General Pest Archives | Page 7 of 10 | Griffin Pest Solutions - Pest Control and Exterminator Services

Celebrate a Pest-Free Fourth of July

Can your Fourth of July be Pest-Free? Your Fourth of July agenda usually includes picnics, cookouts, fireworks and good times with family and friends. It can also include an “explosion” of unwanted pests that want to spoil your good times.

When people gather for their holiday celebrations it is given there will be abundance of food and beverages available. However, your guests aren’t the only ones angling to fill up their plates! Pests are drawn to the sweet, sugary desserts, fruit and soft drinks that are a staple of holiday functions, as well as the greasy leftovers that can be found on grills, serving trays and garbage cans filled with post-party trash.

Griffin Pest Solutions wants you, your family and friends to have a safe, enjoyable Fourth of July and offers the following tips to keep annoying pests from spoiling your holiday fun.

Flies – Flies are a common interloper to almost any backyard cookout or picnic. Keep these filthy insects from spoiling your picnic by covering your food with foil or tight sealing lids or set up the buffet inside a screened in porch or tent. Also, remember to clean up food and beverage spills since they are a major attractant to flies.
Ants – Like flies, ants are drawn to food, and food spills and leftovers. Ants thrive on sweet, sugary substances like spilled soft drinks. Cleaning up spilled food and drinks, and rinsing out cans and bottles before they go into the recycle bin or garbage can will deny ants their sought after prize.
Stinging Insects – Nothing can ruin a party like getting stung by a bee or yellow jacket. Griffin Pest Solutions recommends homeowners inspect their property before the party for any signs of nests in trees or under awnings and the eaves of your home. Also, cover food and beverage cans/bottled since many stinging insects are attracted to sugary substances and no one wants to swallow a bee that flew into your beverage!
Mosquitoes – These nuisance pests are regular holiday party crashers and eliminating standing water and keeping vegetation trimmed in your yard are ways to prevent mosquitoes from nesting. Using insect repellent or yard sprays containing DEET or eucalyptus oil, lighting citronella candles or turning on a ceiling or box fan to literally blow mosquitoes away from your deck or patio (mosquitoes are not good flyers) are ways to toss these uninvited guests out.

If you have a problem with or questions about spring pests call or e-mail Griffin Pest Solutions at 888/547-4334 or callcenter@https://www.griffinpest.com/

Have a happy and safe, pest-free, Fourth of July!

Spring Cleaning for Pests

Termite identification in Kalamazoo - Griffin Pest Solutions

A recent industry report revealed that rodents and bed bug pressure continues to rise and that could spell trouble for midwest homeowners. According to the pest management industry research firm Specialty Consultants, 55 percent of pest management professionals expect rodent services to increase in the coming year and mice were far and away the # 1 rodent pest management professionals treated for in consumers’ homes. The study also reported that U.S. pest control companies completed 815,000 bed bugs jobs in 2015 and those jobs has an estimated value of $573 million – an increase of $100 million over the previous year. If that trend continues experts predict the industry could generate $1 billion in service revenue from bed bugs in five years.

What does this mean to you the homeowner? It means that a pro-active approach to pest management is necessary and remembering it is easier, less stressful and will cost you less to keep pests out of your home than trying to remove them once they get inside. To keep bed bugs and mice out of your home and prevent undesirable, springtime pests such as ants, termites, mice and fruit flies from invading your living space, Griffin Pest Solutions says de-cluttering and sprucing up your home during your annual spring is well worth the effort. Springtime pests can quickly become headaches, especially when it comes to unappetizing food from ant infestations in the kitchen, mice in the house and costly property damage from termites. That’s why it’s worth taking the extra precautions necessary for spring pest prevention.

Griffin Pest Solutions offers the following Eight Great Spring Pest-Proofing tips with homeowners to keep unwanted pests on the outside looking in!

1. When de-cluttering and storing items, use durable, sealed containers that pests can’t easily infest or chew through instead of cardboard boxes or plastic bags.
2. Remove all of the items from cabinets and pantry. Go through them and discard stale spices and other dated items such as flour and grains. These baking ingredients attract pantry pests, including several types of beetles, Indian meal moths and ants.
3. Immediately wipe up any crumbs or spills from countertops, tables, floors and shelves.
4. If you keep fresh fruit on the counter, check it often for signs of over-ripening or decay, which can attract fruit flies.
5. Run the garbage disposal regularly.
6. Don’t let dirty dishes pile up and stand in the sink.
7. Don’t leave pet food and water bowls sit out for long periods of time.
8. Take notice of any built up moisture and eliminate these sites, including leaking pipes and clogged drains.

