After buttoning-up the cabin for the night, there are always a few pesky insects flying around; it was their very presence drove you to pull out the window screens and seal the doors. Perhaps a few dozen hoodlums remain; more than enough to annoy you for the rest of the evening. Chasing them down with a flyswatter will generate more dents, scratches, and blood spatter than the effect justifies.
The following is the definitive way to clear the cabin of a sailboat of flying pests - mosquitoes, flies, and moths. It works so well, no other alternative or caveat is needed. It's that good. This shouldn't work. It's too simple and bugs can't be that dumb. They are.
1. Fill a plastic cup to within 1 1/2 inches of the rim. Add a few drops of dishwashing liquid and shake to get some foam.
2. Slowly bring the cup up underneath the fly or mosquito. If he doesn't promptly drop-off and drown in the foam, move the cup slowly to one side and delicately brush the insect from the ceiling. It will fall into the cup.
3. The foam does a perfect job of catching every insect that drops into the cup
I have caught so many mosquitoes in this manner that within 15 minutes the water became thick with them. There is no mess to clean up; simply dump the water down the drain and get on with reading your book or toddle off to bed. It works because cabin lights draw most of the bugs to the ceiling and because the bugs need to drop short distance before they can manage flight. Also very useful for amusing guests and keep in the kids out of mischief.
This is not an original idea nor is the illustration original. The idea, of course, is not original and has been passed down many times. I borrowed the illustration from "The Sailors Sketchbook" by Bruce Bingham. It is one of the best collections of DIY boat improvement ideas I have found, and I recommend it to everyone, whether their boat be large or small.
