Stinging Insect Season: Protecting Your Home in Summer

Mud dauber wasp on flowers - prevent stinging insects this summer!

As the warmer months approach, so does the arrival of stinging insects that can disrupt outdoor activities. If you own a home in lower Michigan, upper Indiana, or upper Ohio, you should prepare for stinging insects that might nest and swarm your yard.

Stinging insects can be more than a nuisance. They can also harm your health and threaten your safety. To enjoy your yard without fear of these unwanted visitors, you must take steps to deter them.

Identify the Stinging Insects in Your Area

To keep stinging insects away, start by knowing the kinds of insects in your region. Various types of stinging insects have different behaviors, habitats, and preferences. Here are some brief descriptions of the most common stinging insects in Michigan:

Stinging Insect Prevention

The last thing you want is a horde of bees or wasps inside of your home. Thankfully, prevention doesn’t have to be too time consuming or difficult. To prevent stinging insects from entering your house, follow these quick tips:

  • Fill any holes or cracks in your walls, roof, or foundation.
  • Cut any plants or branches that touch your home.
  • Keep your gutters and downspouts clear and clean.
  • Use mesh or screens to cover any openings or vents.
  • Get rid of any old or unused items they could use for shelter or nesting.
  • Avoid luring stinging insects with food or water.

Call a Professional Exterminator

If stinging insects are bothering you in your yard, contact a professional exterminator who can get rid of them safely and efficiently. Griffin Pest Solutions is a trusted and reliable pest control company that can help you with any stinging insect problem.

Do not let stinging insects ruin your summer fun. Contact Griffin Pest Solutions today for a free quote on their stinging insect control services. Our team of fully licensed pest control technicians has proudly served local homeowners since 1929, and we implement Integrated Pest Management techniques to keep infestations from returning in the future. Whether you’re dealing with an active infestation or you just want peace of mind, we’ve got you covered!

 

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/