Can’t swat a fly? Blame it on their jet manoeuvres

WE’VE all tried to swat a fly. But our efforts usually fail – leaving us in a state of irritated frustration.

Now scientists may have worked out why it’s so difficult to bring down the buzzing little blighters.

They’ve shown that when under threat, the insects bank and roll, just like a fighter jet.

The study examined the tactics of fruit flies, but the US researchers believe pesky household flies may employ the same technique.

University of Washington researcher Michael Dickinson said: ‘Although they have been described as swimming through the air, tiny flies actually roll their bodies just like aircraft in a banked turn to manoeuvre away from impending threats.

‘We discovered that fruit flies alter course in less than one one- hundredth of a second, 50 times faster than we blink our eyes, and which is f aster than we ever imagined.’

Lead author Florian Muijres said: ‘These flies normally flap their wings 200 times a

‘Faster than we ever imagined’

second and, in almost a single wing beat, it can re-orient its body to generate a force away from the threatening stimulus and then continue to accelerate.’

How the fly’s minuscule brain is able to detect a threat, decide on the best course of evasive action, and execute the manoeuvre so fast remains a mystery.

Professor Dickinson said: ‘The brain of the fly performs a very sophisticated calculation, in a very short amount of time, to determine where the danger lies and exactly how to bank for the best escape, doing something different if the threat is to the side, straight ahead or behind.

‘How can such a small brain generate so many remarkable behaviours? A fly with a brain the size of a salt grain has a behavioural repertoire nearly as complex as a much larger animal such as a mouse.

‘That’s a super interesting problem from an engineering perspective.’

The professor, whose research is published in journal Science, added: ‘While I have not studied houseflies in the lab, other researchers have shown they also pitch and roll during normal flight manoeuvres and I suspect they do the same when attacked.’