[Video Link] I ordered and received my Bug-A-Salt gun late last fall, pretty late in the fly season to really get to put it to serious use. Well, early spring in Western Washington and they are coming back. Over the years I became very proficient with rubber bands, hunting flies and yellow jackets – this… READ THE REST
A stream of yellow jackets suggested that I not f_ck with them again and they were pretty persuasive. I think I’ll be leaving them alone. They can bring a lot more to the fight in short order than one man with a salt gun.
2 Likes
As a gardener, I’m a bit skeptical about adding salt to the soil.
In the past, while hunting quick-moving katydids, I’ve shot bits of stale peanuts from a Crosman Pumpmaster Classic. You have to use a leather punch or similar to make cylindrical cores of peanut, and they the peanut projectiles have a tendency to paste up and jam (get it? peanut butter an’ jam!).
Still, three pumps is enough pressure to take out a big ol’ jumping flower eatin’ varmint.
And if you miss, scattering peanuts detritus in the garden is eco-friendly.
1 Like
Garden delenda est.
2 Likes
I could swear I posted already on this article, using the old interface. Was that in a parallel boingboing?
I have one, very important, question. Will it kill a big, NYC-sized, cockroach? (or waterbug, or whatever the big ones are called.)
I have one. It’s fun. But it doesn’t kill the fly. It will knock a fly out, reliably. Often they are on their backs twitching their wings, and you have to finish the job with a piece of tissue paper. So, a big cucaracha? I doubt it would do anything from across the room. It might not even do much if you point blank try to execute the cockroach with a shot directly to the head. You should buy one and find out!
do they make a fully automatic model? 
I contributed to their kickstarter. Sadly UK customs were not co-operative and they’ve eventually had to refund my money. A real pity as my flat seems to be attracting flies every time I open the patio door these days.
In our household we had a technique that was similar: If you put one pump in a springair bb gun and sneak right up on a fly with it, it will blow it’s wings right off. Very satisfying. Possibly not super sanitary, though.
Strange, I have one too and it kills flies super reliably. You definitely have to hold the gun really close to the flies, but I’m sure you’ve noticed the same thing, since it otherwise doesn’t really work. But luckily the flies don’t seem afraid of the gun.
I got mine at the height of fly season for me (Northern California), and was just a little bummed out when all the flies went away for the year.
yeah, to kill 'em it has to be point-blank. But, I haven’t tried kosher salt, yet, hehehe, or that exploding shit that’s in those little pop caps
Would a long-range shot to stun the fly and then a point-blank execution shot work?
A third shot will disintegrate the body.
1 Like
This topic was automatically closed after 5 days. New replies are no longer allowed.
