Catch Flying Insects Using Slow Hand Movements From Above

Homeowners across Britain are reporting a nightmare scenario: their houses are crawling with insects. The Daily Mail recently highlighted these terrified stories before pointing to a surprisingly simple fix that requires no swatter and no chemical spray. An insect specialist has explained how to trap the invaders using just your hands, relying on a specific biological trick regarding how flies react to movement.

The method is straightforward but counterintuitive. You must approach slowly from above. When a fly senses danger, its instinct is almost always to shoot upward into the air rather than flee sideways or downward. Dr Jessica Stokes, who serves as a Project Officer and Fellow of the Royal Entomological Society, noted that house flies possess excellent eyesight focused specifically on motion.

She explained, Most house flies have very good eyesight, particularly when it comes to movement. The advice is therefore to approach them slowly, ideally from above. Flies will almost always fly upwards, which is why many traps are designed a little like a lobster pot hanging vertically. To execute this bare-handed capture, aim your hands a few inches above the spot where the insect rests rather than trying to grab it on the surface directly beneath it.

This works because flies detect rapid changes in air pressure and movement instantly. When threatened, they instinctively launch themselves upward to take off. By targeting that empty space above the fly, you force it straight into your closing hands. You can then hold it securely until you release it outside.

Dr Stokes suggested that Britain's recent warm, humid spell might have triggered a feeling of invasion akin to a fly epidemic. Higher temperatures accelerate insect development, allowing species to complete their life cycles faster and appear in greater numbers. With people opening windows and doors to cool down, flies have even more opportunities to slip inside. Fruit flies are particularly drawn to these conditions and will quickly locate fruit bowls, sinks, drains, and compost bins.

While seeing them in the kitchen is unwelcome, flies play an important role outdoors as pollinators and decomposers. They break down organic waste and recycle nutrients back into the soil. Experts advise against killing them unnecessarily. Instead, capture and release them outside. Insects often get a bad reputation, but the reality is much more interesting, Dr Stokes said. Insects are quietly doing some of nature's most important jobs. Our aim is to help people understand them a little better and find simple ways to keep them out of our homes while allowing them to thrive outdoors, where they pollinate plants, break down organic matter and provide food for countless other species.

For those looking to deter flies from entering in the first place, citrus peel works well because it emits a scent insects find overwhelming. Peppermint oil can also overwhelm an insect's sense of smell and mask the trails and food odours they rely on. Use a few drops in water inside a spray bottle around doorframes and windowsills, or leave cotton balls soaked in neat oil in problem spots. This will need topping up every few days as the scent fades.

Dr Erica McAlister, Principal Curator for Diptera and Siphonaptera at the Natural History Museum and Honorary Fellow of the Royal Entomological Society, added that flies might be entering simply to escape intense summer heat. She suggests installing screens made of beads or similar materials to prevent entry. I am a shooer, she said. I coerce them outside by waving – but I understand if there are a lot this may be problematic. So you could catch them in pots by moving very, very slowly.