What is Integrated Pest Management?

Hand holding house icon made of moss over green grass field

During every job, Griffin implements a customized procedure in accordance with Integrated Pest Management (IPM). IPM is โ€œan effective and environmentally sensitive approach to pest management that relies on a combination of common sense practices.โ€

Griffin is proud to be an industry leader in the application of IPM best practices. We believe that pest control isnโ€™t just about solving the immediate problem; itโ€™s about understanding why that problem happened in the first place and making sure it canโ€™t happen again. This is why we believe IPM is the best way to approach pest control.

 

Bug in a magnifying glass

What It Is

The industry calls pest control โ€œintegratedโ€ whenย it incorporates the whole spectrum of pest control techniques. Other pest control ideas might follow the same strategy no matter the job, IPM companies get to know what you need. Then, they design a strategy around solving your particular problem. We use the best techniques for you; not just the ones we always use.

By discovering the true source of the problem, IPM companies can use more environmentally sensitive approaches. We look for ways to reduce pesticide use. Instead, we solve the problem through less invasive methods like vector control and careful monitoring. Basically, IPM uses expert knowledge, careful monitoring, and a customized approach to ensure the most effective possible pest control without relying on pesticides.

Sealed crack in wall

How It Works

Every IPM job works differently, because we design our pest control approach based on your specific situation. Generally, however, an IPM control strategy breaks down into five broad steps:

Identification

First, the expert identifies what pestย you have, how bad the infestation is, and how it happened. Correct pest identification is absolutely essential for any strategy. The best practices for preventing infestation vary considerably based on the pest you have.

Make an Action Plan

Once theyโ€™ve gathered the essential information they need, your technician will devise a formal plan for their next step. They work with you to agree on exactly what you want to accomplish, how they can accomplish it, and how long it will take.

Should new circumstances arise during our pest treatment, IPM companies return to this step, re-draw a strategy, and re-confirm it with you. Your technician always informs you before they use pesticide, and let you know exactly when and where theyโ€™ll use it.

Prevention Focus

By focusing on how an infestation gets into your home or business in the first place, IPM can address the root of your pest problem, not just its symptoms. It prevent infestations by depriving pests of the three things they look for: food, water, and shelter.

Your technician will inspect and monitor possible problem areas, addressing each possible way your pest could infiltrate your home. Theyโ€™ll make sanitary and maintenance recommendations and even solve minor problems on-site. If they identify larger maintenance problems, your technician can recommend an appropriate course of action. They will also install pest barriers to cover otherwise vulnerable areas and clear clutter which pests could use for shelter.

Control

After the prevention phase, IPM professionals have found how your infestation happened and fixed the problem. Once theyโ€™re sure pests wonโ€™t fill in to replace the ones weโ€™re getting rid of, theyโ€™ll deal with the pests that are already inside.

While a technician may decide some pesticides are necessary at this point, weโ€™ll also use traps, heat and cold treatment, and physical removal methods such as vacuuming. As always, they only use the control techniques that work best for your particular problem.

Monitoring

After IPM experts follow our initial action plan to completion, they assess the results. The technician will revisit what the initial goal was, review every step they took toward completing that goal, analyze how effective each of those steps was, and make a final conclusion about the status of the pest problem.

If at any point IPM pros notice that pests are still finding their way in, theyโ€™ll re-assess their plan, find out what they missed, and solve the problem. At this point, theyโ€™ll also make further recommendations for how you can prevent future infestations by addressing problems and following good storage and maintenance practices.

Why It Works

IPM works because it addresses all the problems that cause pests. Instead of just killing the pests you see now, or just wiping out a nest nearby, IPM learns how and why pests target your home.

Through a combination of expertise, science, and diligence, IPM practices manage to be both safer and more effective. Chemical treatments may solve your immediate problem quickly, but IPM techniques will ensure you donโ€™t have to worry about your pest problem again.
If youโ€™d like to know more about how Griffin incorporates IPM into our process, check out our GreenPro certification, our official customer guarantee, and our service package breakdown. If youโ€™ve got a pest problem,ย give us a call today! Deal with your pest problems permanently with Griffin. You wonโ€™t be disappointed.

Griffin Takes the Pay Equality Pledge

The Problem

Today is Equal Pay Day, but unfortunately, many of us donโ€™t have much to celebrate. According to the American Association of University Women (AAUW)โ€™s Spring 2017 report The Simple Truth about the Gender Pay Gap, women still make only 80% of what men are paid for equivalent positions in the US. For women of color, the wage gap is even worse.

