Choose Van Den Berge Pest Control for the Best Results
We offer a variety of pest control services including one-time applications, quarterly or monthly home pest control, and mortgage pest inspections. We’re committed to your satisfaction with a 100% no-risk guarantee —if we can’t solve your pest problem, you’ll get your money back.
When you schedule with us, we provide precise appointment times, valuing your time and ensuring you’re not left waiting. For your peace of mind, all our services are fully insured. Additionally, we offer retail products and free professional advice for those who prefer to tackle pest issues themselves.
Indoor Ant Control
Carpenter Ants
Carpenter Ants are typically black. They vary in size from ¼ inch to ¾ of an inch long. These ants excavate tunnels in wood that resemble the damage of termites. These tunnels are usually hollowed in moist wood, although Carpenter Ants can burrow in dry wood.
They do not use the wood for food as the termite but hollow it out for their home. If you see what appears to be sawdust, it is probably the frass, material that the Carpenter Ants are hollowing out of your joists or studs of your home. If you see black ants with wings ¾ to 1 inch long, you more than likely have an established colony.
Colony maturation happens when winged re-producers are formed, generally taking 3 to 6 years at which time 2,000 to 3,000 ants will be present. Carpenter Ants main diet is other insects and water, although they will also feed on aphid honeydew and nearly anything people eat.
Ant Control Service
We recommend a quarterly service for a minimum of one year. Although, most of our customers continue with quarterly service to keep their pest problems under control. Why? There may be other colonies and or other insects in or around your home that may continue to invade your home. It usually takes up to one year for all the eggs to hatch and all the ants to get into treatment. The colony is usually in inaccessible areas.
During the initial service, we will inspect your home to find the settlement. We will treat your home with a water base material where Carpenter Ants generally like to a nest, a dust material in void spaces, and bait materials where Carpenter Ants were. The water base material has a three-month residue and will help control most crawling insects spiders and wasps. We will treat any problems with insects that are covered under the service agreement at no additional charge between regularly scheduled services.
Odorous House Ants
Odorous house ants are typically 1/16 to 1/8 inches long and black. The pungent odor they give off when they are crushed is how they get their name. Indoor ant control for this type can be a challenge to eliminate as they often make nests in walls and crevices near areas of moisture like your kitchen, laundry room, bathrooms, basements, and exterior doorways.
Ant Control Service
Because these ants have most likely made a nest or multiple nests in and around your home, it will take time to control this problem. These nests are difficult to find in your home as they live naturally around your house. Therefore, consistent treatment is your best solution. We recommend service every quarter for a minimum of one year. At the initial visit, the technician will ask for your help in identifying the areas you have seen the most activity.
Our ant control treatment includes an application of a water-based solution and use of insecticide dust or ant bait depending on the situation. These materials, while useful, will only last up to three months. By treating quarterly, we are confident the products will remain active to continue to keep them under control. Just remember, ants are naturally occurring pests that live outside and may try to enter your home again in the future. Continued quarterly service is your best prevention. The benefit of a quarterly service is not just the elimination of the odorous house ant problem but the control of most all crawling insects including spiders and wasps as well.
GUARANTEE: Occasionally a problem area needs retreatment before our next scheduled service. If you see more than an occasional ant inside after two weeks of our service, we may need to retreat. We guarantee our work and would be happy to assess if follow up treatment is necessary.
Pavement Ants
Pavement Ants are typically 1/16 to 1/8 of an inch long and brownish black. They are typically found outdoors coming up from under pavement, stones and next to homes/buildings. Although occasionally found in walls, under floors, and in insulation, pavement ants can be a particular nuisance around homes with slab construction. Foragers enter buildings through cracks in the slabs and similar openings. They enter in search of food with greasy and sweeter material.
Ant Control Service
Since most of the colony is in inaccessible areas, it is virtually impossible to eliminate the colonies in, under and around your home/building, although our indoor ant control is effective. We would suggest a quarterly service for a minimum of one (1) year with continued service recommended.
We would treat with a water base material in the problem areas in and out as needed. Also, we would put our ant bait in specific known problem areas. The service will also help control spiders, wasps, and most crawling insects. For commercial buildings, we service monthly for best results. We will treat any problems with ants that are covered under the service agreement at no additional charge between regularly scheduled services.
