The Big Blue Bug | Rhode Island Icon

We’ve all seen it off RT 95… I’m talking about the Big Blue Bug in Providence. It’s a giant blue termite on the roof of a pest control company, but to us rRhode Islanders, it much more than that.

Filmed/Edited by Jason Allard

My website: www.UncomSenseMedia.com
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Drone: DJI Mini 2 Fly More Combo
Main Camera: DJI Osmo Pocket
Editing: Final Cut Pro X w/ custom plugins

Music by:
J. Waters | https://rb.gy/b5nypg
King EF | https://rb.gy/jx6r9x
Elevated Productions | https://rb.gy/768e90
ezy | https://rb.gy/o8k7vy

This termite is actually quite the celebrity. You may have seen him appear in the Rhode Island documentary Dumber and Dumber when our boys Harry and Lloyd leave the state, or Dumber and Dumber To which I honestly only watched so I could find that clip. He’s even in an episode of Family Guy. It’s a big deal whenever something Rhode Island is on TV so show some respect to our bug, okay?

You can’t drive through Providence without seeing him on the side of route 95 - he’s literally 10 feet away from the road. Lemme say it again, ICONIC. New York WISHES the statue of liberty was this bug.

So why is this this here in the first place? In 1980 New England Pest Control moved to a new building, and leadership decided to honor one of their biggest revenue streams, the termite.
Constructed of steel and covered with fiberglass, the Big Blue Bug is an exact replica of an Eastern Subterranean Termite, also known as Reticulitermes flavipes. Fact check me on that one, nerds. This bad boy is 58 feet long, 9 feet tall and weighs 4,000 pounds.
The Bug was originally painted purple, the color of a live termite swarmer under a microscope, but the sunlight faded it to blue. At this point it became well known as the "Big Blue Bug”, so they decided to keep it blue.
That’s cool, but does it have a name? NIBBLES. NIBBLES WOODAWAY. What else could it be? In 1990, they held a contest to give the Big Blue Bug an official name. Geraldine Perry of Tiverton, Rhode Island, submitted the winning name - shout out to Geraldine.

As if he wasn’t cool enough, Nibbles even dresses up in costumes for different holidays and celebrations. The biggest costume each year is Rudolph for Christmas. The Bug is wrapped in Christmas lights and wears antlers and a blinking red nose.


My point is, the Big Blue Bug holds a special place in my heart as a Rhode Islander. Nibbles is a part of our pop culture, skyline, and community here, and I’m glad I get to see him every time I drive through Providence. He’s not just a big blue bug, he’s OUR big blue bug.

So, let’s all raise an awful awful to our boy Nibbles, the guardian of route 95, and my favorite bug in the world.

To see more interesting Rhode Island icons like this and learn about their history, you can check out the rest of my videos, on my channel right now.
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Urban Exploration
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Urbex
Drone Video
Abandoned Places near me
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Видео The Big Blue Bug | Rhode Island Icon канала Jason Allard