Embarrassingly, the pace at which the wage gap is closing has actually slowed. At the rate our country is currently progressing, women wonโ€™t have pay equity with men until 2152.

What Weโ€™re Doing

Griffin Pest believes that is unacceptable. In honor of Equal Pay Day and the professional women weโ€™re proud to call employees, Griffin has decided to participate in Glassdoorโ€™s Equal Pay Pledge. By taking the pledge and writing this blog, Griffin formally commits to doing everything we can to create fair and equitable pay practices for the women in our employ.

By doing our part to end the gender wage gap, Griffin believes we are creating a more united, betterย workforce. Our commitment to treating all of our employees with respect and fairness reflects our commitment to treating you with the same respect and fairness. By joining the many other companies taking the Equal Pay Pledge, Griffin wants to demonstrate our commitment to equality and excellence in all aspects of our profession.

What You Can Do

If youโ€™d like to do your part for equal pay for men and women, you can learn more about the wage gap from sources like the AAUW and the National Partnership for Women & Families and take the Equal Pay Pledge yourself. Then, encourage your workplace, friends, and family to do the same!

Once youโ€™ve joined us, tweet with us using the #StandforEqualPay hashtag to voice your support. Together, we can make pay equality a reality.

Michiganโ€™s Most Wanted

A "No Invasive Pests" logo

Pests serve important roles in maintaining natureโ€™s balance, but only in their proper place. When human tampering alters nature, pests thrive more than they naturally would. Every role in an ecosystem is interconnected, so when one element thrives too much, it throws everything off.

One of the worst consequences of ecological disruption are invasive pests. Pests are invasive when they donโ€™t naturally occur in the environment they inhabit. When these species enter an ecosystem, they can significantly throw off its balance.

According to the Michigan Invasive Species Information Network (MISIN), Michigan is at risk from 18 species of invasive insect. The four covered here pose the greatest threat to our environment. We consider them โ€œMichiganโ€™s Most Wanted,โ€ and weโ€™re putting the bounty out: hereโ€™s what you should know about these four desperados, and how you can help stop them.

The Brown Marmorated Stink Bug

Brown Marmorated Stink Bug

The stink bug is a mottled-brown, shield-shaped bug that superficially resembles a small beetle. Adults grow to .5 to .75 inches long. Look for white bands on the legs and antennae, and black-and-white patterning along the abdomen. Stink bug nymphs tend to be orange or reddish. These pests typically live near their food sources: fruit trees, vegetable crops, and ornamental plants. Come winter, stink bugs attempt to move to sheltered areas such as houses.

According to Michigan.gov, the brown marmorated stink bug can adversely affect fruit, nut, and legume crop yields. They also damage ornamental plants. When stink bugs feel threatened, they release a foul odor. This odor also emanates from their bodies after death. Their smell and constant presence can make stink bugs an annoying pest to have around your house.

wooly adelgid on a pine tree

Balsam and Hemlock Woolly Adelgids

Balsam and Hemlock Woolly Adelgids are two different species in the Adelgidae family and Adelges genus of insects. Of the two species, only the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid has been positively identified in Michigan, but both species are on Michiganโ€™s invasive species watchlist. Adelgids are small, pill-like bugs. As they grow they produce a distinctive wool-like wax filament covering. Look for woolly pilling on the branches or bark of trees.

Balsam and Hemlock Woolly Adelgids feed on the sap of balsam fir and hemlock trees. As an Adelgid feeds, they secrete a salivary substance into the tree. This substance stimulates unhealthy growth ย that weakens the tree. Vulnerable trees may die as a result of Adelgid feeding and also become more vulnerable to weather and other pest damage.

Asian longhorned beetle

Asian Longhorned Beetle

The Asian Longhorned Beetle is one of the few pests considered so dangerous that possessing it in Michigan is illegal. The beetle is typically .75 to 1 inch long. Theyโ€™re a shiny black with white spots on their bodies and white bands on their antennae. While the pest isnโ€™t in Michigan, theyโ€™re established in NYC, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Ohio, so they may be headed this way.

Adult females dig holes into maple bark and bury eggs inside them. When the eggs hatch, the larvae feed on the inside of the tree, creating tunnels in the process. Mature larvae can penetrate the treeโ€™s heartwood, substantially compromising its sturdiness. There are more than a billion maple trees in Michigan, and all of them would be at risk should Asian Longhorned Beetles invade our state. If you suspect youโ€™ve identified a Longhorned Beetle, contact the MISIN immediately!.