Bee Removal Services
Carpenter Bees
Carpenter bees look a lot like bumblebees in size and appearance, but that’s where the similarities end. Carpenter bees behave completely different. They make their nests by drilling holes approximately 3/8” round into wood siding, wood decks or the wood trim of homes. If you notice a large, mainly black bee, hovering around your floor or even primarily in the Spring it is most likely a Carpenter bee, and they have made a nest nearby. One positive thing about carpenter bees is that typically they do not sting.
Carpenter Bee Removal
We can treat with a water-based material on all the areas where you see the bees and areas where we know they like to nest. Particular attention will be given to the underside of decks, wood trim and wood eves. We also have insecticide dust or residual aerosol that we will inject into the holes that the bees have already made.
Because Carpenter bees will continue to build their nests for several months starting in the Spring we recommend monthly service to the exterior of your home for April thru September. Not only will the Carpenter bee issue be eliminated but the other pests that come along in the summer months like spiders and wasps will be controlled as well.
Honey Bees
SAVE THE HONEY BEES!
As one of the most beneficial insects on the planet, we do our very best to save a colony of honey bees. Many crops are dependent on pollination from these bees to produce a good crop. We only treat for honey bees if the nest is in a wall void which a beekeeper cannot remove. A beekeeper can only remove a colony if you suddenly see a swarm of bees that seem to be deciding if your home is the right place for their new home.
If you see a swarm of bees please call us ASAP!
We have a list of area beekeepers who will come to your home or business and work to remove the queen and her workers to rehome them to a safe place thereby keeping you safe as well.
Honey Bee Removal
Our treatment plan will typically require two to three applications to eliminate a colony of honey bees because often the colony is well established before you discovered it and there will be several layers to this colony including honey. We will inject a residual powder into the nest entrance which the bees will get into as they come and go. We find this will eventually eliminate the colony. After we’ve removed the colony, you or a contractor should repair or plug the old entrance area; otherwise, a new colony may attempt to use that old nest in the future.
Red Flour Beetle Control
Red Flour Beetles
Red Flour Beetle females deposit about 300-500 bright white sticky eggs on or among food materials, in cracks, in bags, or through the mesh sacks containing food. The female repeats this egg-laying process 2-3 times per day and typically lives 2-3 years. Red Flour Beetle control is vital if you intend on keeping grains and grain products, peas, beans, shelled nuts, dried fruits, pet foods, cereals, bird seed, spices, milk chocolate, drugs, cayenne pepper, or museum specimens.
Flour of high moisture content is the most attractive to red flour beetles. If you see a reddish brown beetle about 1/8-inch long and larvae about 1/8-inch to 1/4-inch long in food areas, it is probably the Red Flour Beetle.
Red Flour Beetle Control
Box Elder Bug Treatment
Stink Bugs, Ladybugs, Box Elder Bugs
Stink bugs, ladybugs, and box elder bugs all live outside in the spring and summer months. Unfortunately, in the fall they often enter homes in an attempt to “winter over” by living in your walls or attic undetected by you. More often, you will see them in early Spring on a warm day. At that point, they are trying to get out of your home.
Sometimes, the best box elder bug control is to let them leave on their own! We don’t treat for these pests at this time and recommend you vacuum them up as you see them and the others will eventually find their way outside.
Box Elder Bugs
Their common name reflects the fact that they are a significant pest of Boxelder trees. Boxelder bugs are primarily a nuisance pest because they enter structures mainly in late fall to winter-over. The over-wintering adults emerge from hibernation when the Boxelder tree buds open, and they fly back to their host trees.
They first feed on the fallen Boxelder seeds and later move to the female Boxelder trees when the seeds form, feeding on the newly developed leaves. We also know Boxelder bugs to feed on seed-bearing Silver Maples trees and fruits of plum and apple trees. In the fall, Boxelder bugs congregate on the south side (sunny side) of rocks, trees, and buildings. After large masses gather, they fly to nearby buildings to hibernate for the winter.
Once inside the Boxelder bug is primarily a nuisance pest. However, their fecal materials may cause red stains, resulting in discoloration on curtains, drapes, clothing, or other resting places. Since Boxelder bugs can cause staining and are also known to bite, the best temporary relief is using a vacuum to remove the pests.
Stink Bugs
You killed a bug and wow did it STINK! Hence the name “stink bug.” The stink bug variety most common in West Michigan is approximately 1-inch long, brown with distinctive markings on the back of its wings.
