Celebrate a Pest-Free Fourth of July

crawling insects

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!

Springing Into Pest Season

spring pest

Spring is the time to take to the great outdoors in search of new adventures and activities. From ballgames to camping to an early season trip to the beach, spring recharges everyone’s batteries and sense of adventure.

For pests, spring is also an adventurous time to explore new things, including your home or place of business. Have you ever watched a colony of ants form a trail along a sidewalk searching for food? It is simply fascinating unless that trail is headed to your back door or patio!

Griffin Pest Solutions knows a thing or two about spring pests and has come up with the following tips to keep adventurous insects from making your home part of their itinerary.

Ants – Ants can be found both indoors and outdoors, and are more than just a nuisance to your backyard picnic. Ants will move into your home’s kitchen, bathroom or bedrooms or attempt to take over a restaurant kitchen as they aggressively forage for food. They can spoil food and spread harmful bacteria.

Griffin Pest Solutions’ Prevention Tip:

Clean up spilled food and liquids, and eliminate excess moisture sources. Seal up cracks and openings around your foundation, and keep landscape plants and vegetation trimmed. Rinse out recycled cans and bottles.

Flies – Spring brings all sorts of flying objects including baseballs, golf balls and flies! Flies are not only a nuisance but they are major league spreaders of harmful bacteria.

Flies feed on garbage, organic matter and filth and when they are done feasting on yesterday’s dinner they will fly off and land on your outdoor patio table or kitchen counter. House and fruit flies are two of the most commonly encountered flying pests and good sanitation practices are the key to grounding them.

Griffin Pest Solutions’ Prevention Tip:

Place garbage in sealed containers and empty the container frequently. Keep food in sealed containers, and repair torn window and door screens. In commercial kitchens eliminate excessive moisture and clean drains on a monthly basis.

Stinging Insects – Stinging insects can make their presence felt in the spring as the temperatures rise and they look to establish nesting sites. It is important to respect the stinging power these pests possess as they buzz around your garden or backyard patio. Like flies, stinging insects are attracted to food so keep your backyard buffet covered in sealed dishes and clean up food spills and garbage.

Griffin Pest Solutions’ Prevention Tip:

If you spot of nest in and around your home, call Griffin Pest Solutions immediately. Attempting to remove the nest yourself can be dangerous to you, your family, and neighbors.

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/.

April is National Pest Management Month

pest identification

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/

Letting the Honey Bees Just Be

honey bee on blossom

Certain species of stinging insects, like honey bees and bumble bees, are very beneficial to Michigan’s environment since they pollinate crops and flowers. The flowering plants and crops provide food to bees and bees help with plant reproduction. It is a pretty good relationship for both parties.

About the Honey Bees

Honey bees naturally nest in tree cavities or other suitable sites, and forage in forests and fields where flowering plants are abundant. However, as cities continue to grow and land is used increasingly for agriculture or other purposes, bees’ natural habitats are dwindling.
Habitat destruction is a possible reason for the recent decline in both native bee species and honey bees. The search for suitable nesting sites becomes more difficult and interactions with people increase as honey bees seek out nesting sites in homes or other human occupied structures.
Concerns over loss of habitat and pollinator health, as well as the confusion over which stinging insects pose a threat and which deliver the environmental benefits we mentioned earlier, have been well-documented in the media.

The honey bee is one of the “good guys” and Griffin Pest Solutions knows and respects that. We work closely with local beekeepers to protect bee colonies unless they pose a threat to the public. Griffin only uses products specifically labeled for stinging insects and applies them with great care to prevent bees and other pollinators from being harmed.

Recently one of our service technicians encountered a swarm of honey bees resting in a tree and after assessing the situation he spoke to the property owner. We helped the customer rope off the area to prevent anyone from getting too close, after a few restful hours, nature was able to take it’s course with the honey bees moving along.

What can you do?

But how do you know what stinging insects are friends and which ones are possible foes?
Aggressive stinging insects, such as wasps (i.e. yellowjackets) and hornets are often easily mistaken for “bees.” Knowing the difference between various stinging insects can help people avoid getting stung and know when it’s necessary to have a nest or hive removed.
If you have any doubt on whether or not a stinging insect is harmful, to please give Griffin Pest Solutions us a call. We will come out and make a proper identification and, if necessary, provide treatment recommendations.

We also strongly encourage homeowners not to try to move or destroy a stinging insect nest on their own – this could cause serious harm to you and your family – and leave that task to a trained professional.
If you have questions or concerns about stinging insects call or e-mail Griffin Pest Solutions at 888/547-4334 or callcenter@https://www.griffinpest.com/ for more information and a free estimate.

And, for additional information on honey bees and other pollinators, check out http://www.pollinatorhealth.org/

Bee Safety Tips

Bee safety tips – how you can take the buzz out of stinging insects

According to the National Pest Management Association, stinging insects send more than 500,000 people to the emergency room each year. Stinging insects including yellow jackets, carpenter bees, hornets and wasps call a variety of locations in and around a structure home including trees and bushes, building corners and overhangs, gutters, garbage cans, and under patios and decks.  What can you do to stay safe?  Read on, our bee safety tips can help you & your pets stay safe this summer.

It is also a known fact that certain species of stinging insects, like the honey and bumblebee, are very beneficial to our environment as they pollinate crops and flowers. But how do you know what stinging insect is a friend and which is a foe?

Yes, we know that bees are aren’t the only insect that can sting you, that’s why proper identification of the specie is the first step to determining if they are a threat or not. Stinging insects that pose a threat to humans include the bald-faced hornet, wasps and yellowjackets.

