearing.

https://www.rentokil.co.uk/blog/shocking-facts-electric-fly-killers/

Quote
Although effective at killing flies indoors, there is a genuine issue. When the fly gets zapped, it explodes and small particles (known as blow out) can be projected into the air, where they can be inhaled by people or land on clean surfaces and food, causing contamination.
I've dusted off all those old bottles and set them up straight

Re: UV fly death
« Reply #3 on: 16 August, 2020, 04:14:32 pm »
That’s a self serving piece from Rentokil thobut. Mains powered ones like you see in shops definitely work, but would seem to be overkill (no pun intended) in a domestic setting. And smaller portable ones will likely be tat. There aware some smaller devices that you can load with fly papers (as opposed to having them hanging) which look like a suitable alternative.

https://www.nisbets.co.uk/eazyzap-glue-board-fly-killer/ct870?vatToggle=incvat&gclid=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwsuP5BRCoARIsAPtX_wGm5GDsS1_mXJ6mfp62JYaz54f7TClTyk6qKI37krXjZ6j-d6rwxlAaAsAfEALw_wcB&cm_mmc=PLA-_-1665275032-_-86534966086-_-CT870&cm_mmca1=go_1665275032_86534966086_409964322434_aud-893210555409%3Apla-852785658900_c_

ETA: We holidayed in Orgiva in southern Spain once, and wondered why they sold plastic fly swathers in packs of three. We soon found out.....
We are making a New World (Paul Nash, 1918)

Re: UV fly death
« Reply #4 on: 16 August, 2020, 06:05:04 pm »
We got one of these recently:-
https://cpc.farnell.com/pro-elec/pe00101/insect-killer-12w/dp/SI15607
It does seem to work quite well. We hear the buzz of a fly getting zapped a few times are day. There are dead flies in the tray. There seem to be quite a few around it as well, so I would put it above a cupboard like we've got it or somewhere else where falling ex-insects won't matter.

If a fly sticks to the bars, it gets incinerated with the smell of burning hair.

Ours did have an electrical buzz all the time, and I found that the choke for the UV tubes was only held down with 2 screws even though it had 4 mounting holes. 2 more nuts and bolts fixed that.

(In doing that, I did notice that the whole thing runs quite hot, which I think was due to the fly killer being made for 230 V and the actual mains being over 240 V here. I geeked out and repurposed an old christmas light transformer to drop the voltage to about 210 V and it runs a bit cooler. In doing that, I've probably save enough electricity, over the life of the fly killer, to pay for about 1/10th of the time that the modification took, at minimum wage).
Quote from: Kim
Paging Diver300.  Diver300 to the GSM Trimphone, please...

Re: UV fly death
« Reply #5 on: 16 August, 2020, 07:06:24 pm »

Re: UV fly death
« Reply #6 on: 16 August, 2020, 08:38:36 pm »
Badminton racquet and a deft backhand flick.
100% effective.
And you get to hear the fly scream as it is cleft in twain.

Wowbagger

  • Former Sylph
    • Stuff mostly about weather
Re: UV fly death
« Reply #7 on: 16 August, 2020, 09:28:07 pm »
Badminton racquet and a deft backhand flick.
100% effective.
And you get to hear the fly scream as it is cleft in twain.

Sounds like a good idea!

In olden days I used to use a rolled-up copy of the Grauniad (other broadsheets were available) but now I read newspapers online, hitting them with an ipad just isn't the same.

I did find that the ipad came in very useful the other night in the noble art of insecticide: I was reading the ipad in bed, the only other illumination being a bedside lamp. A fly came and landed on the ipad screen, attracted by the light, and was totally unaware that I was about to blap it with my hand.

In answer to the OP, yes, UV fly killer work. but remember that the UV is just to attract them into a high-voltage mesh, where they are incinerated. If there are lots of flies about it can get quite noisy.
Quote from: Dez
It doesn’t matter where you start. Just start.

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: UV fly death
« Reply #8 on: 16 August, 2020, 10:31:59 pm »
I've got a badmington racket molished from high-voltage mesh.  What it lacks in efficiency it makes up for in satisfaction.  Except when the Focke fucker goes down in a little spiral of smoke and falls somewhere awkward.

Wowbagger

  • Former Sylph
    • Stuff mostly about weather
Re: UV fly death
« Reply #9 on: 16 August, 2020, 10:38:49 pm »
I've got a badmington racket molished from high-voltage mesh.  What it lacks in efficiency it makes up for in satisfaction.  Except when the Focke fucker goes down in a little spiral of smoke and falls somewhere awkward.
If you had two, could you make toast?
Quote from: Dez
It doesn’t matter where you start. Just start.

Clare

  • Is in NZ
Re: UV fly death
« Reply #10 on: 16 August, 2020, 10:43:28 pm »
Spiders.

