If you know of anyone living in Elmwood or Bingham townships, the Suttons Bay, Lake Leelanau or Cedar areas or in northwestern Grand Traverse County who could use some help this coming winter in dealing with snow removal, please pass along our name and number.  We are specifically interested in helping the elderly on fixed incomes, disabled folks or families with mom or dad serving abroad in our military.  We are able to help clean off roofs as well as driveway snow removal.  We have a couple of slots available in our route for each truck and would love any suggestions on folks needing some help.

This service would be provided at no cost to those in need.  We understand the need for the local community to support the local residents.  As part of that community, we would love to do our part.  So, please spread our name around and remember the criteria……..fixed income senior citizens……..disabled folks unable to physically do the work themselves also on fixed or limited incomes and any families with mom and/or dad actively serving in our military.  Thank you for your help in helping us give back to our community members.

What a great day for an art fair.  I had the great privilege of being able to take Becky, my wife, out to Glen Arbor today to see all the happenings at the Glen Lake Woman’s Club Art Fair.  Becky was able to meet several of our customers that she has spoke with over the phone for years but never had the chance to meet in person.  What an awesome thing to be able to do.

The Art Fair is responsible for over $10,000 in local scholarship donations to graduating seniors each year.  Becky and I would like to personally thank all the wonderful ladies for their incredibly hard work and sacrifice to make this happen.  Our hats off to you all.

I know, I know…..who in the world wants to talk about snow when we are in the midst of some fantastic weather?  I’m sorry.  Really, I am.  But we are all very aware that “ole man winter” waits for no one and the season will be upon us before we can blink.

If you are a commercial account, an association with a private road, a church or even a private home owner and would like a quote, please give us a shout.  The quicker we can get you a quote, the quicker you can lock in at a great rate.  The closer we get to snowfall, and the higher the gas prices could potentially climb, the steeper the number will be.  We look forward to hearing from you soon.  This post applies to folks living in the eastern half of Leelanau County and the north western corner of Grand Traverse County.  If you’re not sure, give us a call anyway and we’ll find out if you’re in our coverage area or not.  Thanks in advance for the opportunity to serve your snow removal needs.

Planning an outdoor graduation, birthday, reunion or other type of party?  Don’t forget to give us a call a few days before so we can come by and knock the mosquito population down to an acceptable size.  For a very reasonable fee, we can treat your outdoor area a few days before the party and by the time your guests arrive, the mosquito population will be under control and the party will be much more enjoyable.  Please give us a call for a free estimate.  Immediate service available.

As a consumer, you want to make sure you’re getting your monies worth when you purchase a product or a service, right?  I know I do.  Pest control falls into this category.  Whether you’re hiring someone who calls themselves an exterminator, a pest control technician or a bug guy, part of the responsibility of making sure you get your monies worth falls in your lap.  Yes, the company you hire has an ethical and legal obligation to follow through on their end, but you also have a responsibility in making sure they’re doing what they said, how they said.

One of the key factors in getting prices from competing companies is keeping in mind that each company has a vast array of products to choose from when treating your particular pest problem.  They also have different guarantees, different application techniques, and different billing procedures.  All of these play a part in determining the final price you will pay for their service.  And this is where you, as the consumer, has to be willing to ask a few extra questions and force your contractor to get down to the brass tacks of what they’re doing and what they’re using to do it.  Probably the most important question is “what is the material you are using and how are you applying it?”  This is important because your contractor can choose from one chemical that costs under $20/quart or another that costs over $100/qt.  They both apply the same, mix the same, have the same dilution rate and yet, their cost is drastically different.  If you were to inquire, or better yet, ask for a label to read, you would find that the $100/qt material has a residual that is almost 3 times longer than the less expensive type and also has a much more effective initial knockdown of the pests.  These two factors will make a huge difference in the outcome of the job that is done for you.  The problem is this.  If you simply choose a contractor based on price, you will do as the old saying says……”get what you paid for”.  The price might be cheaper with one company due to them using a much less expensive product, thereby cutting down on their operating costs but in the end, you may end up needing 2 or 3 applications to have the same effectiveness of the company that was a little higher priced but using a superior product.  This would result in one of two things.  Either you would spend half the season feeling like you wasted your money, or you would be spending more money trying to get the control you hear others talk about.

So, in a nut shell………..if consumers will take the time to do just a little research with regard to pest control, ask the company they are consulting a couple of key questions, and then follow up by asking the technician to explain the material and application technique in detail when they arrive or at least over the phone, they will be able to properly compare companies and make a very educated and quality decision as to who to hire.

As a contractor, it’s very frustrating to lose a job over $10 or $20 when I know the material I’m using, along with our guarantee, is going to far exceed expectations and provide the consumer with the result that they are looking for.  Our motto is this………..”any schmuck can sell a consumer something once……but only a quality company and product can sell that same customer something again and again and again”.  Please, for the benefit of all quality contractors out there, do a little detective work and make sure you’re comparing Apples to Apples when picking who will have the privilege of working for you.  Thank you.

Here is a link to help our consumers in Michigan find out if the company they are currently using or considering, is licensed in the proper categories to legally work in the State of Michigan.  Please check it out before letting anyone apply pesticides of any kind on your property.  If they are licensed in the state, then you also know that they’re insured properly as well.  The State of Michigan will not issue a license to a firm that does not present proof of current insurance coverage with required limits.

http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mda/2011rptWebAlphaByCounty_342646_7.pdf

Please take a look at the old red Chevy pickup in our pictures.  We purchased this truck in 2006 to start our pest control operation.  It is a 1993 and had 226,000 miles on it the day I bought it.  Paid $2800 cash money for it.  Five years later, it will soon roll over 300,000 miles and will generate it’s final season of revenue this year.  We’ll keep it and drive it till it drops but the days of hauling equipment around are coming to an end.  This has been a great truck for us and owes us nothing.  Please bid her farewell if you should see her cruising by this summer in Leelanau, Grand Traverse or the surrounding areas.  She’s killed a lot of bugs in her day, both with the front grille and with the equipment in the back…………it will be a sad day when the decals are removed but there awaits a beautiful red Super Duty with a new plow to take her place…..just have to buy it that’s all………

Please go to the following link to view and get a feel for the newly enacted rodenticide regulations.  These new standards include both professional technicians and homeowners as well as retail sellers of the product.  This will help answer some questions going forward as to why you will no longer see some of the mouse control products that used to be availabe and be required to purchase other things that you didn’t in the past.  Please check it out.  Thank you.

http://www.epa.gov/oppsrrd1/reregistration/rodenticides/finalriskdecision.htm

We will be entering the 3rd year in a typical 3-5 year span for the Eastern Tent Caterpillar and the Forest Tent Caterpillar.  Experts are saying that this season, although still pretty heavy, should be much less than last year.  They’re pretty certain that last season was the peak season for both.

If you have struggled with these in the past and would like to see about keeping their numbers to a minimum around your property this year, we can probably help.  However, time is not on our side.  If you wait until you begin to see the defoliation of the trees or until they’re all over your house, it is really too late to be of much help.  They need to be stopped at the nest and so the service needs to be completed long before you start seeing any damage or movement.  Give us a call and we’ll see what we can do.  Our consultations are always free.

If you have exterior rodent stations around the foundation of your structure and you haven’t had them filled in a while, they’re probably empty.  Give us a call and we can come and top them off, thereby staying ahead of the explosive mouse populations that occur in the spring.  Whether you live in Leelanau, Grand Traverse or Benzie counties or whether we put the stations there or someone else, we can help.