deBugged

I’ve been in the pest control industry for almost 19 years, and I can say with confidence that there are some pests the average homeowner can deal with on their own – certain ants, flies, ladybugs, etc. Depending on your tolerance level, these are just nuisance pests and don’t pose a major threat to anything or anyone so long as you maintain a certain level of housekeeping.

Stinging insects likes bees, wasps, hornets and yellow jackets are in a whole different category. Many people make the mistake of thinking they can buy some bug spray at the hardware store, spray it into the nest and be done with the problem. Not only is this ineffective, it is also highly dangerous – particularly for individuals who are allergic to stings. Someone who is not trained to deal with these stinging pests runs a high likelihood of releasing a swarm of very aggravated bugs, all of whom are anxious for revenge.

In almost all cases, you should call in the professionals when dealing with bees, wasps, hornets and the like. But before you call, it’s important to know what kind of stinging insect you are dealing with:

• Yellow jacket nests are made of a paper-like material. They are usually constructed underground, but can sometimes be found on exterior walls or woodpiles.
• Honeybees and bumblebees are usually non-aggressive. Generally, they will sting only when provoked. Wild honeybees live in colonies or “honeycombs” in hollow trees or cavities of buildings. We will often find a beekeeper to remove the hive.
• Wasps’ nests are also made of a paper-like material shaped in a circular comb of cells that open downward. Nests are often located under eaves, behind shutters, or in shrubs or woodpiles.
• Hornets are usually larger with gray or brown nests that are football-shaped and made of a paper material similar to that of yellow jackets’ nests. The hornet usually builds nests high above ground in trees, shrubbery, along rooftops or in tree hollows.

For your own safety, don’t mess with these pests. Let the professionals do it.

My usual bland journey to work on the train this week has been disrupted by commuting wasps! As we all moved from the crowded platform on to the London bound train the wasps seem to jump in just as the doors were closing.

They then darted up and down the carriage from floral prints and brightly coloured cycling shorts (yellow is a particular favourite) to those wearing over-powering perfume, getting more and more agitated as they went. It’s not just the wasps that were upset by this stage; most of the passengers were too, attempting to swat the buzzing pests with assorted newspapers and periodicals!

One gentleman exclaimed that they might have followed him to the station, as he had found a wasps’ nest in his garage last night but just hadn’t had time to do anything about it.

At this point I politely piped up and mentioned Rentokil’s wasp nest service where you can now book a wasp nest treatment online 24/7. He noted the web address on the corner of his newspaper and I noticed a few others tapping it into their iPhones too.

Then with my stop approaching I side-stepped the wasps, which were now heading down the other end of the train and got off, leaving the commuting wasps heading for Paddington. I wonder if they’ll get fined for not having a ticket?

Now here is something that was definitely created to cause a buzz (please excuse the pun). It’s certainly not a discreet or understated hat by any means. Walking around with a wasps nest and a handful of rather angry looking wasps on your head does take some courage.

Personally I wouldn’t have the nerve or bravado to carry this off and my kids would probably disown me through embarrassment (I can hear their groans already!).

The buzz-by hat’s aim is not only to turn heads and get noticed (which it certainly does) but also to spread awareness of UKWaspWatch, the Twitter based campaign to track sightings of wasp’s nests and wasp problem areas.  So if you’re not such which pest is buzzing around and your beer has been dive bombed or your ice cream has been attacked, add it to the UKWaspWatch map!

It’s now three weeks since we launched our wasp tracking service UKWaspWatch on Twitter, aimed at finding out what’s happening to the wasp populations around the country. It’s still very early days, but the application has been attracting some great comments online, with websites such as Social Media Today, Brand Republic and TechRadar talking about it. In the first two weeks it  attracted around 150 tweets, with a potential reach of approx. 350,000 people on Twitter alone, which just goes to show the power that social media has in today’s online world.

Social media can have its drawbacks (as discussed here by HubSpot) but we want to use it as an additional channel to reach our customers. We want to converse and that necessitates us being ‘social’. Human beings love to talk, to engage one another, to relate on a personal level and, importantly, to share – interests, ideas, things, stuff….. In our everyday lives we talk about things we find interesting, quirky, cool and new. I don’t know about you, but I generally share things like movie reviews, music, funny videos or interesting or shocking news stories. So when we publish new blog posts, that’s why we mix up the content styles and formats a fair amount. It’s to keep the style fresh and interesting.

So www.UKWaspWatch.co.uk is a prime example of social media in action. We wanted to try and gauge the effect that the very cold winter has had on wasp populations in the UK, and we wanted to encourage you to help us by facilitating a natural sharing behaviour. It’s a new and social way of reporting the locations of wasp sightings, stings and nests. So over to you – have you checked out UKWaspWatch yet? Have you taken part?

Some of you may have noticed the excellent pest images on the Rentokil website and read the blog post about our pests “Getting a Facelift“. Well, we thought it was high time we spoke to the creative geniuses Paul and Bridge from Blue Sky Creative who undertook the massive fine art project of preparing all of the detailed pest drawings that we now use online.

Danusia: Tell us about yourselves. What are your backgrounds? What do you do now?

Bridge: I started my art career creating artwork for the children’s TV programme “Art Attack”. I worked as a teaching assistant in the art department of a local high school; this led to the beginning of my training as an art teacher and progressing onto complete my BA Hons degree in Fine Art. Paul (my husband) and I opened an art gallery in a local village. Currently I work as a commercial artist and photographer for our own company, Blue Sky Creative.