We've got loads of them, they are great.


Re: UV fly death
« Reply #11 on: 17 August, 2020, 06:32:41 am »
I've got a badmington racket molished from high-voltage mesh.  What it lacks in efficiency it makes up for in satisfaction.  Except when the Focke fucker goes down in a little spiral of smoke and falls somewhere awkward.
If you had two, could you make toast?
Waffles.

T42

  • Apprentice geezer
Re: UV fly death
« Reply #12 on: 17 August, 2020, 08:39:15 am »
I've got a badmington racket molished from high-voltage mesh.  What it lacks in efficiency it makes up for in satisfaction.  Except when the Focke fucker goes down in a little spiral of smoke and falls somewhere awkward.
If you had two, could you make toast?
Waffles.

Garibaldi
I've dusted off all those old bottles and set them up straight

Jaded

  • The Codfather
  • Formerly known as Jaded
Re: UV fly death
« Reply #13 on: 17 August, 2020, 09:17:51 am »
Do the flies explode into little pieces that then drift down onto exposed surfaces?
It is simpler than it looks.

Re: UV fly death
« Reply #14 on: 17 August, 2020, 09:31:04 am »
Do the flies explode into little pieces that then drift down onto exposed surfaces?
Our cheapy UV fly killer has a lot of debris around it. It's hanging a couple of cm above a cupboard top and I am very glad that all that debris isn't landing on the worktop. I don't know how much of the debris is bits of flies, or small flies, but there are some medium sized flies there. I don't even know if all the dead flies around were killed by the zapper, or just flew near the light as they came to the end of their lives.
Quote from: Kim
Paging Diver300.  Diver300 to the GSM Trimphone, please...

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: UV fly death
« Reply #15 on: 17 August, 2020, 10:12:15 am »
Spiders.

We've got loads of them, they are great.
They are highly efficient, totally silent, self-operating and zero cost. Plus, if you want to sell the house to hipsters, you can point out that it comes with an all natural, 100% organic, renewable, sustainable and auto-regenerating fly removal system!
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: UV fly death
« Reply #16 on: 17 August, 2020, 11:13:30 am »
Yeahbut then you'd have spiders   :hand:

Re: UV fly death
« Reply #17 on: 17 August, 2020, 11:16:42 am »
Yeahbut then you'd have spiders   :hand:


But they'll keep the earwigs at bay ......
Not fast & rarely furious

tweeting occasional in(s)anities as andrewxclark

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: UV fly death
« Reply #18 on: 17 August, 2020, 11:18:38 am »
I've had absolutely no trouble with earwigs this year :(

Re: UV fly death
« Reply #19 on: 17 August, 2020, 12:02:27 pm »
 :(   Same here.    I did email a favourite local campsite to see if I could sneak a night out , but they are not open.   Riding along the canal on Saturday I was trying to spy out spots for a discreet bivy!
Not fast & rarely furious

tweeting occasional in(s)anities as andrewxclark

simonp

Re: UV fly death
« Reply #20 on: 17 August, 2020, 12:05:44 pm »
I've got a badmington racket molished from high-voltage mesh.  What it lacks in efficiency it makes up for in satisfaction.  Except when the Focke fucker goes down in a little spiral of smoke and falls somewhere awkward.

We have one of those. But it traumatises the dog, so we got a new UV one as well. Initially he hid upstairs but he's worked out now it hasn't killed him yet, and he's now returned to downstairs.

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: UV fly death
« Reply #21 on: 17 August, 2020, 12:06:34 pm »
Yeahbut then you'd have spiders   :hand:
I prefer spiders, you prefer flies. This is not a problem unless we ever have to share accommodation :) (and if it's a campsite, presence of both and more can be taken for granted; I'll take your share of earwigs if you'll have my share of slugs  ;D).
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Re: UV fly death
« Reply #22 on: 17 August, 2020, 06:27:14 pm »
Yeahbut then you'd have spiders   :hand:

For some time I was puzzled by swallows coming into my barn a flitting around like they owned it.

It then occurred to me they were on a spider hunt.
Move Faster and Bake Things

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: UV fly death
« Reply #23 on: 17 August, 2020, 06:33:38 pm »
Yeahbut then you'd have spiders   :hand:

For some time I was puzzled by swallows coming into my barn a flitting around like they owned it.

It then occurred to me they were on a spider hunt.

This is the point where it's vitally important not to swallow anything.

Re: UV fly death
« Reply #24 on: 17 August, 2020, 06:36:56 pm »
Yeahbut then you'd have spiders   :hand:

For some time I was puzzled by swallows coming into my barn a flitting around like they owned it.

It then occurred to me they were on a spider hunt.

This is the point where it's vitally important not to swallow anything.
Interesting use of the word 'swallow'.