We looked for interesting people to follow – and not just from the world of Pest Control – but based on a variety of factors; their biographical information, location and tweet content, which are all publicly available. This search process is a manual search process and every person is looked over for appropriate content. A simple program was then used to enable a follow of the people manually selected. This has now been stopped.

In retrospect, it feels as though we may have been a bit clumsy.  Twitter really is a new way for us of communicating with people and we are bound to make mistakes along the way. While some of the feedback has been painful, it also feels valid and we have learnt from it.  We will stop following anyone who wishes us to.  Just let us know.

Once more, we want to apologise to anyone who feels it has affected them. We have learned the hard way and will be working hard to get it right.

I thought it might be helpful to explain how we arrived at the numbers and where things went so wrong.

We had tested our new Entotherm technology on a bus and various buildings during the last three years of its development. So, when asked for a worst case scenario situation, we based our hypothesis on:

• A bus, or anything else, being left by itself in an isolated place
• With no external factors to affect the mortality rate (so the population would be left unchecked)
• Then we assumed that there is a perfect male to female ratio that allows optimal breeding numbers
• That the environment would be controlled to a constant temperature, with no extremes
• Finally, there would be a plentiful food supply to support the numbers of insects

On the above totally theoretical basis it’s possible that very high numbers of cockroaches and bed bugs/fleas could survive, although it’s clearly a worst case scenario.

Now, obviously real life is not a hypothetical model. There are loads of contributing factors that would affect any insect infestation. For example regular cleaning, people unwittingly stepping on insects and, as in real life, there is not a perfect male to female ratio! All of which means that, in our experience, it is very rare to find heavily infested buses, trains or other forms of transport in the UK. Standards will vary around the world but UK standards are very high.

The point of the story was about a new process we launched – and are very excited about – to combat bed bugs and cockroaches.

We’re really sorry that the numbers that appeared in the media were wrong and misleading and we’ve put in place a number of measures to ensure it doesn’t happen again.

If you are interested, the original press release can be viewed here.

• Why are Rentokil following me?
• Crikey!
• I am confused
• What have I said to deserve a follow from @rentokil?
• Is that a hint?
• Is it because I mentioned a rat/mouse/pet cat catching mice
• Oh and their friends laughing and retweeting their response saying “maybe its because you’re a pest”  seems to be quite common too

Yes, we have started to increase our online presence even more by focussing on our twitter account to gradually increase numbers. @rentokil is a significant part of our social media strategy for 2010 under the direction of our social media partner Wonderful and actually our social media policy will be finalised soon too. (Watch this space for a link.)

What amuses me is the number of people who are genuinely surprised when @rentokil follows them. Phase One of our twitter campaign was to find pest control related people to follow. Tick, complete.

Phase Two is to move outside of the field of pest control and find experts in other fields including social media, websites, PR, facilities management, I.T., etc. and others who are not experts but who just seem to enjoy using Twitter (there are still quite a few of us that do – despite the 109 million hits on Google which state Twitter is dead!)

We have had a few nice messages, but also a few rude ones – which personally I think is a little bit unnecessary. I know it’s not the same, but if say the @bbcnews started following you, or @nikesportswear, @hmv_getcloser or @WHSmithcouk would you automatically think:

• What have I done that is newsworthy?
• But I’m a couch potato
• I never buy CDs – I only listen to the radio
• No stationery required for me right now thank you very much

So why think a pest control company are following you because of pest control if you haven’t mentioned any pest control in your tweets? If your recent stream of tweets is interesting and your bio confirms this, it’s a follow – be flattered not worried.

The beauty of Twitter is that you get to meet all kinds of people online, and not all of them with something in common with you. And that’s why you need to start talking to people, a bit like when you go to a party and know no-one but the host. Remember that thing called mingling? Try it, you might like it!

I made hot cereal on the stove for my children for breakfast one morning.  We were in a rush (as usual) to get to school and work, so I left the pot with the last bits of cereal on the stove thinking I would wash it later. Little did I know….

When I returned home later that day, I went to wash the pot, only to find numerous signs of mice, e.g. droppings (bleuch) and little mouse mouth marks all over the remaining cereal (double bleuch).  Upon closer inspection, it looked like our mouse had a Cream of Wheat party and had left droppings all over my stove and counter (triple bleuch).  So out came the bleach, the hot water, antibacterial cleaner, and I got to work.

This clean-up project continued on and off for several hours, interrupted by kids needing help with homework, etc.  I had cleaned the first four of the six burners on our stove but hadn’t gotten to the last 2 yet when my teenage daughter came down to offer her help cleaning up the last 2 burners.

We were standing side by side when she lifted the teapot off the rear burner.  That’s when the screaming began!!  That’s also when the teapot was immediately dropped, and we both ran to the other side of the kitchen hugging each other (yes, I know, I’ve worked in pest control for 20 years – I should know better!).  We stood there for a moment, not knowing what to do – our innocent little teapot had been hiding this rodent since we’d arrived home that day.  I had been cleaning literally within inches of it the whole afternoon and evening!

