Has this ever happened to you? There’s a fly in the house, buzzing around you, so you go to the cabinet to get the swatter. But as soon as you start wielding it, the little bastard disappears. You set it down, and now he’s back, taunting you.
Ok so obviously flies don’t taunt, but do they have the capacity to recognize, even instinctually, that I’m holding a deadly weapon?
I have had much better luck using a cup to trap them. Seems to me that they aren’t as likely to fly away when I approach slowly with a cup to trap them inside the cup, then slide a piece of paper or cardboard across the opening and release them outside. Of course only works when they land on a flat surface like a window.