A 60-Foot Pest and Insect Graffiti Mural

Pest Management Systems Inc., is always looking to give back to the Greensboro, N.C., community it serves, and this year owner Billy Tesh decided to transform his mid-town building with a graffiti mural painted by Brian “Jeks” Lewis, one of the most highly sought-after East Coast street artists.

Tesh said, “I am all about expression in every form — that’s how we do our work. We express our professionalism when we get rid of people’s pests. We had this big, ugly wall here for years, and we said, ‘How can we express the reality of what we do and how we do it every day?’ We are so excited to reveal the final masterpiece. Greensboro, get ready for a hyper-realistic look at some very cool insects and wildlife.”

The 60-foot mural on the west side of the brick building at 424 Prescott Street contains images of insects and wildlife including: honeybees, yellowjackets, ants, termites, a bat, a raccoon, a butterfly and a praying mantis. As Tesh explained, “Some of these insects are pests one day and beneficial the next. Everything has a relative need to Mother Nature and we know the importance of that balance between what we do and what those insects do in a positive light as it relates to Mother Nature.”

Greensboro drivers and pedestrians are probably familiar with the work of Lewis. If they have driven down Battleground Avenue, they have probably seen more than one of his pieces. He is the artist behind the comic book heroes and action stars adorning the outside walls of Red Cinemas and all the exterior work done at the Pig Pounder Brewery just up the street from the theater. And Lewis has created murals for high-profile companies and individuals throughout the country. He was previously commissioned to paint at the Pabst Blue Ribbon headquarters in Los Angeles, the Optimo Cigars corporate offices, a stunning piece featuring Atlanta-based Outkast and many others.

Tesh added, “I just like doing unique things and if it feels good, we are going to do it as a company — that’s it. The purpose is just to turn something not-so-nice into something cool, unique and relative to what we do as a company.”