We have fitted a security mesh on our bedroom window woven of 1mm stainless wire at roughly 2mm centers, powder coated dark bronze. We have since discovered that it completely bamboozles flies - as soon as they sit on it you can easily catch them as they don't seem to see you approaching at all, to the extent that if you want to, you can place your finger tip on their backs and they will only react once you actually touch them.

Now if we get any flies in the house we and the Corgi chase them down to the bedroom and they can then be easily caught in a container and escorted outside.

Could be that the mesh acts in the same fashion as a fly-swatter, in that there's no build up of air pressure that the fly can sense as your hand approaches it to catch it.
That's why a swatter works and a rolled up newspaper (or your hand) doesn't. The holes in the swatter allow air to pass through and thus not build up a pressure wave that the fly's sensory hairs can pick up.

Might well be - but even trying to get within striking range approaching slowly is unsuccessful under normal circumstances. I always thought that they escaped hands and rolled up newspapers because they surfed out on the pressure wave.

I remember reading in a Scientific America or some such magazine that their compound eyes where particularly well adapted to spotting danger.

Did a quick Google and found this:

http://phys.org/news139142949.html

and this

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/q-why-is-it-so-hard-to-swat-a-housefly-a-it-sees-you-coming-in-slow-motion-8818124.html

which makes it clear that the eyes are the important trigger so I guess the mesh confuses the eyes and they just don't see the danger.

[Edited on 10/3/14 by Ivan]

does it work with traffic wardens ?

Won't work over here, our UK flies are much smarter.

Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana Does light travel slower for smaller creatures or does time slow down ? If they see or sense the swatter coming and dodge easily just get some fly spray.