The biologist known as MissPrism reports having disproved the theory that “You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar”:
The Condimentary Preferences of Drosophila
In a small-scale survey of the dietary preferences of kitchen Drosophila (species unknown), we find, contrary to received wisdom, that you catch significantly more flies with vinegar than with honey. However, no condiment tested was sufficiently attractive or lethal to comprise a promising direction for future pest control strategies. Further analysis of drosophilan gastronomic leanings suggests they may be middle class.
(Thanks to investigator Judy Lai for bringing this to our attention.)
