Does putting water into a clear plastic bag with a penny really repel flys? If so, how?

They had clear plastic bags with water in them to repel flies at a very nice restaurant on the Wharf in Florida we went to on Vacation. There wasn't a penny in the water though. They explained that when a fly looks at it the fly sees a large predator and they stay away. There certainly weren't any flies at all bothering us while we had lunch outdoors.





However, I tried it at home ... tied some water filled clear plastic bags on our alley fence near the trash cans and it didn't work. Maybe I used the wrong size bags... If there's a science to the size of clear plastic bags or how close the bags need to be to each other, I'd sure like to know.Does putting water into a clear plastic bag with a penny really repel flys? If so, how?
Swampjohns - The bags were hung around 6 feet to 7 feet off the ground, if you email me I'll get the name of the restaraunt for you so you can call them and get their source or the specifics.

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Does putting water into a clear plastic bag with a penny really repel flys? If so, how?
I have never heard that so I dont really know look it up on the internet.
brknwing is correct,, no need of the penny and yes the reflection of light scares them as well as seeing a VERY large fly staring back at them!!
I was born and raised on a farm, 62 years ago, and never heard this one.





You don't state the attraction,,,, for the flys,,IE outdoor eating grilling?





I'd suggest a BUG ZAPPER, but I'll also suggest some level of tolerance and acceptance.





Much like Roaches, etc. They were here long before we were and will likely endure long after our species. Precautions can be taken in many forms, but first I suspect you need to analyze the attraction they find.





Rev. Steven
There's a flea market in TX that does this, I didn't think to see what was in the bag, I think it was just water. There were no flies around. And they were next to restaurant trash cans, so I guess it works, but never tried it.
People say so, specially country people, but I'm not sure if it works or not.