A flyswatter is a hand-held device

Fly-killing device

A fly-killing device is used for pest control. A fly-killing device typically attracts flying insects, for example houseflies, wasps, moths and mosquitoes. The insects are killed or released.-Types of Fly Killers:-Fly bottle:...

 for killing flies

Fly

True flies are insects of the order Diptera . They possess a pair of wings on the mesothorax and a pair of halteres, derived from the hind wings, on the metathorax...

 and other insect

Insect

Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...

s. 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 foot (0.6096 m) long. The venting reduces wind drag, making it easier to hit a fast-moving target such as a fly.

History

The abeyance of insects through short horsetail staffs and fans is ancient.

The earliest flyswatters were nothing more than some sort of striking surface attached to the end of a long stick.

In the summer of 1905, Kansas

Kansas

Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...

 was plagued by an overabundance of flies, which, as well as causing annoyance, aided in the spread of disease

Disease

A disease is an abnormal condition affecting the body of an organism. It is often construed to be a medical condition associated with specific symptoms and signs. It may be caused by external factors, such as infectious disease, or it may be caused by internal dysfunctions, such as autoimmune...

. Dr. Samuel Crumbine

Samuel Crumbine

Samuel Jay Crumbine was a pioneer in public health who campaigned against the common drinking cup, the common towel, and spitting in public in order to prevent the spread of tuberculosis and other germs....

, 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

Softball

Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...

 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

Yardstick

A yardstick is a straightedge used to physically measure lengths of up to a yard high. Yardsticks are flat wooden boards with markings at regular intervals.-Construction:...

 attached to a piece of screen. Crumbine invented the device now commonly known as the fly swatter.

Electric flyswatters

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

Transformer

A transformer is a device that transfers electrical energy from one circuit to another through inductively coupled conductors—the transformer's coils. A varying current in the first or primary winding creates a varying magnetic flux in the transformer's core and thus a varying magnetic field...

 and a voltage multiplier

Voltage multiplier

thumb|right|280px|Villard cascade voltage multiplier.A voltage multiplier is an electrical circuit that converts AC electrical power from a lower voltage to a higher DC voltage, typically by means of a network of capacitors and diodes....

.

The grid of the flyswatter is electrically charged to a voltage of between 1000 and 2500 V DC

Direct current

Direct current is the unidirectional flow of electric charge. Direct current is produced by such sources as batteries, thermocouples, solar cells, and commutator-type electric machines of the dynamo type. Direct current may flow in a conductor such as a wire, but can also flow through...

 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

Capacitor

A capacitor is a passive two-terminal electrical component used to store energy in an electric field. The forms of practical capacitors vary widely, but all contain at least two electrical conductors separated by a dielectric ; for example, one common construction consists of metal foils separated...

 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:

• a limit on the charge stored in the capacitor. A discharge of less than 45 µC is considered safe, even in the unlikely scenario that the current from a flyswatter would be flowing from one arm to the other arm, partly through the heart. This means that the capacitor of a 1000 V flyswatter should be less than 45 nF
  Farad
  The farad is the SI unit of capacitance. The unit is named after the English physicist Michael Faraday.- Definition :A farad is the charge in coulombs which a capacitor will accept for the potential across it to change 1 volt. A coulomb is 1 ampere second...
  
  . Due to this precaution for humans the initial shock is usually inadequate to kill flies.
• a limit on the current after the initial discharge. The maximal continuous current of most flyswatters is less than 5 mA. This current is safe, even when flowing from one arm to the other arm.

Many flyswatters have a three layer grid to prevent people from touching both electrodes.

Fly guns

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

Internet

The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...

, mostly as toy

Toy

A toy is any object that can be used for play. Toys are associated commonly with children and pets. Playing with toys is often thought to be an enjoyable means of training the young for life in human society. Different materials are used to make toys enjoyable and cuddly to both young and old...

s or novelty items, although their supporters maintain that they work as well as traditional fly swatters.