Over the last few weeks with temperatures above 25ºC our windows have been open more than usual. The influx of house flies has been correspondingly high. It has not quite been an inundation but we have fly-swats in most rooms.
On average over the last few weeks I have probably swatted 20 flies per day (more than 15, less than 30). In my defense I have not been on an extermination splurge and have only swatted a fly when it has been particularly irritating.
The flies are in no danger of extermination as a species and biodiversity is not threatened.
My empirical observations are as follows:
- Once a fly has found warm skin to prey upon, it has some mechanism to “lock on” to its target.
- A fly can read my mind and knows when I am thinking about picking up the fly swat.
- Once a fly has identified me as a target, other flies stay away from its hunting territory.
- Even flies need to rest and frantic twitching and waving of limbs does lead them to fly away from the target occasionally and rest on nearby surfaces.
- A light swat merely stuns the fly and it quickly recovers to continue its murderous attacks.
- A heavy swat mashes the fly leaving a gooey mess.
- With skill and practice just the right level of swat force can be applied to kill the fly without creating a mess.
- Within about 2 minutes of my swatting a fly dead, another fly appears and acquires me as a target.
- The “hero” or “rescue fly” is always singular and never a swarm of flies.
- Another swatting leads to another hero fly appearing.
- The longest sequence of dead fly/ hero fly observed has been six.
These observations lead me to the following conclusions:
- Flies have an unknown mechanism (probably an infra-red sensor) by which they can identify and lock on to prey.
- Flies are somewhat territorial and can communicate their reserved territories to other flies.
- Flies emit some kind of death radiation which is picked up by other flies but just a single “hero” or “rescue fly” is then sent to seek retribution.
- Flies do not have a collective memory since hero flies only appear singly and continue appearing even if each gets successively swatted.
Or, flies are reincarnated. Empirical observation suggests that if this the case, the reincarnations are not endless and number less than the eight reincarnations and nine lives of cats. It would seem that they have more than two reincarnations but less than five.
