You Can Catch More Flies with Vinegar than with Honey

I know the cliche goes the other way around, but it's not true (at least not for me).

Early every summer, a couple of us at work get infested with fungus gnats or fruit flies or something in our offices.  The pest control company puts out a container of something that's supposed to attract and drown the tiny insects.  The liquid inside it smells like vinegar.

This afternoon, I scrubbed the front of my car to remove all the bits of insect corpses accumulated during my recent trip back home.  Then, I scrubbed my windshield.  For the front of my car, I used plain water.  For the windshield, I used the vinegar/water solution that I normally use as a glass cleaner.  Flies were drawn to the windshield as I cleaned it.

I opened my sliding glass door a bit this evening.  (Now that the painting is done, I might get the screen door installed soon.)  At least one fly came in to the apartment.  It flew around the bowl with the residues of the raspberry yogurt I had for dessert, but it never landed.

There are three examples of insects preferring sour over sweet.  Unless, of course, the insects are like the humans in Tulsa, who do things exactly opposite of what I expect.