Ladybugs
In an attempt to decrease the use of pesticides and control aphids from damaging crops, the Asian ladybug was raised and released in 1916 and 1964. Unfortunately, this ladybug likes to live in warm homes in the winter. Although Lady Bugs are among the most beneficial insects because they eat aphids and other insects, they are causing a considerable annoyance inside and outside the homes/buildings; especially in late fall when they try to enter to hibernate over winter.
Stink Bug, Ladybug & Box Elder Bug Control Treatment
The treatment is the same for all three of these pests and has proven to be very useful. Typically in October after our first frost is when these three insects will attempt to enter your home for the winter. A one-time application of our water-based box elder bug control treatment can prevent them from coming in to nest for the winter. We apply our water-based treatment to both the exterior and interior or your home.
Earwig Removal
Earwigs
Earwigs typically winter-over outdoors as adults in protected areas. The females lay eggs and tend to their newly hatched nymphs underground. Earwigs are nocturnal or active at night and hide during the day in moist, dark places. Neither the eggs nor nymphs can withstand long periods of dryness, making earwig control easier. The pests only occasionally invade homes. Earwigs feed on live or dead plants or insects and mainly live outdoors.
Earwig Control
Proper earwig removal involves the ridding of plant debris and objects such as firewood or boards, which hold moisture and harboring sites. A 60-day guarantee with a one-time application will eliminate the problem in and around your home for the season. Call us for full guarantee details. We would treat with a water base material in cracks and crevices in moisture areas on the interior of your home and crack and crevices on the exterior along with perimeter treatment of your home. This service will also help control most all crawling insects.
Flea Removal Service
Fleas
If your legs and child’s legs are covered with little red spots and your pet scratches all the time, you probably need a flea removal service. Fleas are approximately 1/8 inch long brownish black insects.
Females lay 4-8 eggs after each blood meal, laying some 400-500 eggs during their lifetime. The eggs are deposited on hairs of your pet or pets bedding materials. Eggs collected on your pet either fall or are shaken off, and are frequently found in cracks and crevices where the pets sleep or frequent. The eggs usually hatch in 1-12 days.
Larvae have chewing mouthparts and feed on organic debris, but almost all require dried blood to complete development. They do not bite but feed on adult flea fecal blood. Larvae require relatively high humidity (45-95%) and will take 1-2 weeks to several months to become an adult. It is not necessary to have pets in the home to have fleas present. Since fleas can jump about 6 inches vertically, they can easily hitch a ride on shoes, pants, etc.
You can also get fleas from a previous owner of a house that you have purchased. Many vacationers, who may have been unaware of a few adult fleas present, are often greeted and severely attacked by fleas when they return home. This can occur if the home has been vacant of animals and people for as long as 6 months.
Control/Service
Mice Control Services
House Mice
Mice Control
The first step of Van Den Berge’s mice control services is the inspection of entry points and plug openings. Then we place mouse bait in problem areas. For a minor problem, we can usually eliminate the problem with a single service with a 60-day guarantee; call us for full guarantee details.
For a significant problem and if the home is located near farms or fields, we would suggest continued service once every four months for continued control. Commercial buildings we usually service monthly for continued protection. Any problems with our mice control service covered under our service agreement will be no additional charge between regular services.
Mosquito Control Service
Mosquitos
We live in such an amazingly beautiful place with so much to do in such a short season we would never want you to stay indoors for fear of the nasty mosquito or tick bite! Let us help you get the most out of our beautiful West Michigan seasons.
Mosquito facts you may like to know:
- There are over 60 species of mosquitos in Michigan
- Some of these species are 30 million years old, give or take a million!
- Some will lay their eggs on stagnant water, like small ponds and kiddie swimming pools. Others will lay their eggs in dryer areas and hatch out only after heavy rains or flooding. Sometimes eggs can hatch as much as 5 years after being laid!
- As you may well know, mosquitos are capable of carrying some dangerous diseases including West Nile Virus.
- Once an egg hatches they mainly come out at night or in highly shaded areas for a blood meal. That’s us humans.
Proper Mosquito Control
It’s a beautiful thing now that we can treat for mosquitos and ticks! Newer products on the market have made our mosquito control service an effective solution to a growing problem. The treatment for both is the same. Using a fogger, we will treat your landscaping and around the perimeter of your mowed lawn. If you have areas of standing water, we will address those as well to help prevent mosquitos from hatching out. There are some things you can do to help reduce your mosquitos and ticks. Cutting back overgrown shrubbery and keeping your lawn cut short can help as can reduce the areas of standing water you may have. For the best results, we recommend treating monthly from May through September as the product will last approximately one month.