Emerald Ash Borer

Emerald Ash Borer

Like the Longhorned Asian Beetle, Michigan prohibits the Emerald Ash Borer. Unlike the beetle, the Ash Borer is already established here. The Emerald Ash Borer gets its name from its bright, metallic green coloration. Adult Ash Borers are about half an inch long. Ash Borer larvae are cream-colored and resemble fat worms.

Ash Borers have killed tens of millions of ash trees in Michigan. The insect feeds on ash tree foliage and lay eggs in its bark. Larvae squirm under the bark to feed, creating S-shaped tunnels under the surface. The holes produced damage Ash tree structure, depriving them of nutrients. Michiganโ€™s currently engaged in all-out war against the Emerald Ash Borer, so if you see one, let someone know!

Invasive pests arenโ€™t just a problem for your house or yard; theyโ€™re a problem for the whole state! If you suspect you might have an invasive species infestation near your home, let the MISIN know and then give us a call. Together, we can protect the beautiful nature of Michigan!

The Rats of Detroit and How to Stop Them

A recently conducted study found that Detroit is the Ninth most rat infested city in the US. Detroitโ€™s rat population is on the rise.

Why are rat populations in Detroit becoming such a problem? Is there anything we can do to keep the population down, or least keep the rats out of our homes? Griffin wants to answer these questions, so you know where your rats might be coming from and what you can do about it.

A brown rat on a quiet city street, close up

Why Do Rats Love Detroit?

Like most pests, rats have simple needs and want to fulfill those needs as easily as possible. They flock to the parts of the world where the things they need are abundant, easily found, and as risk-free to pursue as possible. Cities like Detroit meet these criteria exceptionally well. Hereโ€™s what rats need, and how Detroit gives it to them:

Food

Most rats rarely wander further than their โ€œhome rangeโ€ of 50 to 150 feet in any direction from the nest. Rats have poor eyesight, and prefer to know the environments they live in well to limit risk of predation or starvation.

A ratโ€™s environment has to ensure that they can get enough food to survive while staying close to home. Cities solve this problem. High population densities create a lot of trash, which rats can use to feed themselves without ever leaving the nest. The next time you see a rat, check to see if thereโ€™s a dumpster nearby. Chances are, their nest isnโ€™t far off.

Water

Just like pretty much everything else, rats need water to survive. Rats have to find a way to get a sustainable source of water close to their homes. It also has to be safe and relatively consistent, since rats are vulnerable while they drink. Cities solve this problem too.

Not only is there always a surplus of free water for rats somewhere, that water is often safe to linger around. Adult brown rats require only an ounce of water daily. Leaking pipes, broken valves, or condensation are more than enough to sustain them. Cities provide more chances to find water sources that can be accessed safely than any other environment would.

Shelter

The other thing all rats need to survive is warmth. When Winter comes, ratโ€™s fur isnโ€™t enough to protect them from freezing. They have to seek shelter in warm enclosures.

Cities provide for this need better than anywhere else, too. Old buildings, buildings that have fallen into disrepair, abandoned buildings, and unstaffed warehouses are all perfect places for rats to wait out the winter. They have all they can eat while they wait! The nooks and crannies of cities provide more safe shelter than anywhere else, and rats take advantage.

large grey rat peeking out of overturned cookie basket

Keeping Them Out

Know that you know why rats are coming into your city, you can apply that knowledge to keeping them out. Rats go to places where they can easily get what they need. If you want to keep them away, you have to make sure they canโ€™t.

Food

The most important way you can avoid attracting rats is by depriving them of food sources. Use tightly sealed, thick garbage bags to store and transport all your trash. Rinse out empty food containers before disposing of them. Keep your homeโ€™s garbage in a sealed container and keep it off the ground. Take your garbage out frequently, and make sure the dumpster youโ€™re taking it out to is 15 feet or more away from your home.

Clean up your kitchen and dining surface immediately following each meal. Vacuum the rooms you eat in frequently and thoroughly. Make sure you put away groceries in their proper places. Donโ€™t leave food out on the kitchen counter, especially not fruits or breads. Donโ€™t leave snacks out after youโ€™re finished with them, and donโ€™t leave dishes in the kitchen sink.

Water

Once youโ€™ve dealt with the food sources, look for places where rats could be getting water. Make sure you donโ€™t have any leaking faucets, shower heads, or pipes. Invest in a humidifier for humid areas of your home. Look for drafts that could be letting air in. Make sure other water-based appliances like your dishwasher and refrigerator arenโ€™t leaking either.

Finally, look for moisture. Make sure youโ€™re always running your bathroom fan when bathing. Dry and put away dishes as soon as the dishwasherโ€™s done with them. Rinse out bottles and cans before recycling them, even if almost all the liquid in the container is gone. Seal recyclables in bags and take it out frequently.

