Always Wondered About Those Flies at Schiphol Airport
 

Ever since i've been flying into Schiphol Airport years ago i remember a very unusual thing about flies there

In the men's urinals there were always a picture of a fly - or a fly decal built into the porcelain right in the middle of the urinal

I had always thought that this must be a trademark of the urinal company, esp later when i started seeing it other places

Recently i saw one in my local Whole Foods Market even - again thinking it was a multi-national urinal brand.

Wrong, NPR just reported the story behind the fly - nothing to do with brand but a revolutionary product of what they called Choice Architectural and a very successful one.

O.k. PalenQ, dying to know more. Tell us what the fly means.

It has something to do with the fly on your pants as well, kind of

It's not a fly, it's a bee and it's been around since Victorian times.
Now, run and find out what the Latin is for bee.

I forgot to say that you are supposed to aim at the bee.

Josser is on the right track. I once had a tour of Schiphol Airport that was guided by the airport's PR person and she said, and I paraphrase..."It was ascertained that if you give men something to aim at, they do. The toilets are consequently much cleaner."

It is a fly and it is a target.

Twyfords were supposed to have the bee on their urinals back in the 19th Century

I guess the English had a greater need for it than other countries?

The Latin for bee is apis
The Victorians had a quirky sense of humour.

Bees are also larger than flies so the English needed a larger target it seems

I wonder if having a PA helps??????

Studies show that if you give men an aiming point in a urinal, bathrooms stay cleaner.

That's exactly what led Schiphol officials to this Choice Architect guru - the toilets, at least men's, were constantly filthy from men who couldn't hit the urinal

They notice instantly that things were much much better with the flies, which normally you would not want buzzing around toilets

We aim to please. You aim, too. Please.

The Dutch have a wonderful sense of humor. Ribald. But useful. And you thought the Dutch boy put his finger into the dike...

I retired from Chemsearch, and one of the products was a urinal screen with a bullseye to aim at.

"I don't know how you guys walk around with those things."
--Elaine Benis, in "The Hamptons"

Here is a picture of the urinals at Schiphol along with many other unusual ones.
http://www.2spare.com/item_91339.aspx

Hi

I'm also fascinated by this and I have read that they have done research on this. I think they have proven that men automatically "aim" for the fly and hence keep the toilet facilities cleaner :d

Regards
Gard
http://gardkarlsen.com - trip reports and pictures

Schiphol Airport authorities say the toilets, at least men's, were so stinky that even Sen Craig, passing thru here before the flies came, did not linger in the stall.