They Laughed
He wasn't surprised that they were all laughing, after all, it was quite ugly.
But what else could he do? He had been dealing with swarms of insects for so long, he would put up with just about anything to get rid of them. When he finally found the perfect solution, he was quite pleased to see them all beg for his new design.
Nature Lovers
Tim Jarvis and his family loved living in the countryside.
The fresh air and open spaces were hard to beat. There were, however, more than a few pesky “neighbors” that plagued everyone to the point of itchy insanity. He was determined to make the winged ones die, and the two-legged ones eat their mocking words.
Searching For Solutions
It started small – various methods he found on the internet.
The first swarm to tackle was the mosquitoes. Tim tried a few makeshift traps involving a MacGyver-like setup of fans, insect lights, and fine mesh netting. But with every rainfall, his kids and wife would end up scratching like maniacs. He had no idea the answer was sitting right in his refrigerator.
Easy Hack
It was a soda bottle hack that ended up working miracles.
He hung them around the entire property and watched them fill up with the annoying bloodsuckers. It worked out extra great because it meant their chickens had extra tasty treats to munch on. The next problem, however, came when he felt a sharp, piercing pain.
More Problems
Tim yelped out in pain and slapped the back of his neck.
The little perpetrator was dead, but it was far worse than any mosquito. For anyone who hasn’t lived in nature, the word “horsefly” might not ring any bells. But anyone who’s felt their relentless jaws knows that they are the worst of the worst – leaving behind huge, itchy welts that are so much worse than most other bites. Soda bottles weren’t going to work with these guys.
Sudden Solution
Tim and his family scrambled between the computer and the workshop, trying to figure out a way to stop the new pests.
It wasn’t until one of them slammed against the window and dropped to the deck, that he finally had the ultimate lightbulb moment. He ran to his table saw and got to work. The materials were going to be way pricier than the other traps, but he didn’t care. The neighbors, however, looked at him like he was crazy.
Bigger Than Expected
This was no small contraption.
As Tim assembled the pieces, one passing neighbor commented about what a huge eye-sore it was – sitting there in the middle of the perfectly manicured lawn. But seeing the massive, swollen bites on his kid’s body made him cringe. He had his own welts, so he knew what special kind of misery they were all feeling.
Multi-faceted Problem
There was no one-fix-all solution to the bug issue.
Mosquitos became more active during wet weather. They loved humidity and escaped to the dryness of people’s homes anytime drops started to fall. Horseflies also loved humidity, but they loved the warmth of the sun as well. More than anything, they loved dark colors – which would be vital to Tim’s new trap.
Putting It Together
The setup involved a large tray lined with garbage bags. Inside was a pool of soapy water.
It was like many other traps, but the plexiglass in the middle was the real kicker. It was the very thing that would make the entire contraption work. So, during the next rainfall, Tim dragged it out to the middle of the yard, then escaped back inside and waited. The next day, he couldn’t believe what he saw.
Hard Work Paying Off
It had worked!
The idea was that the black garbage bags would attract the horseflies, and then they would run into the plexiglass and fall into the water – the key being that Tim had to make sure the glass was always clean and, therefore, invisible to the flying monsters. The collection that had accumulated over the past hours was astonishing.
People Asking
Just to think, all of those little guys would have been flying free and tormenting his family!
But the best part was still to come. The neighbors noticed that the trap was doing its job. One of them sheepishly came up to Tim, apologized for his rude comments about the “eye sore,” and asked Tim to show him how to make his own.
Sharing It With Everyone
Tim wasn’t going to keep this revelation to himself.
So, he went one step further and uploaded the idea onto the internet. It wasn’t long until the post exploded, and people from all over the world (at least the ones that had problems with these kinds of bugs) showered him with praise and thanks. That was when Tim had another lightbulb moment.
Going Online
There was clearly a demand – but not everyone was handy.
He rushed to patent the design and refined how it looked. Online sales were now the bread and butter for so many companies, so why not cash in on a small part? The orders came flying in, and soon Tim’s workshop became more than a place to putter.
Family Business
The best part? It got his kids involved in ways he would never imagine.