Once sense got a hold of me, I made a quick call to the technician, and he arrived in no time at all.  What was most amazing was that the mouse stayed under the teapot until he arrvied.  Not sure if he was as scared as we were or if it was the Cream of Wheat that was keeping him there…

Danusia: Start off by telling us a bit about yourself. What do you do? How did you get into it?

David Spears: I am a zoologist [B.Sc. (Hons.) London 1970], who has specialised in filming and photographing small, difficult but interesting organisms. After doing Neurobiology research post grad at the Brain Research Group at the Open University, I took a job with London Scientific Films and worked on some of the early Attenborough programmes, as well as medical and veterinary ones. I started an independent company in 1985 making educational programmes, as well as continuing to supply macro and micro sequences to the broadcasters. In 2000, I closed down Science Pictures to concentrate on imaging for outside clients, ceasing the independent programme production, much to my relief.

DJ: You photograph insects for scientific purposes. What does that entail? How does it differ from “regular” macro photography of insects?

DS: My main aim in filming or photographing any organism, not just insects, is to display their essential features in an interesting, informative and revealing way; some artistic composition and lighting does come into it. Scientific photographic records, which I do occasionally, have to reveal the important features that enable identification. This usually involves a dorsal, lateral and ventral view; I like portraits!  I also use a scanning electron microscope (SEM) which gives fabulous detail, deep depth of field, but monochrome images. We colour these in a lifelike way, often from reference macro photographs.

DJ: How in-depth does your knowledge of entomology have to be to photograph insects?

DS: I happen to be reasonably good at entomology, being a zoologist, but it isn’t really necessary to have an in-depth knowledge of insects to be able to photograph them. What is necessary is to be able to prepare and light and photograph them

DJ: Do you go out in the field to find subjects at random, or are you commissioned to photograph certain things?

DS: I almost never shoot on spec. Commissioned work is my mainstay.

DJ: Do the skills involved in photographing insects translate to your other subjects? How (or how not)?

DS: Yes, the preparation techniques, the composition and imaging techniques are broadly similar, whether I’m using macro, Light microscopy or SEM.

DJ: What equipment do you regularly use in the studio? In the field?

DS: I rarely shoot anything in the field except fungi. Everything else is brought into the lab/ studio.  There I use my SEM with its preparation equipment such as Critical Point Dryer, Sputter coater and stereo microscope. For macro work I have a Nikon D80 digital SLR, which works with a set of Nikon macro and micro lenses and a Zeiss Tessovar.  It also fits on my Nikon Diaphot (inverted) and Nikon Optiphot light microscopes.  HD Video cameras are hired in as needed and fit the lenses and microscopes using special adapters. Tripods and stands are important and need to be strong and rigid. I use special heat filtered lights for video and stills as well as time-lapse.

DJ: What equipment would you recommend for insect photography beginners?

DS: A digital SLR with a good  non-zoom macro lens with rigid extension tubes are essential as is a good tripod. I recommend  a Nikon DSLR and the Micro Nikkor 55mm lens which is incredibly sharp compared to newer designs. Flash lighting using a pair of small guns on adjustable arms are  good and beat ring flashes hands down.

DJ: Which bugs should beginners practice on?

DS: Butterflies, crickets, flies, spiders in webs, mantids if you are abroad.

DJ: Are there any ethical concerns you come across when photographing insects, especially rare ones? Does the lighting ever bother them?

DS: Rare insects should be released back to where they were found. Fleas are better squashed!!  If the lighting does stress the animal it is wrong and heat filters must be used. This problem rarely occurs with flash.

DJ: Are some bugs better to shoot or more in demand than others?

DS: All bugs can be made to look interesting; either beautiful like the butterflies and moths or ugly like crane fly maggots. Commercial demand  seems to be focussed on pests and disease vectors such as Anopheles mosquito, etc.

DJ: What is the most unusual bug you’ve been able to photograph?

DS: The Bilharzia life cycle is hard to beat for the variety of habitats the parasite passes through during its life.

DJ: Lots of bugs give people the jitters. How do you handle that, or do you only shoot “cute” bugs (if there is such a thing)?

DS: No, people are fascinated by the pictures. Only rarely do we find a negative reaction. Though I admit my least favourite bug is the cockroach.

DJ: What is the holy grail of insect photography – that one shot that everyone wants and almost no one gets?

DS: Video of a mosquito landing to feed on human skin.

DJ: What advice would you give someone considering taking up macro insect photography?

DS: Get in close, light properly and compose portraits like Karsh.

DJ: What is your top tip for getting the shot? What is your most obscure tip?

DS: Get familiar with you subject, the pose is important. Try not to look down on your insect; you don’t do it to your friends, so don’t do it to your bug!!

All images are reproduced courtesy of David Spears © Clouds Hill Imaging Ltd. /CORBIS

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