Venus Flytrap growing

Aside from the yuck factor, if you are skilled enough to catch a fly with your bare hands then you will be able to catch the little morsels of food whenever you see them. Years of video game playing and analysing the behaviour of flies will likely help, but if it’s too late for that then here is a handy list of tips which I learned from tygerland.net.

Stationary fly catching

• attack from behind
• don’t close your hand by smacking the fingers and palm together as you will likely make a mess
• instead close your hand tightly and quickly but leave a tight channel for the fly to fit inside

Mid-air fly catching

• you must have patience, speed and vision
• catch the fly where it is going, not where it is otherwise you will miss
• watch it, learn it’s path and flight style
• move your hand quickly from the shoulder outwards to the point of connection
• use the same hand closing technique as for stationary flies
• anticipate the fly’s direction and velocity so that you meet it a 5 cm or so from where it was when you began your attack
• ideal distance for closure is just before the arm straightens
• practice, practice, practice!

And before you ask, no I don’t catch flies with my hands, yuck! And if you do follow this advice, make sure finish up by washing your hands.