Yellowjackets are the most troublesome stinging insect pest in Michigan and the one Griffin Pest Solutions receives the most calls on. Their top billing on the annoyance chart comes from their close proximity to where people live and play.

Yellowjackets nest in and around homes because they are attracted to many of the foods we enjoy eating outdoors. Depending on the specie present they will build nests in wall voids, attics, crawlspaces and other enclosed cavities while other species will build nests underground.

A yellowjacket nest yellowjacket nest will have a paper Mache-like appearance that is made of wood mixed the insect’s saliva. Their main food source is other insects but they will aggressively forage for foods that are high in sugar content and that are often found on your picnic table or in garbage cans including beer, soda and fruit.

The carpenter bee, another commonly encountered stinging insect, presents a two-headed threat as it will sting if disturbed but also will bore into wood decks and sidings to construct their nests and in the process weaken the structural integrity of the wood.

Griffin Pest Solutions Three Tips for Avoiding Harmful Stinging Insects include:

  • Identify It Correctly – There are many kinds of beneficial flies that closely resemble wasps, and there are many kinds of “solitary” wasps, such as sand wasps, which also look exactly the same as yellow jackets but that pose a much lower risk. Griffin will make a proper identification before recommending a treatment option.
  • Take Away the Source of the Infestation – Removing a stinging insect’s source of food and shelter is the first step toward preventing and eliminating these pests. Cleaning up food and grease spills in outdoor patios and cooking areas (especially around the grill), using tight fitting lids on garbage and recycling containers, and emptying them on a regular basis, and covering food in sealed containers.
  • Use Exclusion Techniques – Seal exterior cracks and crevices to prevent stinging insects from entering your home and building nests. Make sure window, door and ventilation opening screens are not torn or missing.

Griffin Pest Solutions recommends that if you have any doubt on whether or not a stinging insect or any pest is harmful, to please give us a call. We also strongly encourage homeowners not to try to move or destroy a stinging insect nests on their own – this could cause serious harm to you and your family – and leave the task to a trained professional.

If you have questions or concerns about ants in and around your home call or e-mail Griffin Pest Solutions at 888/547-4334 or callcenter@https://www.griffinpest.com/ for more information and a free estimate.

You can learn more about bee safety tips and prevention by visiting the Centers for Disease Control’s http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2010-117/

Mosquito Tips To Protect Your Family

Don’t let Mosquitoes ruin your summer fun

Summer in Michigan means a trip to the ballgame, casting a fishing line in your favorite lake or hitting the beach for a day in the sun. Unfortunately, is also means dealing with annoying mosquitoes that want to spoil the fun and draw their next blood meal from you.  Read on for some mosquito tips that are sure to save the day, err summer.

What’s the mosquito forecast look like?

A recent report ranked Grand Rapids/Kalamazoo/Battle Creek as the nation’s 12th most mosquito infested city in the United States.

While swatting away mosquitoes is an inconvenience, these flying nuisances can pose serious health threats to both humans and animals. Michigan has more than 50 different species of mosquitoes buzzing around the state and they can spread West Nile virus, eastern equine encephalitis, chikungunya virus, and dog heartworm to name a few.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2014, 47 states and the District of Columbia reported West Nile virus infections in people, birds, or mosquitoes. In those states there were a total of 2,122 cases of West Nile virus disease in people, including 85 deaths. The most recent data for Michigan (from 2013) showed there were 34 reported cases and 2 deaths linked to West Nile virus that year.

Here’s some of the CDC’s recommended Mosquito Tips

Guarding your family from these annoying and potentially harmful pests starts with some basic personal protection steps including:

• Using insect repellent containing DEET or eucalyptus oil.
• Using citronella candles on the patio.
• Since mosquitoes are not good flyers, installing a ceiling or box fan to literally blow mosquitoes away from your deck or patio.
• Wearing long sleeve shirts and pants.

How can you prevent mosquitoes from becoming a nuisance in the first place? The key is eliminating standing water on your property because water is prime real estate for mosquitoes. Standing water can gather due to over irrigation, broken sprinkler heads, clogged gutters, ornamental ponds, swimming pools, bird baths, trash cans and flower pots.

Adult mosquitoes usually take blood from birds but from unsuspecting humans as well. It is the female mosquito you really have to watch out for as she is active from dusk to dawn in search of a tasty blood meal.

To prevent mosquitoes from invading your backyard this summer Griffin Pest Solutions offers its

Seven Tips To Protect Your Family From Mosquitoes:

1. If possible, drill drainage holes, cover, or invert any container or object that holds standing water that must remain outdoors (i.e. flower planters, sand boxes, etc.). Be sure to check for containers or trash in places that may be hard to see, such as under bushes or buildings.
2. Clean clogged rain gutters and storm drains. Keep outdoor drains flowing freely and clear of leaves, vegetation, and other debris.
3. Aerate ornamental ponds to avoid letting water stagnate.
4. Change water in birdbaths and fountains at least once per week.
5. Ensure rain and/or irrigation water does not stand in plant containers, trash cans, boats, or other containers.
6. Regularly chlorinate swimming pools and keep pumps and filters operating.
7. Minimize locations when mosquitoes can nest by thinning branches, trimming and pruning ornamental shrubs and bushes, and keeping grass mowed short.

You can find more mosquito tips from the Centers for Disease Control at http://www.cdc.gov/westnile/prevention/  also, the National Pest Management Association has mosquito tips available at http://www.pestworld.org/multimedia-center/pest-tv/educational/mosquito-prevention-around-the-home/

If you have questions or concerns about mosquitoes around your home call or e-mail Griffin Pest Solutions at 888/547-4334 or callcenter@https://www.griffinpest.com/ for more information and a free estimate.