If you have a problem with or questions about spring pests call or e-mail Griffin Pest Solutions at 888/547-4334 or callcenter@https://www.griffinpest.com/.

Pest Allergies Are Nothing to Sneeze At

During the month-long recognition of National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America has drawn attention to the fact that spring allergies are not only the result blooming plants, fresh cut grass and pollen in the air.

Allergies caused by indoor pests

Many allergies are the result of household pests such as cockroaches and rodents that are known to trigger asthma and allergy symptoms, especially in children.

In a study conducted jointly by the National Pest Management Association and Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, nearly nine out of 10 allergists surveyed believe a pest-free home is an important first step in preventing asthma and allergy symptoms.

The survey also revealed that 76% of allergists surveyed indicate that aside from dust mites, that cockroaches are the most problematic pest for patients suffering from asthma and allergies.

Homeowners know that cockroaches can contaminate and spoil food but may wonder how these pests can cause asthma and allergy problems. The answer to that is that the allergens cockroaches leave behind inside a home linger in the air or settle in house dust.

The allergens become airborne when the air is stirred up by movement like children playing or running through the house, during home renovation projects or even dusting furniture.

Determining if a person with persistent asthma is allergic to cockroaches can only be made by a skin test performed by a health care professional. They will scratch or prick the skin with cockroach extract and if redness, an itchy rash or swelling appear then it is likely the person is allergic to cockroaches.

How do homeowners protect themselves from pest-related asthma and allergies? Griffin Pest Solutions recommends attacking the source of the problem itself – the cockroach.

Griffin Pest Solutions has years of experience preventing and eliminating cockroaches from inside customer’s homes and has put together the following checklist to your home cockroach (and allergy) free:

Griffin Pest Solutions Cockroach Prevention Checklist

 Keep kitchen counters, sinks, tables, floors, cabinets and pantries clean and free of clutter.

 Clean dishes, crumbs and spills right away – cockroaches love grease and waste.

 Store food in airtight containers where cockroaches cannot access it.

 Seal cracks or openings around home foundations and inside cabinets.

 Eliminate excess moisture build up (i.e. a leaky faucet).

 Inspect packages, school backpacks or laundry bins for signs of cockroaches (and other pests). Don’t be afraid to give items a good shake!

 Keep the landscape plants next to your house trimmed and don’t use too much mulch as it provides an ideal harborage for cockroaches.

If you have a problem with or questions about cockroaches or pest-related allergies call or e-mail Griffin Pest Solutions at 888/547-4334 or callcenter@https://www.griffinpest.com/.

allergies cockroaches dust mites

April is National Pest Management Month

Celebrate National Pest Management Month With Eight Great Pest Prevention Tips for Your Home

April is National Pest Management Month and Griffin Pest Solutions is joining fellow pest management professionals across the country in celebrating the valuable role the industry plays in protecting the public’s health, food supply and property from pests.

The dangers and annoyances pests bring to our everyday lives cannot be easily dismissed. The list of potential threats pest pose to property, food and people is very real. For example, did you know?

 Rodents can spoil food with their droppings and urine, and their chewing on electrical wires is a leading cause of house fires.
 Cockroaches contribute to asthma and allergies in children and adults.
 Bed bugs invade hotel rooms, dormitories, office buildings, apartment building and homes.
 Termites literally eat the wood – as much as a cup every two hours – in a structure without you ever hearing or seeing them.

That is why Griffin Pest Solutions’ highly-trained technicians work each and every day to help protect both our commercial and residential customers from these sometimes harmful but always annoying pests.

Spring marks a particularly busy time as pests emerge, looking for sources of food, water and shelter. And, sometimes the simplest home improvements can be all that’s needed to help ward off infestations. To assist homeowners in pest-proofing their home this spring, Griffin Pest Solutions offers the following

Tips:

1. Eliminate sources of standing water around the house, including birdbaths and in clogged gutters to help reduce biting mosquito populations.

2. Seal any cracks on the outside of the home with a silicone-based caulk, including entry points for utilities and pipes.

3. Replace weather-stripping and repair loose mortar around the foundation and windows.

4. Keep tree branches and shrubbery well-trimmed and away from the house. Overhanging branches can act as highways into the home.

