A flyswatter is a hand-held device for killing flies and other insects. A flyswatter usually consists of a small rectangular sheet (about 4 inches or 10 cm across) of lightweight, flexible, vented material, usually thin metallic, rubber, or plastic mesh, attached to a lightweight wire or plastic handle about 2 feet (0.61 m) long. The venting reduces wind drag, making it easier to hit a fast-moving target such as a fly.
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The abeyance of insects through short horsetail staffs and fans is ancient.
In the summer of 1905, Kansas was plagued by an overabundance of flies, which, as well as causing annoyance, aided in the spread of disease. Dr. Samuel Crumbine, a member of the Kansas board of health, wanted to raise public awareness of the threat of flies. He was inspired by a chant at a local Topeka softball game: "swat the ball". In a health bulletin published soon afterwards, he exhorted Kansans to "swat the fly".
In response, a schoolteacher named Frank H. Rose created the "fly bat", a device consisting of a yardstick attached to a piece of screen. Crumbine invented the device now commonly known as the fly swatter.
Electric flyswatters, hand held devices that resemble tennis rackets, became popular worldwide in 2005. The handle contains batteries and a charging mechanism that generates a high voltage. The electronic circuit is composed of an oscillator, a step-up transformer and a voltage multiplier.
The grid of the flyswatter is electrically charged to a voltage of between 1000 and 2500 V DC by pushing a button. When the electrically conducting body of a fly nearly bridges the gap, the spark jumps over, through the fly. A capacitor between the electrodes discharges during the spark. This initial discharge usually stuns the fly. If pressing the button is continued, the continuous current will roast and kill the fly.
Most flyswatters conform to electrical safety standards for humans:
Many flyswatters have a three layer grid to prevent people from touching both electrodes.
The fly gun (or flygun), a derivative of the fly swatter, uses a spring-loaded plastic projectile to "swat" flies. Mounted on the projectile is a perforated circular disk which, according to advertising copy, "won't splat the fly".
Similar products are sold elsewhere on the Internet, mostly as toys or novelty items, although their supporters maintain that they work as well as traditional fly swatters.