Why in the world would a bag of water hanging by the door keep them out?
Many Tombstone residents swear by this quirky remedy, but nobody knows why the myth has stayed alive for so many years.

"We do it every year, once the flies come out, especially during the summertime...It helps keep the fly population down...We put one on each side of the door," said Jeffry Howard, employee at The Red Buffalo.

Another Red Buffalo employee, Billy Miller, said that the store next door tried the same trick, but it didn't work. He said they have skylights at The Red Buffalo, but there are no skylights next door, suggesting lighting might factor in to its effectiveness.

Steve Goldstein, owner of Big Nose Kate's, has pinpricks on the sides of the entrance, proving his faith in the method.

"Reflective light has frequency. I think it's the frequency of the light which disturbs the flies," Goldstein said.

Many have witnessed a spastic fly committing suicide after its fatal attraction to a light, but maybe a reflective type of light would have an opposite effect.

Goldstein has been getting rid of flies with water-filled bags for 34 years.
Debra Shambaugh, a clerk at Silver Hills Trading Co., said no one could pay her to use this method.

"I mean nobody can prove to me that it really works," she said.

Shambaugh said she has seen people use this water-bag technique from the Tucson area clear to Kentucky.

Carl Olson, an associate curator in the University of Arizona's entomology department, said that people have seen them used in Arizona, Mexico, Central America and South America.

"When people have traveled, they've encountered these silly bags and on different things," Olson said.

He could not provide a sound explanation for how this might repel flies, however.

"The reality is throughout my whole entomology friends group, nobody knows why it works. It's been around as long as probably I've been alive," Olson said.

Whether or not water-filled bags can deter the entire house fly population, several fly harassment victims religiously fight the battle of the bug with this simple trick.

Tombstone resident Tom Clark emphasized that the bags of water don't solve the problem entirely.

"It's merely a deterrent," Clark said.

Clark mentioned that some believers slide shiny pennies into the bag of water.
Does the penny add another lighting element to diffuse flies or is it for good luck?

"Different little quirks get embellished in different regions," Olson said of the technique's variations.

According to an online recap of the Discover Channel's show Mythbusters, this myth was tested after several people questioned it. Their experiment, they argued, showed the bags did not work.

Some may have alternative methods to fight the war on infestation.

Ghosts and Legends employee Jeff Honeycutt said he has seen people cut a two-liter bottle in half and then put a little bit of sugar water in the bottom of it.

"So they'll fly in there, but can't figure out how to get out," Honeycutt said.

Bird Cage Theatre employee Morgan Jones puts sugar water in the bags, leaving them open so the flies will go in and drown.

While there are several myths and trends to repel annoying flies, the National Pest Management Association advises simply practicing cleanliness.

The bothersome housefly carries more than 100 types of disease-causing germs, and "vigilant sanitation" including taking care of trash and pet waste is the key to controlling them.

But remember, the average cost of a pack of Zip Lock bags: $3.65. The cost of a 75 pack of pushpins: $1.54. Water: free. The relief of not
swatting your hand every five seconds: priceless.