5. Repair fascia and rotted roof shingles.

6. Keep mulch at least 15 inches from the foundation.

7. Keep basements, attics, and crawl spaces well ventilated and dry.

8. Store garbage in sealed containers and dispose of it regularly.

If you have a problem with or questions about household pests call or e-mail Griffin Pest Solutions at 888/547-4334 or callcenter@https://www.griffinpest.com/.

For more information on National Pest Management Month, visit http://www.pestworld.org/news-hub/press-releases/april-designated-as-national-pest-management-month/

national pest management month

Home Alone? Not the Case When It Comes To Pests

As much as we don’t want to admit it, pests are as much a part of the fabric of a home as is the furniture or drapes. That’s not to say your home is infested with pesky mice or disease transmitting cockroaches but a recent survey from the Entomological Society of America tells us we are definitely not alone. The study evaluated the biodiversity of arthropods in homes and found that humans share their houses with more than 500 different kinds of arthropods such as insects, spiders, mites, and centipedes.

Matt Bertone, an entomologist at North Carolina State University and a researcher on the study, says homeowners think their homes are sterile environments but that is not always the case. “Our homes host far more biodiversity than most people would expect,” says Bertone. “We share our space with many different species, most of which are benign. The fact that you don’t know they’re there only highlights how little we interact with them.”

Which pests are most likely to be your roommate?

Researchers went room to room in homes collecting living and dead arthropods and found 579 different arthropod morphospecies (animal types that are easily separable by morphological differences) from a total of 304 different families. On average, homes in the study played host to nearly 100 different arthropod species belonging to between 24 and 128 distinct families. What pests topped the charts when it came to infesting homes? According to the study, the five most commonly encountered pests were:

1. Flies
2. Spiders
3. Beetles
4. Ants
5. Book lice

While the number of creeping, crawling and flying pests may look threatening to homeowners, the reality is most of these pests are merely wanderers who inadvertently gained access to your house through an open window or door or brought in with flowers, plants or packages, and don’t constitute a full-blown infestation. Another point researchers wanted to emphasize was most of these unwanted pests are not equipped to live inside and die off fairly quickly. To read the complete report visit http://bit.ly/1ZKpbIa

For pests such as mice, bed bugs or cockroaches that decide your home is a suitable place for an extended stay, the residential pest management experts at Griffin Pest Solutions have proven solutions for giving them the boot once and for all.

If you have questions on pests call or e-mail Griffin Pest Solutions at 888/547-4334 or callcenter@https://www.griffinpest.com/.

pests home property

Invasive Species Reporting – Be a Citizen Scientist

Invasive Species Reporting – Be A Citizen Scientist

When it comes to preventing nuisance and threatening pests from becoming a problem in and around homes and businesses in Michigan, the best defense is a good offense.

The Midwest Invasive Species Information Network (MISIN) is a regional effort to develop and provide an early detection and rapid response resource for invasive species that threaten public health, structures or crops.

Led by researchers from Michigan State University, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and the Michigan Department of Agriculture, the program’s goal is to assist both experts and citizen scientists in the detection and identification of invasive pest species to support successful management strategies.

Whether you are a pest management professional or a citizen scientist with an interest in pests and the environment, MISIN is right up your alley.

To report invasive species you must complete the no-charge registration process on the MISIN website – www.misin.msu.edu or download the MISIN app on your mobile phone.

Once registered you can report invasive species sightings in your area and have the ability to interactively map targeted invasive species occurrences. The MISIN mapping service allows users to navigate the project area and screen digitize species occurrences with the aid of statewide digital imagery.

Contributors can select from various search types including by date, species, geography, project or contributor. Search results will be displayed for both the state of Michigan and across the United States.

Not sure exactly what type of invasive pest you have spotted in your backyard or in the kitchen of your restaurant? Not a problem. The MISIN website offers registered users more than 40 online species identification training modules to help budding pest sleuths properly identify the insect they have encountered.

The invasive species education modules will help you become more comfortable with identifying these species in the field and are recommended before contributing information to the database. Each module, which takes about 15 minutes to complete, includes a short ten question quiz at the end to help you assess your newly acquired knowledge.

Participating in the MISIN program will help prevent and eliminate harmful invasive pest species from threatening residents, crops and structures across Michigan. The information gathered helps the participating agencies identify trouble areas and work with the appropriate experts – including the professional pest management industry – to develop and execute control programs when and where they are needed.

If you have questions on the MISIN program visit www.misin.msu.edu or call or e-mail Griffin Pest Solutions at 888/547-4334 or callcenter@https://www.griffinpest.com/.

invasive species

"*" indicates required fields

First Name*

Last Name*

Email*

Phone*

Street Address*