They learned more about construction and begged to help with their new “secret weapon.” They even gave their own “marketing” ideas and experimented with making their own traps. And to think, it had all started with a single bug bite. But what would they do with the money?
Using The Profits
Tim wasn’t charging a lot – just enough to make a fair profit.
The plan was to pay off some bills first. Then, he was going to squirrel away a bunch of it to save up for a much-needed family vacation. Where? Any place that didn’t have these kinds of bugs!
Not The Only One
Millions of people in the US suffer with bug problems. That’s why there are so many different products on the market. But like Tim, there was another man who took the next step.
Julian Smith had a problem he just couldn’t get rid of until he came up with something inventive.
Huge Stink Bug Problem
Julian had a problem with stink bugs, and it was nothing minor. What started with just a few bugs ended with thousands. Yes, thousands.
Whenever Julian looked up, he’d see at least one bug, and there were even more of them when it was sunny. He had to do something about it. But what could that be?
Thousands Of Bugs
The stink bugs were crawling all over his house. One or two bugs were already a problem, but Julian’s case was severe.
They became an unmissable best that was slowly consuming his home. It wasn’t only unsightly and unnatural. It was becoming a real problem. But what could he do? He’d tried products before.
Couldn’t Get Rid Of Them
It didn’t matter what product Julian tried; he just couldn’t get rid of the stink bugs. It was starting to look like he would just have to get used to it because nothing he tried worked.
However, Julian wasn’t just going to give up that easily. There had to be some way for him to get rid of his unwelcome guests.
Their Introduction
Stink bugs had accidentally been introduced to the US in the 1990s. Since then, they’ve spread across the continent and became a real problem for some folks.
They’re not only unsightly and creepy, but there’s also a reason they are called stink bugs. And they don’t have such a good impression with children either.
A Pest
They were definitely considered to be a pest, and anyone who came across one tried to get rid of them as soon as possible. Julian was no different.
Julian thought he might be able to come up with an idea of his own. Just like Tim did. So he sat down and thought about what he could do.
A Clever Idea
The conclusion he came up with was fairly simple. He took a soda pop bottle, cut off the top, dropped a light in there, and put the flipped top back in.
After that, he stuck it together with tape and concealed the light so the critters would be forced to enter through the bottleneck. It was easy to get into and extremely difficult to get out of.
Worked Like A Charm
He put his contraption out and waited. But when he checked it the next morning, he was shocked. He had caught a lot more of the bugs than he initially thought he would.
His contraption not only worked like a charm, but it was simple to make, which got Julian thinking.
Products On The Market
There were so many products on the market that didn’t work, at least not for Julian. Yet he created something incredibly simple that could draw in so many bugs.
He was sure that there were other people out there with similar problems, so why couldn’t they make use of his solution?
Trying To Sell The Idea
He approached a company with his idea, hoping they would be willing to make it available for everyone. He didn’t plan on making millions out of it, but he would’ve been happy to buy something like it so others would be too.
However, there were a few flaws in his plan.
Skeptical
The company he approached was indeed impressed with the concept, but the looks weren’t very appealing. Because of that, they were skeptical. Who would buy something they could so easily make themselves?
It was a bit of a letdown, but the company didn’t stop there. They put something else on the table.
A Complete Overhaul
The project was handed over to another team who would be responsible for giving it a complete makeover. The team was tasked with finding the reason it worked and creating a better-looking version.
They immediately got to work and what they ended up producing was far more appealing than the original.
Left Speechless
After that, Julian was invited to meet someone. He had no idea what he was in for. But when he arrived at the location, the man he was supposed to meet wasn’t the only one there.
Julian and been invited to meet a man who was willing to produce and sell his product. And a few media outlets were invited too. He was shocked by what he saw, especially when they showed him the new design.
Estimated Sales
The company estimated that they could sell several hundred thousand of the products on the first run. It was more than Julian ever would’ve imagined.
The company not only made Julian’s dream come true. They also gave him a surprise that he would never forget. And they changed the way people would look at him.
Advice From The Creator
During the interview, Julian stated that it “was the first Thanksgiving dinner that I didn’t get ridiculed or laughed at because of ideas that I came up with in the past that failed.”
Julian also said that people shouldn’t let others hold them back and that they should follow their hearts.