SPECIAL EVENTS
Yes, we can help make your next backyard party, graduation open house, family reunion, or any outdoor event more enjoyable with a one-time application done before your event. Call us for details.
Indian Meal Moth Treatment
Indian Meal Moths
- bird seed
- powdered milk
- pet food
- crackers
- cereals
- flour, cake mixes
- candy, nuts, chocolate
- dried flowers, fruits and grains
Indian Meal Moth Treatment
Roach Control Companies
Cockroaches
Cockroaches have been present on earth for over 300 million years. There are approximately 3,500 species worldwide, and if we had a nuclear war, the cockroach would survive, as they are radiation proof.
The most common cockroach located in Michigan is the German Roach. If you see a brown beetle about 5/8ths of an inch long and ¼ of an inch wide, with two dark stripes on its head, and in the bathroom or kitchen – it’s probably the German Roach.
Cockroaches usually live in protected cracks and crevices, which provide a warm and humid environment, and generally come out at night to feed. Roaches are typically brought in to a home/building from a grocery store, party store, mailed package, and or a visitor that has a roach problem. Adult females will usually produce 4 to 8 egg capsules in their lifetime, and each capsule contains 20 to 50 nymphs (baby roaches). As you can see, cockroaches can multiply rapidly, meaning roach control is vital.
Additional Roach Control Services
We can eliminate a roach problem with a one-time application in most single-family homes, duplexes, and 2-family homes with a 60-day guarantee. It will generally take 4-6 weeks for any roach control companies to mitigate the issue. Why? It takes time for all eggs to hatch and all roaches to get into treatment.
If roaches infest multi-family homes, commercial buildings, restaurants, party stores, and grocery stores; you may need additional service for continued control. We regularly service monthly for these customers. We will treat any problems with roaches that are covered under the service agreement at no additional charge; call us for full guarantee details.
Spider Control Services
House Spiders
Spiders are generally easily recognized by most people. They possess eight legs, which separates them from insects that have six legs. All spiders are predators, feeding mainly on insects. If your home/building is located by a body of water or in a wooded area, you will have a higher population of insects (and spiders).
Most spiders create an ugly situation of webs and spider droppings but usually cause no real harm to humans.
Are there any spiders located in Michigan that can be harmful to humans? Rarely. There are only two spiders in the United States that are a threat to humans – Brown Recluse and the Black Widow – and are primarily Southwestern dwelling.
Spider Services
Since spiders have long legs, multiply rapidly and spend most of their time on their webs, it is challenging to achieve control. Therefore, we generally recommend a monthly service (April through September). Our initial spider control service can be performed inside and outside or just the exterior, based on your particular needs. We use a water base material to treat under eaves, decks, the siding, in bushes, and around the base of home and outbuildings.
Included in this service is wiping down unsightly webs. This service will also help control most crawling insects and wasps. This service is mainly for homes/ buildings that have severe spider problems. Households that do not have a severe spider infestation can be controlled effectively with a quarterly service. This service will also help control most crawling insects and wasps. We will treat any problems with insects that are covered under the service agreement at no additional charge between regularly scheduled services; call us for full guarantee details.
Springtail Control Services
Springtails
Springtails are tiny insects, often white or gray, resembling a grain of sand in size. They can be found indoors, although they’re most commonly spotted outdoors. Springtails seek out fungi and mold for their diet, so indoors they are often found in areas where moisture is trapped, like sinks and bathtubs. Outside, they prefer overwatered mulch, compost piles, and damp locations.
Control/Service
For effective management, Van Den Berge recommends treatment both inside and outside the home, especially in areas prone to moisture.
Termite Treatment Servicces
Termites
If it is a warm spring day and you see a swarm of what appears to be small black ants with wings; It is probably termite reproducers. If you see milky white colored insects about the same size and shape as a grain of rice, it’s most likely termite workers. If you see damaged wood with mud shelter tubes in or on the outside of infested wood, it is perhaps signs of termite activity.
To better identify whether you have termites or damage from termites call for your free professional pest inspection. Termites do more damage to homes annually than floods, storms, & fires combined. Termite colonies live in the ground and build mud shelter tubes to travel into your home.
A mature colony may consist of over one million workers, and there may be several colonies in your home. Since termites come from underground, they may have been in your home for years in non-visible areas doing damage without your knowledge.
