In praise of inventors

President Ronald Reagan in 1983 declared February 11 as National Inventor’s Day. The date chosen was the birthday of Thomas Edison, who is widely considered to have been the most prolific and famous inventor in American history. Edison held more than 1,000 patents for inventions, though his most famous invention by far was of course the light bulb.

National Inventor's Day offers a time to celebrate great inventors and their ideas that have made our lives easier. From our automatic coffee pots to the engines in our cars to the smartphone technology at our fingertips, our daily lives are enriched by the spirit of innovation.

As our "Smarter Pest Control" tagline implies, scientific innovation is at the heart of what we do here at RESCUE! -- going back to our founding in 1982. In a prior blog series, we chronicled the early years of our company, which began with an idea for a reusable fly trap.

In the decades since, we've grown to include a top-notch R&D Department, an industrial designer, and a team of engineers to create new products that solve the most pressing insect control problems. 

We think they've come up with some pretty remarkable inventions over the years:

• A disposable bag trap for flies (and one for yellowjackets), where the attractant stays contained and the packaging IS the product.
• A trap with a double-chamber design that lures yellowjackets in and keeps them trapped.
• VisiLure®: A method of attracting insects to a sticky trap with colors and patterns they find appealing.
• “Glue dot technology” on our Spider Trap that allows more arachnids to be apprehended.
• A wearable, long-lasting spatial repellent for mosquitoes/biting flies/ticks and yellowjackets/wasps/hornets – removing the need to spray or apply lotion to your skin.
• The W·H·Y Trap for Wasps, Hornets & Yellowjackets: A single design with three attractants to trap 19 different species of stinging insects.

What is YOUR favorite invention that you can't live without?