Taking apis

Give a man a fly to aim at and he’ll concentrate on the job in hand, so to speak. He will be less likely to let his mind and his sense of direction wander.

Apis pot - Urinals at Changi Airport, Terminal 3, Singapore
Apis pot, the new urinals at Changi Airport, Terminal 3, Singapore with a bee etched into the porcelain.

At Changi airport in Singapore the urinals in the new airport terminal all have flies etched into the porcelain as do the urinals at Schipol airport in Holland and at John F Kennedy airport in New York, USA.

Simple put these are aiming targets. It is widely reported that since the flies were etched into the airport urinals, spillage has decreased significantly and they have been touted as a simple and inexpensive way to reduce cleaning costs.

While the urinal flies etched into the porcelain urinals at  Changi , Schiphol and John F Kennedy airports have proved inspirational, the idea of giving men something to aim is far older.

Apis potVictorians often enjoyed a bee design at the bottom of a chamber pot, and on the back wall of urinals and toilets.  The bee served two purposes, a target and  a Latin-themed play-on-words.  Apis in latin means bee.

Victorian gentlemen were classically schooled in Latin and would have got the joke that this was “apis” pot.   This Latin-themed play-on-words is almost certainly lost on 21st-century men!

For a period in recognition of this Latin-themed-pun, Waterland Toilet Hire used an ”apis” image for the Toilets to Let favicon image associated with the URLs: toiletstolet.co.uk and toiletstolet.com.  We have now reverted to the Waterland Toilet Hire logo.

Toilets to Let  supply a range of mobile luxury portable toilets and loos that are perfect for weddings, garden parties, birthday parties, marquee events, charity events, corporate events, shoots, sporting events and local or country shows.  We can cater from the small to the large event.

Our range of mobile luxury portable toilets are fully self contained, they simply require one plug for electricity supply to power the hot water, lights and pumps. The toilets come fully stocked with toilet roll, hand towels, luxury hand lotions and even TV’s with integrated media, so you can promote your business and products even in the toilets.

We are based in East Yorkshire and service the whole of Yorkshire. If you are having an event within a 30 mile radius of Beverley we offer free delivery. We service Hull and all the surrounding areas: Cottingham, Willerby, Anlaby, Kirk Ella, Hessle, Swanland, North Ferriby, Melton, Welton, North Cave, South Cave, Howden.

We at Waterland Event Hire look forward to supporting you at your next event.  To contact us please click on the Contact Us tab or the Get a Quote link.

Giles Waterland
Waterland Toilet Hire is part of Waterland Event Hire and provide Luxury Loos for hire, Portable Toilet hire, Septic Tank Waste Removal and Refrigerated Trailers and Freezer trailers for Corporate Event Hire, Private Parties, Weddings and Emergencies  in Yorkshire and the surrounding area.  We are based in North Cave, Nr. Hull, East Yorkshire.