2 Types of Termite Treatment
There are two different options for termite treatment. One possibility is treatment with a liquid in-ground barrier. Liquid Termiticide is injected in a trench around the perimeter of your home up to 4 feet in depth. This treatment also may require some drilling thru concrete steps or other active sites to enable complete treatment where termites may exist.
These materials should remain active about 15 years and will typically eliminate the entire termite colony in 2-3 months. Since there are more than likely other termite colonies in your property or neighborhood, we recommend professional inspections annually to verify no new termite activity exists and to keep our guarantee in force.
The second option for termite treatment is an in-ground perimeter baiting service. We place a preferred baiting material in the ground in concealed containers approximately 10 feet apart. Termites find the bait as they forage for food, communicate to other members of their colony where the preferred material is.
Our process eventually eliminates the entire termite colony in 1-2 years. With this service, we will also spot-treat with Termiticide to help speed up the process. We can guarantee that termites will not do any more damage to your home after six months of service.
We recommend to continue annual, quarterly inspections of your home and bait stations to guarantee continued protection from other termite colonies that exist in your property or neighborhood. If you would like to learn more about our services or receive a free inspection, contact us!
Tick Removal Services
Ticks
We live in such a beautiful place, with so much to do in such a short season, that we would never want you to stay indoors for fear of a tick bite! Let us help you get the most out of our beautiful West Michigan seasons.
Tick control facts you may like to know:
- Ticks cannot live or multiply inside your home, so should you or your pet bring one indoors you don’t need fumigation.
- Ticks need a blood meal to survive. That’s why your pet, especially dogs, are susceptible when they are outside in and around dense vegetation or wooded areas. Ticks are lying in wait of an unsuspecting animal or human to attach to and feed.
- Lyme disease is a real threat to us in West Michigan.
Tick Removal
Using a fogger, we will treat your landscaping and around the perimeter of your mowed lawn. There are some tick control remedies you can on your own. Cutting back overgrown shrubbery and keeping your lawn cut short can help as can reduce the areas of standing water you may have. For the best results, we recommend treating monthly from May through September as the product will last approximately one month.
SPECIAL EVENTS
Yes, we can help make your next backyard party, graduation open house, family reunion or any outdoor event more enjoyable with a one-time application done before your event. Call us for details.
Wasp Exterminator Services
European Wasps
Nests are usually suspended under a horizontal surface and commonly hang from under eaves, decks, window ledges, or on attic rafters, although they will make nests just about anywhere.
European wasp nests are one layer and rather small (3-5 inches in diameter), so there are seldom more than 100 workers. They are typically brownish with yellow markings (stripes) and orange antennae.
European wasps are beneficial insects that help control many insect pests; although if their nest is near human activity, control is warranted.
Wasp Removal
We have experienced that the only way to get good control is a monthly service (April thru September), otherwise, wasps will continue to build new nests in new locations during the entire summer. Since wasps are a flying insect, it is impossible to eliminate wasps from occasionally flying around the treated areas; although the material used has a residue that will help prevent new nests from being formed.
Yellow Jacket Wasps
Yellow Jackets are the most common wasp, although most think they are a bee because they look very similar to a honeybee. Yellow jackets are about ½ inch long with yellow and black stripes. They typically build their nest in any void area or the ground. Most species feed on insects or most any type of food products. Yellow Jackets generally are the wasp that tends to bother outdoor picnics in search of food. They tend to be somewhat unpredictable in their response to humans who approach their nest. Most serious stinging occurs when a nest is accidentally disturbed.
Yellow Jacket Removal
Van Den Berge’s wasp exterminator services can eliminate a wasp nest with a one-time application with a 30-day guarantee. You can expect complete results within 2-3 days. We will treat the entrance to the nest with a dust insecticide, which we inject into the nest. Any problems with Yellow Jackets that are covered under the service agreement will be treated at no additional charge within the 30-day guarantee.
WARNING: The most common mistake made by a homeowner to try and treat a nest themselves is treating with an aerosol product or plugging the entrance to the hive. Both forms of wasp exterminator treatment usually result in Yellow Jackets being very irritated and finding their way into your home or building.
Weevil Control Services
Weevils
Weevils are easily identified by their unique “light bulb shaped” body and long, elbowed antennae, typically about 3/16 inch long. Emerging from the soil in mid-summer, adult weevils sometimes enter homes by accident, searching for shelter or plant-based food sources.
Control/Service
Sealing cracks around foundations, windows, and doors can help deter weevils. However, once they're already inside, comprehensive in and out of home treatment is needed to mitigate the problem and recurring service is the best prevention.