Paul: I worked for many years managing challenging behaviour and learning difficulties care homes, then progressing to teaching Information Technology at an emotional behavioural difficulties school. I have recently completed my BA Hons degree in Visual Design and Communication at Ashford School of Art and Design. For many years I have created websites for local businesses and now work with my wife for our own company, Blue Sky Creative.

Danusia: I love Art Attack! But how did you get into pest-related art? Do you study for it?

Paul: Bridge has a BA Honours degree in Fine Art. We have an eye for detail and this transposed itself with the in-depth research we do into each and every pest we draw. We now feel like we could consider a career in entomology (hehe).

Danusia: So do you think you need to have a background in entomology then?

Paul: No, although it would have been helpful! Researching and studying pests is key to make sure the correct anatomical components are in place.

Danusia: What “drew” you to this job?

Bridge: This job was a chance to combine our Fine Art and digital skills. Caroline came to our art gallery opening and soon after sent us an e-mail asking if we knew any artists willing to complete a pest database for Rentokil’s websites, we were extremely happy to oblige.

Danusia: How is drawing pests different or similar from drawing other things? I know I have asked you for several previously not drawn pests for various blog posts (thisvsthat, unbelieveable truths).

Bridge: Drawing pests is easier once you have completed a few as you start to understand the way their bodies are built up. Saying that, we did end up with a nine legged tarantula! He looked great! (It was our son who spotted the mistake)

Paul: Similar to regular fine art in the use of form, tone and shape.

Danusia: Do you think drawing pests improves your skill as an artist? And if so, how?

Paul: Yes, definitely. The pests are in such high detail for recognition and identification purposes. It helps build fine motor skills and perfect the use of media – the pests were all completed as a sketch, then onto watercolour and pastel layering.

Danusia: What is your process for drawing a pest?

Bridge: We spend several hours researching each pest. Rentokil kindly gave us access to their research laboratory with vial upon vial of actual pests, this made it easier to create our initial sketches. The only downfall was that some pests are so very tiny we had to rely on microscopic photography examples (some had also changed colour after dying which creates some issues!). After initial sketches we use a watercolour wash to give the base colour; then built up detail layer by layer, using watercolour paints and pastel pencils.

Danusia: Do you have loads of specimens around your studio? Does it ever give you pest-related dreams or nightmares?

Paul: Yes and yes again. We live with test tubes from the labs and our artwork as a constant reminder on our walls. Bridge has had a number of nightmares where she has actually left the bed, believing there were spiders in it! We carried out some work in South Africa at our friend’s web design studio. We should mention our friend is absolutely petrified of snakes, but we may well have cured this phobia?!?! Also, whilst on safari, we met a tour guide who had just been bitten by a Yellow Sac Spider and had severe bruising and swelling to the back of his leg. Knowing all the details on the pest, we were able to identify and advise the poor guy!

Danusia: Wow, artists turned DIY medics. Do you do any other forms of art? Is it also pest related?

Paul: We do. Blue Sky Creative now offers web video, web design, photography and logo design. The Rentokil contract is the only pest related commission we have at present.

Danusia: What’s the best thing about drawing pests? The worst?

Bridge: The best thing about drawing the pests is expanding our knowledge in the world of entomology and getting so much better as time has gone on, we are now on approximately pest number 340. The worst? Double checking our research to make sure we have the right pest and confusing Latin names!

Danusia: Which pest has been your most favourite to draw? Your least favourite?

Bridge: Whilst drawing the pests, part of the brief was not to make them too horrific or too cuddly, this was extremely difficult in the case of the flying squirrel! He is sooooo cute; the guys at the offices had to check that I had not made up a character. My worst would have to be any kind of mite. They are so microscopic and ugly that it was extremely hard to get them just perfect.

Paul: The Crazy Caribbean Ant was most definitely my favourite-with his long dangly legs, I could just imagine him with a rasta hat on, ha-ha. My worst? The rat, Bridge ended up completing him in the end, his nose was either too pointy, his tail too long, or his feet too white… we just couldn’t seem to get him spot on. I tend to leave the bulk of the drawing to Bridge.

Danusia: Have you found working with pests has made you less squeamish when, for example, you find a giant bug in your bathtub? I am still really bad for getting my husband to remove spiders at home.

Paul: No, not really. We just know what they are called now!

Danusia: How do people react when you tell them what you do?

Bridge: They are extremely intrigued and think we are slightly mad. They are seriously impressed by our portfolio of bugs!

Danusia: If you could change anything about pests, what would you – as an artist – change?

Bridge: We would make everything larger so that we could study the detail more closely.

Danusia: And on that note I think we can bring the interview to a close. Although I am not sure I would want pests any larger than they already are. Would you?

Bridge is an artist, designer and photographer with a passion for travelling and scrapbooking. Born in 1981, she studied Fine Art in Kent. (BA Hons). With her husband, Bridge set up an art gallery in Bilsington-The Barn Gallery. Now Bridge is the Managing Director of Blue Sky Creative, with her husband Paul Houlton.

Paul Houlton was born in 1968. He has just graduated with a Visual design and Communication degree and is now putting all of his attention into Blue Sky Creative. Paul concentrates on hosting and developing websites for local businesses, using his new skills within viral marketing and web video to promote websites. Paul hopes to develop the company within the photographic, fine art and web industries over the next few years to be one of Kent’s top design studios.