Insect attraction?


Bombarde16

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A bizarre phenomenon and I wondered if anyone else has experienced the same:  Frequently when running a power tool out in our driveway or on the back porch, a half dozen flies will be attracted to the tool.  They're big houseflies and they don't bite or do anything uncivilized; but they seem drawn to my router like moths to a flame.  When I shut off the tools, they lose interest and disperse.

 

This sort of thing happen to anyone else?

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I've noticed this happening this summer; when i just started doing a lot outside work in my yard.

The problem has only been with large flies; not other insects (and we have plenty arond here this time of year) .

 

A few weeks ago, i was working on some steel with my angle grinder, and immediately some large flies started landing right next to where the sparks were flying; literally one inch away from the grinding disc and sparks.

Fearless.

I thought maybe it was the light from the sparks that attacted them; though it was during daylight hours.

 

Then, in the last few days, they've been doing the same thing while i'm running both a circular saw and a palm sander (this time on wood, not metal); no sparks flying with these tools.

Not having this problem with either my cordless or corded drill (or electric lawnmower, hedge trimmer or weed wacker).

 

Someone had earlier mentioned magnetic field attraction; could it also be some sort of sound/vibration frequency related to mating or some other communication?

 

"Hey guys, i just found some human building a huge pile of sh*t! C'mon over here!"

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  • 4 weeks later...

I have pondered this phenomenon for years. Working outdoors in the summer, flies will show up from nowhere when I run the skill saw. It's not that they were buzzing around or noticable until the saw is turned on and when the saw is off they soon leave. They land on the saw itself mostly and very close to the blade. The longer the cut, like ripping a 2x6 or many repetitious cuts, the more flies will congregate. I've seen a dozen or more trying to land on the saw. They land very quickly and stay put as well. I know it is the saw they are attracted to and not other things since the saw is the only constant element. I found a post on another site from a woodworker that was curious about the same phenomenon.

 

He wrote "After reading through some dense entomological studies, i learned that parasitic flies which prey on cicadas or crickets are attracted to those insects' sounds. The gigantic, loud vibrating caused by the saw attracted that species of fly (the flies had pads on the ends of their legs unlike the clawed ends of housefly feet), and they hung about on the saw and wood (and on my hand, the last time i was working on the project) waiting to find a cicada or cricket."

 

This makes as much sense as anything, the magnetic field idea sounds good too except I work with many many other corded and battery tools outdoors and they do not have the same effect except angle grinders. From how far away can a magnetic field be detected from the saw? I surmise that it is sound vibrations that draw them. They do seem to be a different type as I am never bitten by these, where as it isn't unusual to be bitten by others on the legs or neck, but not when sawing.

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I put a fan, about 16" diameter, in the door to my shop sometimes during the summer.  When it is on the low speed and there is a very light breeze it makes a low frequency hum, about 50 Hz I guess, and then the Dragon Flies show up. They land on the cage but I've never seen one fly in and get hit by a blade.

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Hey Buildit......first post! Welcome!  Good place to hang out!  Your explanation seems like it could be dead on because cicadas do make a lot of racket and if you think about it, it's almost a mechanical sound.  Imagine when the fly shows up and sees the circular saw, what he's thinking.....he says, [in an original Italian accent]...."dang.....das ah one big Cicada!!"

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Hey Buildit......first post! Welcome!  Good place to hang out!  Your explanation seems like it could be dead on because cicadas do make a lot of racket and if you think about it, it's almost a mechanical sound.  Imagine when the fly shows up and sees the circular saw, what he's thinking.....he says, [in an original Italian accent]...."dang.....das ah one big Cicada!!"

Thanks TimWood, yes I couldn't lurk anymore without commenting on this thread, it's just one of those things and you know there are others that must have experienced the same. Ha ha, I love the fly's accent! You gotta know theres a good bit of fly figurin' going on when they land on the saw with their fellow flies and they start sayin' "I'm not gonna bite it, you bite it!" "I'm not gonna bite it, you bite it!" then the macho one says, "I'll bite it if any of you can just tell me where the head is!"