Shelter

Keeping food and water away will help, but if you really want to keep rats out, you have to make sure they have no way of getting in. Rats can squeeze through openings no larger than the size of a nickel, so donโ€™t assume any cracks or gaps are rat-proof. Seal cracks in your foundation or walls with caulk. Replace worn weatherstripping, screens, and wooden frames. Make sure your windows and doors are properly sized and seated.

One of the most common places rats sneak in is around utility lines entering the building. Inspect that area and seal any gap you find between the lines and the house. Rats can also scurry up surprisingly steep surfaces such as trees to get on top of a house, so make sure your landscaping doesnโ€™t create any likely paths to your roof. While youโ€™re at it, try putting screens over your chimney and plumbing vent.

 

Remember: no matter how bad the rat problem, we can help you. Weโ€™ve been dealing with rats in Detroit and beyond for a long time, and weโ€™re sure we can handle whatever they throw at us.

Simple Ways to Keep Pests Out

cartoon cockroach with "no" sign over it

Getting pests out of your home can be hard. Keeping them out in the first place doesnโ€™t have to be. Most kinds of common household pests get into homes using the same couple tried-and-true infiltration tactics. It’s easy to pest-proof your home byย depriving pests of ways they get in, and periodically checking for any new vulnerabilities.

If youโ€™re interested in learning how you can pest-proof your home quickly, easily, and efficiently, start by checking off the items on this list. Following these basic steps will make it hard for even the most tenacious of pests to let themselves in.

 

Air conditioning units

Seal Around Utility Lines

Pests like ants, spiders, cockroaches, earwigs, and rodents use small gaps where your utilities enter your house to sneak in. Look for places where utility lines enter your home. Using caulk, steel wool, or an equivalent sealant, fill in the gap between your house and these utility lines.

Do this outside and inside. If you can see daylight shining through a gap, itโ€™s big enough for a pest to fit through. Seal it up. Donโ€™t worry–you wonโ€™t impair the function of any gas, electrical, or water lines by filling in gaps, but you will keep pests out.

 

Technician installing weatherstripping

Weatherstrip Doors and Windows

Weatherstripping acts as a cover over the natural gaps between the door or window and its seal. This cover prevents drafts and keeps cold out, but it also helps prevent pests.

Check each door and window. If you notice itโ€™s crooked, have trouble closing it, or feel a draft, it may be time to replace the weatherstripping. Pests can chew through worn weatherstripping, so if youโ€™re unsure at all, replace it right away.

 

crack in foundation

Seal Cracks

The number one way pests get into houses is through tiny gaps in the siding, floorboards, foundation, or walls. Mice can fit through any dime-sized opening!

Look for likely places indoors and out where pests may be able to squeeze in. Check low and high especially, as well as in corners or unfinished parts of the house. Look for holes in insulation or cracks in the flooring.

 

trimming branches

Lawn Maintenance

Yards with lawn debris such as loose leaves, fallen sticks and branches, or overgrown shrubs are attractive to a wide variety of common house pests looking for shelter and food. Spiders, roaches, and even rodents can use overgrown ornamental plants to climb onto and into your home.

Rake up leaves in the fall, gather fallen sticks, and trim bushes and shrubbery to eliminate possible sources of shelter and food for unwanted pests. Keep any firewood stored outdoors at least 10 feet away from the house. Trim trees and ornamental plants so that they never directly touch your house.

 

Throwing out trash bags

Take Out the Trash

Leaving trash out, whether itโ€™s in the open or in bags or cans, will attract pests looking for a meal. One of the best things you can do to make your house less appealing to unwelcome guests is to take your trash out every night.

Store your trash bin at least 10 feet away from the house. Rinse out any bottles or cans before you recycle them, too. Recyclables should be taken out with the trash every night.

 

dirty dishes in sink

Donโ€™t Leave Dishes Out

Whether itโ€™s the moisture from the dishwasher or the debris left behind on plates after a meal, pests canโ€™t get enough of it. Food and water on plates attract pests like crazy, especially the sugary water of soft drinks.

Wash, dry, and put away any and all dishes before you go to sleep at night. You could do this right before you take out the garbage and kill two birds (or pests, in this case) with one stone.

 

 

Pests are notoriously crafty, and itโ€™s possible that even theseย pest-proofย methods wonโ€™t always be enough. If you find thatโ€™s the case, give Griffin Pest Control a call. Weโ€™ll find the source of your infestation, deal with the pests, and show you how to prevent it from ever happening again.

