Groundhogs are known by several different names.  They are also called woodchucks or whistle pigs, and are considered endangered and are a protected species in Wisconsin.  Oddly enough, they seem to be multiplying in New York, New Jersey and just about every other area across the United States.

Groundhogs are one of the greatest challenges for homeowners this time of year, especially if you are trying to grow a vegetable garden.  Gardeners become quite annoyed because groundhogs can easily eat up to two pounds of vegetation each day.  They too enjoy the bountiful treats of nature as they feast on gardens and landscaping.  It only takes one night for one groundhog to mow down an average size backyard garden.  People  often try using electric fences, regular fences, bricks, hair, urine, and rotten egg juice to keep groundhog away; but these pesky creatures still seem to find their way into gardens.  Once a groundhog has moved on to your property, it is nearly impossible to get rid of them without the help from a pest control specialist.

Because of their constant burrowing and excavating skills, groundhogs have been known to cause considerable damage to foundations and they can even undermine the structure of swimming pools or other structures.  Although not always the case, groundhogs can be the carrier of the rabies virus as well as the hepatitis virus.

If you have groundhogs making a mess of your landscaping in New York or New Jersey, contact Stern Environmental Group today.  We provide humane expert groundhog removal service to our customers in Secaucus, New Jersey, the Greater New York City Metro and Connecticut Regions.  Don’t let groundhogs damage your expensive landscaping.  Take advantage of our 24 hour emergency groundhog removal services today.

Groundhogs are adorably cute when you look at them from your kitchen window.  The trouble comes when they decide to set up their humble abode on your property.  Groundhogs spend their mornings and evenings feasting on almost two pounds of delicious vegetation each day.  Nice landscaping will not stand a chance against a groundhog invasion.  In a short while, they can nibble your plants to the ground.  Groundhogs are also carriers of rabies in New York, New Jersey and other parts of the US, so you need to be careful not to approach them.

Just recently, one Minnesota county was so fed up with the damage the groundhogs were causing to property owners, and their over population status, that they came up with an interesting and somewhat morbid solution to the problem.  This particular county put a bounty on the groundhogs head…well, actually their feet.  County residents were paid $2 for every two pair of groundhog feet that were turned into a local agency on one particular day.  Hunters spent the entire spring killing off groundhogs and collecting their feet to get ready for the big pay-off from the county.  I can’t even imagine bringing in a big sack of groundhog feet!  Yuck!

It just seems so much easier, and much more humane, to contact a licensed pest control expert who is trained in the removal of groundhogs instead.  If you have groundhogs tearing up your yard or garden and munching away at your landscaping, contact Stern Environmental Group today!  Our trained operators will humanely remove troublesome groundhogs from your property fast!

Continuing from Thursday…

Not only is Josimar Ferreira accused of operating a Massachusetts extermination company without being certified, but it has been reported that he has also allegedly maintained pest control companies in New Jersey and New York as well.  Both New Jersey and New York have cited Ferreira for operating an unlicensed pesticide business.  It makes you wonder how he is able to obtain toxic pesticides, without being properly licensed.  Clearly there was a breakdown…in three states!

Stern Environmental Group has been providing expert bed bug and pest control services in New Jersey and New York for over ten years.  We pride ourselves on providing our customers with the safest pesticide application available, and offer a wide variety of services and products to meet many different types of needs.  We offer professional services to both residential and business customers alike.  Whether you are looking for help with bed bugs, rats, mice, squirrels, raccoons, groundhogs, ants, spiders, cockroaches, or bee control, Stern Environmental Group’s licensed pest control applicators are here to lend a helping hand!

Groundhog burrows are typically the focus area regarding groundhog control and not trees! A typical groundhog burrow has a main entrance and one emergency escape entrance. Their burrow is used for hibernating during the winter and for mating and raising their babies. Some groundhogs also known as woodchucks, also have a summer burrow. The summer burrow is typically situated in the middle of a grassy area. The burrow where the critters live in the winter and spring is often located in a nearby brushy or wooded area.

There are several groundhog control solutions residents of New York City and New Jersey and elsewhere can use:

1. Use repellent smells or tastes.
2. Use motion detection devices to scare them away.
3. Live-trapping the critters as they leave their burrows and relocate them to another area.

Also, to reduce the possibility that groundhogs will make a home on your property eliminate tall grass areas, tall weed areas and brush piles since they may not live near your garden If there isn’t good cover.

Quality groundhog removal services are available for New York City and New Jersey.

Continuing from Thursday…

Public services must do their job by providing proper maintenance of buildings and provide good urban planning.  Older buildings that are dilapidated or abandoned should be demolished because they provide a safe haven and a perfect breeding ground for unwanted rodents.  Aging sewage systems and underground utility systems need to be maintained so that rat populations are not allowed to breed excessively, return to the surface for food, and then escape to the underground for cover again.  Overgrown vegetated areas are also prime breeding grounds for rodents and these areas also need to be maintained.

Citizens cannot rely on the government alone for protection from unwanted rodents.  They too must join in the battle to keep population numbers down.  Simple steps like sealing any holes that rodents can gain entrance to homes and properly containing trash in rodent proof containers, with lids, are a must.