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  • 10 months later...

A bizarre phenomenon and I wondered if anyone else has experienced the same:  Frequently when running a power tool out in our driveway or on the back porch, a half dozen flies will be attracted to the tool.  They're big houseflies and they don't bite or do anything uncivilized; but they seem drawn to my router like moths to a flame.  When I shut off the tools, they lose interest and disperse.

 

This sort of thing happen to anyone else?

Yes,I had exactly the same experience in the summer time a few years ago in Texas.  The tool running by itself didn't do it (circular saw cutting old fence pickets), so I doubt it is an electromagnetic phenomenon that is attractive.  I wore hearing protection it was so loud.  The big flies seemed attracted only to the noise from the blade but did not try dive bomb the blade.  Also, I was doing some cutting the same day with other power tools and only the circular saw called the flies.

 

My theory, for what it is worth, is that there is something in the frequency spectrum of that particular noise of the blade that registers similarly to some other noise they are attracted to, for survival's sake.  Having maybe to do with food or sex (?).  Even though it is unnaturally loud and therefore not similar to whatever natural noise it is similar to, and especially because it is loud, it can draw flies from very far away.  It is mysterious that you do not see these flies around at all until your start cutting wood... they may be coming from thousands of feet away.  But when they get to the proximity of the source, they don't know what to do... because it is not coming from whatever they are seeking, and they are smart enough not to  fly into the blade.   

 

Who knows, it could even be the inaudible ultrasonic frequencies that are attracting them.  Maybe someday some government grant will be applied to this mystery and we can all be glad our tax dollars paid to figure it out.

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Now we just need a tool that gives off a vibration that repels bureaucrats, politicians and telephone solicitors ! When you think about it they are kinda like flies......<grin>

Steve that was not nice ... flies are an essential part of our environment :)

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  • 5 years later...

I noticed this a well so I looked it up and found this post. It’s crazy. I’m cutting concrete pavers. I have a ear protection, a N95 mask and eye protection. These flies just land on the pavers and bombarded with concrete debris but it doesn’t bother them. Imagine if only humans could be as tough as these flies. My guess is they are collecting the debris. What attracts them? It has to be noise frequency when cutting material or they sense debris. They don’t come when the saw is running... only when cutting material. It can’t be a magnetic field otherwise these flies would be all over my AC unit or pool pump. Same observation - they come as soon as you start cutting and they are bigger flies - like horse flies.

I did a bit of research and concluded these are flesh flies - called Sarcophagidae. They have red brown eyes, white strips on the thorax and twice the size of a house fly. The name sounds gross but apparently they don’t bit.

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  • 1 month later...
  • 1 year later...
On 8/20/2013 at 6:05 PM, Bombarde16 said:

A bizarre phenomenon and I wondered if anyone else has experienced the same:  Frequently when running a power tool out in our driveway or on the back porch, a half dozen flies will be attracted to the tool.  They're big houseflies and they don't bite or do anything uncivilized; but they seem drawn to my router like moths to a flame.  When I shut off the tools, they lose interest and disperse.

 

This sort of thing happen to anyone else?

So far anything I cut they come around. Seems that they are attracted to the vibrations. More so with tile saws which hasa higher vibration output. My observations were more the vibes than sound. When the tool vibrates your body they will literally swarm on you.

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Exact thing just happened to me with a hammer drill. Was mounting clamps on a brick garage wall.  Wondered if it was the high-pitch vibration. I'd stop and they'd go away, but within 15 seconds of resuming with the drill they'd be right back. Kinda weird.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I have noticed fly attraction when outside grinding metal with electric 4.5” angle grinder. Don’t know what the attraction is. Vibration, noise, sparks, or heat. It has happened several times, different days. One time I was grinding a piece of metal laying on a metal bucket. The flies would walk on the bucket towards the grinding. Another time my metal was laying on a concrete block. Fly began walking on the concrete block towards the grinding area. Strange. This happened the first of September, 2022, in southern Indiana around afternoon-evening. Let me know of any info concerning this. 
thebuchanan@live.com

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