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 “an effective and environmentally sensitive approach to pest management that relies on a combination of common sense practices.”

Griffin is proud to be an industry leader in the application of IPM best practices. We believe that pest control isn’t just about solving the immediate problem; it’s about understanding why that problem happened in the first place and making sure it can’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 “integrated” when 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 pest 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 they’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 they’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. They’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 they’re sure pests won’t fill in to replace the ones we’re getting rid of, they’ll deal with the pests that are already inside.

While a technician may decide some pesticides are necessary at this point, we’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, they’ll re-assess their plan, find out what they missed, and solve the problem. At this point, they’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 don’t have to worry about your pest problem again.
If you’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 you’ve got a pest problem, give us a call today! Deal with your pest problems permanently with Griffin. You won’t be disappointed.

Michigan’s Most Wanted

A "No Invasive Pests" logo

Pests serve important roles in maintaining nature’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 don’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 “Michigan’s Most Wanted,” and we’re putting the bounty out: here’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 Michigan’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  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. They’re a shiny black with white spots on their bodies and white bands on their antennae. While the pest isn’t in Michigan, they’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 tree’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 you’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. Michigan’s currently engaged in all-out war against the Emerald Ash Borer, so if you see one, let someone know!

Invasive pests aren’t just a problem for your house or yard; they’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. Detroit’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. Here’s what rats need, and how Detroit gives it to them:

Food

Most rats rarely wander further than their “home range” 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 rat’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 there’s a dumpster nearby. Chances are, their nest isn’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, rat’s fur isn’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 can’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 home’s garbage in a sealed container and keep it off the ground. Take your garbage out frequently, and make sure the dumpster you’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. Don’t leave food out on the kitchen counter, especially not fruits or breads. Don’t leave snacks out after you’re finished with them, and don’t leave dishes in the kitchen sink.

Water

Once you’ve dealt with the food sources, look for places where rats could be getting water. Make sure you don’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 aren’t leaking either.

Finally, look for moisture. Make sure you’re always running your bathroom fan when bathing. Dry and put away dishes as soon as the dishwasher’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 don’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 doesn’t create any likely paths to your roof. While you’re at it, try putting screens over your chimney and plumbing vent.

 

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