[Rear View]

Spider Crossing!

An 11,000-pound stainless steel sculpture of a widow spider is the latest in a long line of eye-catching roadside attractions from publicity-savvy PMPs.
 

Whether it’s Western Exterminator’s famed "Little Man" figure towering over the San Diego Freeway or New England Pest Control’s "Nibbles Woodaway" mascot sitting atop the company’s headquarters building along I-95 in Providence, R.I., PMPs have long understood the benefits of an eye-catching roadside attraction to raise a company’s community profile.

The latest addition to that fine tradition is the much-anticipated "Widow Project" commissioned by Ronnie and Rhonda Caldwell, owners of Innovative Pest Management, Denver, N.C. The two high-energy PMPs recently unveiled an 11,000-pound stainless steel sculpture of a widow spider during a community event in late October attended by approximately 200 area business leaders.

The gleaming "to-scale" sculpture, which took three months to construct, was created by local artist Dave Simpson. It now graces the front yard of the family-owned pest control business which opened its doors in 1999. "It’s going to be a landmark," Ronnie Caldwell told The Charlotte Observer, as evidenced by the fact people traveled from as far away as Maggie Valley, N.C., and Raleigh, N.C., to experience the unveiling first hand. "Dave Simpson has poured out his heart and soul and true artistic talents into this thing," Caldwell said.

For more information about Innovative Pest Management, visit www.489bugs.com. To view a full report of the events leading up to the unveiling, conduct a search of "The Widow Project" on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiFUqaQf3uc). — Dan Moreland
 

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Man Eats Bug … And Likes It

I can’t believe I ate it! David Markowski of Homestead Pest Control in Jackson, Tenn., tasted a roasted cricket at the FMC Professional Solutions booth during the recent 2010 PestWorld meeting in Hawaii. Part of the FMC Pest Roast, the roasted crickets were available in three flavors: sour cream & onion, salt & vinegar, and bacon & cheddar.

All "takers" earned an extra chance to win a world-famous Big Green Egg® Smoker or deluxe grilling set from FMC. Designed to show that FMC has all the products pest management professionals need to control any pest problem, the Pest Roast attracted many hungry visitors during the three-day show. Most found the crickets quite tasty — and salt & vinegar was the favorite flavor.