Soon after I moved to British Columbia (Victoria) from Ontario, twenty-two years ago, I began to realize that insects like flies and bees, which flew in the open, unscreened doors and windows, flew, almost immediately, back out again.
It made sense that these factors – the moderate climate, the openness – had influenced bug behaviour.
I got so that I would automatically point to the door or window as they entered and grin as they exited, delighting in the freedom for us both.
If they became trapped in a window, a glass and bit of cardboard provided a vehicle to transport them back outside but I would occasionally simply point and often enough they would come away from the closed window and fly out the open one, often times enough for me to take notice and pay attention.
Just now I was sitting at the table and a large fly came in the door from the deck, made a sudden U-turn, then tried to get out the closed window beside me.
I focused on it, pointed a finger, and traced a route from fly to open back door, back and forth, maybe five or six times. It stopped beating against the glass, followed the path, flew out the door.
I was gazing thoughtfully – likely grinning – at the open door when, about ten seconds later, another fly flew in; a much smaller one. It also did a U-turn in my direction (in retrospect I think it was the scent of prawns for supper that was the attraction) but before it got to the window it stopped, turned around and flew back out – following the same route that had been made for the first fly.