The fly vs. plastic

While it may not seem like it, we have come a long way from the Fly Killer in terms of materials and production processes. As mentioned previously, Montgomery’s description of his invention did not specify which material he envisioned to be used for the handle or the netting. After his fly swatter, various other inventors followed his lead and were open to using metal, wood or leather, but few mentioned the use of plastic. For example, Charles’ C. Bailey’s patent for an insect swatter (filed in 1933) outlined an extendable handle and mesh “swatting” flat surface at the end of it. He foresaw a wooden handle - and he wasn’t the only one. Indeed, Milton W. Gatch (1927), Norton T. Hendrickson and Charles Roholt (1926) all pictured a wooden handle. Others, like August Rochwite (1924) and Carl E. Turnquist (1935) visualized a more semi-flexible and rigid material like leather, rubber, fiber etc.

Plastic did not become the preferred material for fly swatters until the middle of the 20th century. As a matter of fact, one of the first designs specifically intended to be made from plastic is perhaps Robert H. Rodgers’ 1956 patent. After more plastic manufacturers and industrial designers (like Henry Dreyfuss) became involved in the fly swatter business, plastic became the preferred material almost instantly.

Today, if you were to buy a fly swatter from Amazon or Bol.com, you will most likely find it to be made of plastic. More specifically, most are made from polypropylene (PP), a thermoplastic polymer that is harder and more heat and chemical resistant than polyethylene. The global market for PP is massive - in 2019 alone it was worth $126.03 billion U.S. dollars. No wonder it is the second-most widely used “commodity plastic” after polyethylene. Goods made from polypropylene are usually melted through a process of extrusion and molding, usually by injection molding. These days it is easier to mass produce plastic commodities because it is possible to inexpensively manufacture fly swatters in molds instead of hand crafting wooden, metal or rubber handles as well as netting. Fly swatting has never been easier!

Perhaps it’s small, practical inventions like this that create a butterfly effect that reaches millions. Actually, scratch that - a fly effect.

At this point, you may be thinking to yourself: “what’s so special about a fly swatter, let alone fly swatting?” Well, as it turns out, a lot! Just ask Beatrice White, a Canadian girl who won the first “Swat the Fly” contest in Toronto, Canada by killing 543,360 flies in just 10 days. Want to read about Beatrice, then click the extension below.