During the height of the summer months, pesky flies can ruin an afternoon on the porch with a glass of iced tea. The bacteria-carrying pests are persistent, even with an artillery of insect traps, repellents and other devices. Because we’re collecting every trick in the book to keep flies at bay, we’re sharing one unusual idea: pennies in a bag of water.
Learning how to keep bugs out of your kitchen is one thing, but keeping them away from the porch proves to be more challenging!
Why Do People Hang Pennies in a Bag of Water?
According to Wide Open Country, zip-top bags filled with water and a few pennies adorn many restaurants, porches and doorways in the South to keep flies away.
Supporters of this DIY fly repellent claim success based off a couple of theories, but the most popular has to do with the mechanics of a fly’s sight. The eyes on a fly are more complicated than human eyes; for flies, Orkin says their eyes are compound, or made up of thousands of individual lenses that are very perceptive to changes in light.
So, when light hits the bag of water filled with shiny pennies (or even pieces of aluminum foil, in some cases), the thought is that it refracts and confuses the insects. Overwhelmed, they fly away and hang around somewhere else.
Does It Work?
This is up for debate all over the internet. Some people swear by it, sharing success stories on blogs and Facebook, while Snopes says that scientific experiments show it may not make a difference.
I can’t say for sure, since I haven’t tried it myself. It’s currently winter where I’m writing from—with snow on the ground and a -25°F windchill—so not many flies are buzzing around. In summer, though, this is a trick that I’ll have to put to the test.
You may also want to try hanging Irish Spring soap to keep flies away!
FAQs
flies see differently to us and they hate water. the prism effect scares them off. Hang a bag of pennies in a clear bag with water inside, at your doors/windows/porches to stop the flies coming in?
Why should you hang a bag of water and pennies outside your door? ›
So, when light hits the bag of water filled with shiny pennies (or even pieces of aluminum foil, in some cases), the thought is that it refracts and confuses the insects. Overwhelmed, they fly away and hang around somewhere else.
What do pennies in a bag of water mean? ›
It turns out that the bizarre custom of hanging pennies in a bag of water is thought to be a great way to keep flies away outside, using light as a pesticide-free way to keep porches and yards free from pesky bugs.
Does a bag of water and pennies keep flies away? ›
Believers of the penny and water fly repellant have reported success with the unusual hack. A recent article published in the food magazine Taste of Home reported that southern residents and restaurant owners swear by the penny- and water-filled bag method as a natural fly repellant.
What does hanging a bag of water in your house do? ›
Some entomologists suggest that when these complex, sensitive eyes experience refracted light, the insect becomes confused and flies away. While some supporters claim water bags keep all kinds of flying insects away, most report success with complex-eyed insects, like houseflies.
What do water pennies indicate? ›
Water penny larvae cling to the undersides of rocks and other submerged objects in flowing, unpolluted water. The presence or absence of water pennies in a stream can indicate the water quality. They cannot tolerate pollution, high sedimentation, and high amounts of algae and fungi.
What smell does fly hate? ›
Lavender, eucalyptus, peppermint and lemongrass essential oils – Not only will spraying these oils around the house create a beautiful aroma, but they will also deter those pesky flies too.
How do you keep flies away from life hack? ›
Keep a bowl of dried cloves and cinnamon sticks in each room to see a drop in fly presence there. Citrus fruits are also hated by flies: they are the base for citronella candles, a popular solution to a fly problem outdoors. Keeping dried orange peel on your window sill will also work.
Do pennies represent luck? ›
In many cultures, the penny, despite being the smallest denomination in many currencies, has been particularly associated with luck. One reason might be its accessibility; pennies are common, and finding one can happen to anyone, making the joy of discovery universal.
What does it mean when you keep finding pennies on the ground? ›
There are those who feel that these random pennies are actually placed there for us to find by loved ones who've passed. They believe our deceased loved ones are giving us a sign to let us know they are okay. We saw an anonymous quote that read, “When an angel misses you, they toss a penny down …
Why? Strangely, the blue doors and the bag of coin-flavored water serves the same purpose-- to get rid of bugs. There are a lot of such pesky insects in the Southern states, especially flies.
Why should I hang pennies in a bag of water? ›
The water and the pennies create a prism that reflects colors, and also projects the image of the water. Flies don't like water, and they don't like the colors given off from the pennies. Flies have compound eyes so the bags look like a giant body of water to them, therefore they leave.
Do flies hate vinegar? ›
Does Vinegar, Dish Soap, Essential Oils Repel Flies? Vinegar attracts, not repels flies; however, a container with vinegar and dish soap will function as an attractant trap as the vinegar lures flies to enter the trap and the dish soap will cause the flies to sink and die.
Do pennies attract water? ›
They are attracted to one another, and the force of attraction creates surface tension. This makes it possible to add more water to the surface of the coin, and why the water on the surface of the coin creates a 'dome.
What happens when you put water on a penny? ›
Soap works by disrupting the cohesive forces between molecules. When plain water is dropped on a penny, water molecules strongly attract one another and the resulting surface tension is high. This is observed by the bubble-like shape formed by the water as more drops are added to the penny's surface.
What property allows water to stay on a penny? ›
The attraction of water molecules to other substances, like soil or glass, is called adhesion. As drops of water are added onto a penny, the adhesive force between the water and the penny keeps the water from falling off. Cohesive forces are strong, but not unbreakable.
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