Michigan’s Most Pervasive Pest Problems

Weโ€™ve been in the Michigan pest control business for a long time, so weโ€™ve seen aย lotย of pests. Some more than others, unfortunately. Michigan has a handful of pests that show up like bad pennies year after year to plague our homes and businesses. If youโ€™ve been here long, chances are you or someone you know has had a run-in with these pesky creatures at some point.

Fortunately, because we deal with โ€œthe usual suspectsโ€ every year, we know quite a bit about their home-infesting MO, and even more about how to counter it. Follow these suggestions and youโ€™ll be able to keep your property pest-freeโ€“not just this year, but for all the years that follow too.

Spiders

Spidersย have adapted to virtually every environment and can be found all over the world. If it seems like Michigan has a particular problem with the eight-legged arachnids, itโ€™s because despite their adaptations, spiders canโ€™t survive freezing cold. When the temperature begins to drop, spiders migrate out of their typical homes in forests, fields, and gardens in order to find shelter. Consequently, most of the spider infestations we treat originate in the Fall or early Winter.

To keep spiders out, start outside. Circle the perimeter of your home a few times. Clear away anything thatโ€™s leaning against the house. If you have a pile of firewood, move it away from your house. Regularly trim your hedges and bushes. Look for avenues of infiltration like gaps in the foundation or near utility lines and seal them. Spiders are attracted to cover near houses, because theyโ€™re good spots to build webs. Once theyโ€™ve found cover, theyโ€™ll start looking ways to get somewhere even better โ€“ inside your home. Donโ€™t give them any opportunities.

Bed Bugs

Bed bugs quickly become a problem for areas with a mobile populace and/or old buildings. They love to hitch rides with travellers. They hide in luggage, bedding, clothes, and anything else they can get into. After their inadvertent host brings them home, they make themselves comfortable and often even lay eggs. These eggs hatch, and then another building has a bed bug infestation.

The best way to prevent a bed bug infestation is to take precautions when traveling. Check in and around your hotel roomโ€™s bed right away. Studies have shown thatย most bed bugs are found within 15 feet of the bed. Keep your luggage off the ground and, if possible, sealed in airtight bags. You should also consider running luggage through your dryer right away when you get home. Heat is the most effective means of killing bed bugs. For a lot more info on stopping bed bugs, check out the officialย Michigan Manual for the Prevention and Control of Bed Bugs.

Termites

Subterraneanย termitesย are highly active across Michiganโ€™s lower peninsula, particularly in Grand Rapids, Ann Arbor, and Detroit. The most common, the Eastern Subterranean Termite, is the most destructive wood pest in the state. These termites live in colonies and feed on dead wood. Subterranean termites carve elaborate tunnel systems underground, which they use to access food sources from below. Termites also require moisture and warmth, so they target places where they can get moisture, warmth, and wood all at once.

Make sure they canโ€™t get these. Termites seek out places where wood touches the ground. Limit access to wood like this. Wrap barriers around the bottom of deck posts. Treat wooden flooring to prevent rotting. Make sure wooden siding is off the ground. Remove excessย celluloseย (wooden) materials like cellulose mulch. The subterranean terrors are looking for moisture, too, so watch for condensation or puddling. Repair leaks immediately. If termite problems persist,ย give us a call quicklyย to spare yourself costly property damage.

Cockroaches

Like spiders,ย cockroachesย are adaptive and can be found almost everywhere. Michigan has five varieties of cockroach: the American, German, Oriental, Brown-Banded, and Wood cockroaches. The German roach is the most annoying, because it wants to get indoors. Cockroaches are common in urban areas where they can find easily-accessible food and shelter. Cockroaches will eat just about anything, so theyโ€™re attracted to trash.

To prevent cockroaches, organize and clean. Organize your home to prevent clutter. Avoid stacking cardboard boxes, donโ€™t keep anything on the floor, and donโ€™t leave food out overnight. Keep a cleaning schedule. Vacuum once a week, wipe surfaces after meals, and watch for dust and grime accumulation. Cockroaches donโ€™t need much to thrive, so you canโ€™t give them anything. After cleaning, pay attention to moist areas and caulk gaps in your foundation or siding. Cockroaches can climb sheer surfaces, so donโ€™t assume anywhere is out of reach!

Following these tips will go a long way toward preventing pest infestations, but the problem with Michiganโ€™s most pervasive pests is their persistence. If you do end up with an infestation, thereโ€™s no need to panic. Justย call Griffin pronto! Weโ€™ve got plenty of practice putting these pushy punks in their place, and weโ€™d be perfectly pleased to pummel your problem, too. It would be our pleasure!