Daylight Savings Time – For Bug Collection?
Early yesterday morning we “sprung forward,” losing an hour of our Sunday. While it certainly can throw your weekend off, it is nice to have some extra light in the evenings. But did you know that one of the founders of daylight-saving time was invented by a 19th century entomologist?
According to an article published by the Huffington Post, George Vernon Hudson (1867-1946), a specialist in insect biology (entomology), suggested the idea back in 1895. When he first presented the idea to the Royal Society of New Zealand, he was mocked. Other members of the society deemed the proposal confusing and unnecessary. But attitudes changed, and he lived to see his brainchild adopted by many nations. He was even awarded a special medal to commemorate his time saving plan – which was a law that was eventually passed by United States Government in 1966.
So how did a guy, who spent most of his free time collecting and studying bugs, come up with this idea of daylight-saving time? It all began because Hudson grew frustrated that dusk came so early in summer that it was interfering with his evening bug-collecting rounds — his day job was at the Wellington Post Office. He realized the problem could be solved if the clock were advanced two hours in summer and then shifted back in the winter, when he wasn’t bug-hunting anyway.
To learn how the plan came to fruition, check out the timeline here.
Now, while many of us are not out collecting bugs at dusk, an important reminder that Massey Services would like to share with you is to make sure you adjust your irrigation timers to reflect the time change.
And if you do feel like you’re collecting unwanted bugs around your home (at any time of the day), give us a call and schedule a free inspection with us. We’ll prevent bugs from getting inside by targeting the areas outside where pests live and breed.