Not my grandmother's plate

I'm not especially receptive to old folkloric techniques, even despite having made my living as a folklorist for several decades.

I'm not that kind of folklorist.

But when, the other day, I saw an avalanche of first-hand reports on the efficacy of catching (and killing) fruit flies in one's kitchen by stretching clear plastic wrap over a partly filled glass of apple cider vinegar, and poking tiny holes in the wrap, I thought: "Okay, I'll try it."

Now I'm willing to provide another testimonial to its efficacy.

Here, for your interest is a photograph of nearly a dozen such flies, most of them dead, one still walking around the inside of the glass.

If they can get inside, some will find their way out, so not all are despatched. But it is far more efficient than my hand-clapping and cursing at them.

I put the glass on a white screen on my ipad to take this picture. The dust at the bottom, among the fly carcasses, is the precipitate from the vinegar.

The picture reminds me of plates my grandmother used to have.