It has always troubled me that unlike the mosquito, the common gnat is almost impossible to squash. I thought about it for awhile. It isn't hard to believe that they are capable of leaving a dangerous location very quickly, animals can do amazing things. But it does amaze me that a creature so small can be aware enough of its environment that a hand is coming down on it. So I ask, how does it know that it is about to be squashed? I concluded that it must be very susceptible to air currents, and any sudden changes will cause the reflex to flee. It could also be the noise that your hand makes, or that they just see the hand coming at them, but I don't think this is very likely. So I experimented. I tried closing in on a gnat from the side, with my hand horizontal to the table in order to minimize air resistance. The standard, vertical SMACK, in my experience, rarely works no matter how fast yuo are. But my new covert method worked! Mr. gnat was sent to the pearly gates. try it!
