Do Water Bags Really Repel Bugs?

A bag of water with a few pennies and tin foil scares the bugs away. Who knew?

Well, maybe it does, maybe it doesn't.

Recently, our family went to a cookout and noticed bags of water hanging around in the tents. At first I thought they were filled with goldfish, but when I looked closer there was crumpled up tin foil and pennies in the water. They told me that the water repelled insects like flies and mosquitoes somehow.

Nobody knew the "science" behind these mosquito bags, so I did a little research. Apparently light refracts off the water bag and confuses the bugs that have sensitive eyes, like house flies.

Personally, I prefer tiki torches and bug zappers, but I guess these water bags work. Have you heard of any other odd bug repellent methods?