Because of the dangers associated with rodent removal, it is not a good idea to handle rodents, their feces, or urine yourself.  Rodent infestations should be left to a professional.  Stern Environmental Group provides expert rodent removal service to Secaucus, New Jersey, the Greater New York City Metro and Connecticut Regions.  Give us a call today!

Cities across America, especially well populated and older ones, are facing a difficult task when it comes to rodent pest control and eradication.  Many governments are suffering financially and are having trouble paying for rodent infestation services so populations continue to be on the rise.  Rodents are known for carrying horrible diseases, gnawing on wiring and causing fires, invading restaurants and stores and contaminating food sources, and damaging structures.  Rodents also multiply quickly and have been known to bite both adults and children.

In 2007 and 2009, a study was done by d-Con that ranked which United States cities were at risk of having serious rodent problems.  In both studies, New York City was the number one contender because of its dense population, size, and age.  Definitely not surprising (ask anyone walking the streets late at night), but not good news either!  The government and citizens alike must join together to help keep the rodent populations down on the streets of New York.

Please check back on Tuesday for the conclusion.

The Board of Health has voted to require New York City restaurants to display the letter grade they received for their sanitary inspections. The new measure is supposed to inform the consumers about food safety at the restaurant.

The theory is that restaurants will try harder to keep their restaurants clean in order to achieve the A rating. Not too many customers want to have a plate of spaghetti at a restaurant that received a D- grade. The customers they do get would probably demand a deep discount and prompt service. Oh my.

The grade is based on the number of violations that were documented during the sanitary inspection. Every establishment will have to place a placard at the point of entry, probably a door and not a vent, which shows the grade.

However, the restaurants that receive A grades will be inspected less often than those receiving lower grades. Hmmm, hopefully unsanitary restaurants won’t just work hard to pass an inspection and then let the rats run wild! Oh my.

Hopefully the plan will be successful. A similar plan improved the sanitary conditions in Los Angeles restaurants.

New York City residents should be glad to know that they don’t need to look in back alleys or near trash bins any longer to see the rat population explosion.  The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene is making rat locating much easier with their new Rat Indexing Project.

The goal of the new project is to find out where rats are congregating so that they can be properly dealt with in the City.  Department of Health inspectors will go from property to property with cool hand held computers and grade suspected rat activity.  Each property will receive a grade of zero to three; three being the worst grade.  Under the new system, property owners could be notified if their property fails the rat inspection and landlords are encouraged to take care of their rat problems on their own.  The Department of Health will be calling in pest control professionals for vacant lots that have rat infestation problems.  The inspectors are looking for rat burrowing, gnaw marks, rub marks along walls, droppings, and any live or dead rats.

All of the information that is collected will be uploaded onto a Google map.  You can access the information via the Department of Health & Mental Hygiene’s, Rat Information Portal.

If you are dealing with your own rat infestation nightmare, contact a licensed pest control specialist today.  Stern Environmental Group provides fast service to Secaucus, New Jersey, the Greater New York City Metro and Connecticut Regions.

A Walgreens located in Chicago was closed by the mayor’s Dumpster Task Force due to having 570 mouse droppings on the floors and shelves that contained snack foods and candy. Sounds like a good idea. Inquiring minds in New York City and New Jersey want to know if the store would have been shut down if they found 338 mouse droppings.

If a prominent company like Walgreens has 570 mouse droppings in a particular store perhaps other prominent stores have a large collection of mouse droppings. The phrase mouse droppings is not as repulsive as other phrases which could have been selected.

Inquiring minds in New York City and New Jersey and perhaps all over the nation want to know if the 570 mousse droppings count has been verified by an independent source. Well, perhaps not.

Just 20 mouse droppings would be enough to inspire the shouting of yuck! Why didn’t the employees notice the accumulation of mouse droppings when it got to 200 hundred?

Now that winter has officially set in, many homeowners are experiencing the arrival of guests they were not expecting.  No, not Aunt Sally…instead mice, rats, squirrels, and other home invaders are using the warmth of homes to seek shelter from the bitter cold.  According to the National Pest Management Association, an estimated 21 million homes in the United States will experience a rodent invasion of some sort this winter.

If you have not already prepared your home for winter invaders, here are a few things you should do…

Trim any branches and shrubbery away from your home or roof so that rodents do not have easy access to your home.  Firewood is a favorite nesting spot for many creatures, so you should keep it at least 20 feet from your house and elevate it several feet off the ground.  Seal any holes or cracks on the outside of your home to keep would-be invaders out.  If you suspect that you might have a rodent invasion, inspect electrical wires and look for gnaw marks and rodent droppings.

If you are one of the unlucky folks who have been invaded by pests, it is always wise to contact a licensed pest control specialist to take care of the infestation as soon as possible.  Rats and mice carry diseases in their urine and feces that are dangerous when ingested or breathed in by humans.

Stern Environmental Group provides fast quality rodent extermination service to Secaucus, New Jersey, the Greater New York City Metro and Connecticut Regions.