Snug as a bug
Cincinnati company offers unique fix for upcoming cicada invasion
Worried about getting bugged by the pending swarm of cicadas this spring as Brood X emerges? A Cincinnati company wants to offer you your personal shelter from the swarm.
Based in Cincinnati’s Linwood neighborhood, Under the Weather is selling a Walkingpod Mesh with Bug-screens that fits over the head and torso. The company, which makes pop-up protective gear, typically sells small, tent-like equipment for camping events.
Unlike its other protective equipment that is sold by popular retailers, Under the Weather is selling the meshed pod only from its website, for $89.99. The new product is a variation of one of its standby personal pods, only instead of see-through plastic screens to keep out the elements, it has fine mesh to keep out the cicadas – and mosquitoes and other bugs.
Rick Pescovitz, the company’s CEO, knows firsthand the nuisance of cicadas. He likened past broods to “hailstorms” of oversized bugs.
“They’re more annoying than anything – they’re noisy and they fly blindly all over the place,” Pescovitz said. “You’re walking along and bang, one runs into your forehead.”
In 2017, Pescovitz’s company won an investment by billionaire Mark Cuban on “Shark Tank,” after successfully pitching his venture that makes foldable plastic pods – singles and doubles – to make watching your kid’s soccer or baseball game more comfortable in cold, damp weather.
Last year, the company was forced to pivot after the COVID-19 pandemic canceled legions of sporting events. It swiftly rebounded, however, after medical, retail and other professionals began using their gear for social distancing.