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Are flies attracted to wet paint?


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I tried to put a second and final topcoat over a section of my top plank yesterday evening. I know it's not the best time to paint because the insects tend to be more active at that time of day, but this is the second time this has happened.

 

It's all one species of fly and they embed themselves firmly into the paint so it's not a case of just wiping them off once the paint is dry, I'll have to give it a proper key again to smooth it out.

 

I expect a few flies in wet paint but this is just ridiculous. Is this species of fly attracted to something in the paint? It's International 10 year gloss - single pack polyurethane paint I think? If that makes any difference.

 

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Edited by blackrose
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Flies land on stuff all the time, and for 99.99% of the time they take off again and we are completely unaware of them.

 

For 0.01% of the time they land on something sticky, and ...  ...  ...  ...

 

(My percentages may be wildly out but the point remains valid!)

 

 

 

 

Edited by Machpoint005
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They're probably attracted to shiny surfaces as they look like water - but of course they're not - they are sticky paint! Every year I get mayflies swarming over my car for the same reason but of course they can leave again when they want.

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1 hour ago, Machpoint005 said:

Flies land on stuff all the time, and for 99.99% of the time they take off again and we are completely unaware of them.

 

For 0.01% of the time they land on something sticky, and ...  ...  ...  ...

 

(My percentages may be wildly out but the point remains valid!)

 

 

What point? You're saying it's just flies landing randomly?

 

Possibly, but the fact it's hundreds of just one species of fly all over the paint suggests that something else might be going on.

 

18 minutes ago, Lysander said:

They're probably attracted to shiny surfaces as they look like water - but of course they're not - they are sticky paint! Every year I get mayflies swarming over my car for the same reason but of course they can leave again when they want.

Could be the gloss finish replicating water yes.

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i'd take a guess at the gloss finish theory coupled with them swarming to mate or feed, hence the high concentration, in the same way as you get large clouds of them dancing round stern or bow fenders on moored boats etc.

Edited by Hudds Lad
add other end of boat
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34 minutes ago, Jennifer McM said:

Is there's linseed oil in the paint? Some types of flies love linseed oil apparently. 

 

 

Maybe its fish oil. Any painter worth his salt would tell  you that you should never use kipper flavoured paint outdoors.

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2 hours ago, blackrose said:

What point? You're saying it's just flies landing randomly?

 

No, I'm saying it's flies landing on a surface and failing to take off again.  If they did take off again we would be none the wiser.

 

New paintwork does not necessarily attract them more than another surface. Correlation is not causation.

That particular species is stuck to the paint because that's the species that happens to be present in the greatest numbers over water.

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51 minutes ago, Machpoint005 said:

 

No, I'm saying it's flies landing on a surface and failing to take off again.  If they did take off again we would be none the wiser.

 

New paintwork does not necessarily attract them more than another surface. Correlation is not causation.

That particular species is stuck to the paint because that's the species that happens to be present in the greatest numbers over water.

 

Yes, it's definitely flies that are landing and failing to take off again. That much is stating the bleedin' obvious if you'll pardon the Fawlty towers quote.

 

You're also correct that new wet paintwork doesn't necessarily attract flies any more than old dry paint, however, I find it hard to believe that there are that many of these flies landing on every part of my widebeam in the space of half an hour. That's how long it took for all those flies to get stuck.

 

I think the point that you may be missing is that this new paintwork has a lot more files stuck to it in terms of orders of magnitude, than the average wet paintwork that I've ever done (apart from last time with the same black paint a few weeks ago!)

 

Correlation doesn't equate to causation, and I had not mentioned any definite cause, but you seem to have agreed that there is a correlation?

 

 

Edited by blackrose
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1 hour ago, blackrose said:

I think the point that you may be missing is that this new paintwork has a lot more files stuck to it in terms of orders of magnitude, than the average wet paintwork that I've ever done (apart from last time with the same black paint a few weeks ago!)

 

Correlation doesn't equate to causation, and I had not mentioned any definite cause, but you seem to have agreed that there is a correlation?

 

The answer to your first point could quite simply be that there are a lot more of them around. There is another thread going on at the moment complaining about biting insects, so the simplest explanaton for the change you have noticed is there has been a vast increase in the number of flies (Occam's Razor and all that).

 

Unless I am mistaken, you did imply that the nature of the paint was attracting flies by the very wording of your question. I am suggesting it was incomplete information, because you simply don't know how many landed on non-sticky surfaces  -- either a few weeks ago or yesterday. 

 

My comment about correlation and causation was made because in today's world of 'fake news' we could do with proper observations before speculation!

 

I may have been stating the bleedin' obvious but I was making my point about the successful individuals that took off again, not the unsuccessful ones.

Your ability to believe something that may or may not happened isn't really relevant, though.

 

 

 

Edited by Machpoint005
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18 minutes ago, Machpoint005 said:

 

The answer to your first point could quite simply be that there are a lot more of them around. There is another thread going on at the moment complaining about biting insects, so the simplest explanaton for the change you have noticed is there has been a vast increase in the number of flies (Occam's Razor and all that).

 

Unless I am mistaken, you did imply that the nature of the paint was attracting flies by the very wording of your question. 

 

If a question about the possibility of something happening is an implication then perhaps you're right, but by definition an implication is only a suggestion, not a definitive cause.

18 minutes ago, Machpoint005 said:

 

Your ability to believe something that may or may not happened isn't really relevant, though.

 

Oh I think it's very relevant, just as your ability to believe what you're saying may have happened is relevant too. All ideas or suggestions are welcome. ?

Edited by blackrose
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12 minutes ago, blackrose said:

 

If a question about the possibility of something happening is an implication then perhaps you're right, but by definition an implication is only a suggestion, not a definitive cause.

 

Oh I think it's very relevant, just as your ability to believe what you're saying may have happened is relevant too. All ideas or suggestions are welcome. ?

Paint a some planks with the same paint and some with a different paint and lay them out in pairs at increasing distances from the water.

That will provide some data :)

  • Greenie 1
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Maybe the first fly to get stuck sends out a mayday call and the others swarm to help him/her/it/stupid sod. I've passed people painting under motorway bridges who have a radio blaring out horrible stuff at top volume - maybe its to drown out the mayday call.

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2 minutes ago, Mike Tee said:

Maybe the first fly to get stuck sends out a mayday call and the others swarm to help him/her/it/stupid sod. I've passed people painting under motorway bridges who have a radio blaring out horrible stuff at top volume - maybe its to drown out the mayday call.

Now we need to duplicate the original experiments with sensitive listening devices to cover your hypothesis 

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1 minute ago, Mike Tee said:

Tree Monkey will be along in a minute - I'm guessing his suggestion will be    next time, wash half the car and paint the other half and note the end (!) result

Don't be daft, this is about flies, if catweasel wants to conduct his own study that's up to him

:)

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