By Tim Binnall
Hoping to test new methods for eradicating cockroaches, a North Carolina exterminator is offering $2,000 to any homeowner who is willing to let them release 100 of the reviled insects in their residence. The very weird proposal reportedly comes courtesy of the Raleigh-based company The Pest Informer, which announced the strange 'deal' on their website. Noting that "as technology advances, we're always looking for the newest and greatest ways to get rid of pests," the exterminator explained they are seeking test sites to try out these potential techniques and they are willing to pay a rather sizeable sum to anyone brave enough to participate.
The company says that they are seeking 5-7 homeowners who will let them release 100 American cockroaches in their residence in exchange for a $2,000 payment. Once the bugs are running amok in the houses, The Pest Informer plans to "test out a specific pest control technique" which they hope will eliminate the unsettling insects. In addition to allowing the company to film the process as it unfolds, participants are also forbidden from trying to get rid of the cockroaches themselves "during the duration of the study," which is expected to last approximately 30 days. If, at the end of the month, the bugs have not been eradicated, The Pest Informer says that they will finish the job using "traditional cockroach treatment options."
According to company founder David Floyd, they have already received over 2,200 applicants who are willing to turn their home into a test site and they intend to continue accepting submissions for the next six weeks. At the end of July, like some kind of insect-centric competition, The Pest Informer staff will pore over the prospective participants and decide who makes the proverbial cockroach cut. Although the company is reticent to reveal the precise techniques they intend to test during the odd experiment, Floyd indicated that they are looking to try various methods "designed to be more DIY treatments with materials and ingredients that someone can purchase themselves."