Hi Deep Look and KQED Science Fans,

Planning a barbecue or picnic? You're more than likely going to deal with pesky flies. If they land on your burgers or fruit, they could spread hundreds of types of bacteria they carry on their legs. So you try swatting one, but the fly dodges your swatter every single time. Why? Well, you’re dealing with an aerobatic escape artist! Flies have a special set of club-shaped limbs called halteres that actually evolved from wings. They use them to make razor-sharp turns and land out of your reach. And that’s not the only equipment they use to evade you. But don’t despair – there is a trick that will help you nab these infuriating insects. Find out more in this week’s newsletter and video.

Here’s How That Annoying Fly Dodges Your Swatter

The tiny white moving dot below this blowfly’s wing is a balancing organ called a haltere, a Greek word for dumbbell, which describes its shape. As a fly turns, the neurons in its halteres relay information to the fly’s muscles to steer its wing and keep its head steady.

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Fly Wonders

👀 A fly’s eyes and tiny brain process information 10 times faster than ours.

🙃Halteres (a specialized body part) help flies stabilize and do their signature move: the ceiling landing. They use tiny hooks and sticky pads on their feet to hang upside down.

💨Besides halteres, a fly has hairs all over its body. Its hairs and antennae enable a fly to sense air movement as humans approach it, which helps it get away.

🦥Flies struggle to see static objects. So if you go very slowly and then pounce, you might be able to nab them with your swatter.

Name That Critter!

This bird of prey catches other birds midflight by diving at more than 200 mph. To do that, it needs some high-precision gear: special eyesight, talons and aerodynamics that can’t be beat. What is it? Find the answer at the bottom of the newsletter.

Things With Wings

Discover birds, bees, butterflies and other cool critters that fly, and sometimes really annoy you during your picnics — like this yellowjacket seen feasting on salmon.

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KQED’s Deep Look and Science teams!

Peregrine falcon! Find out more in our video: Here's Why Peregrine Falcons Are the Top Guns of the Sky