Cowleys Pest Services Before & After Photos

As we were treating this home in Manalapan, NJ we found an interesting pest in the basement - cave crickets! In fact, it was a massive infestation of them throughout the area! Many people refer to them as "sprickets," because they look like a cross between a spider and cricket. Truth is, they aren't arachnids. They're also know as camel crickets because of their humpbacked appearance, which resembles a camel. They are commonly found in caves, as well as damp, cool areas underneath damp leaves, stones, and rotting logs. In homes, the most popular areas they like to invade are basements and crawl spaces (because they are dark and moist).

Camel Crickets do NOT bite, as they have no fangs, nor do they pose any health risks to humans. In fact, their only means to defend themselves is the ability to jump really high to scare off predators. To exterminate the cave crickets, we treated the entire with a granular bait and a liquid non-repellant. Both products will eliminate the cave crickets & prevent them from reinfesting the area.

This customer in Manalapan, NJ had a big problem. Turkey vultures were roosting on his roof and defecating all over it. This posed not only a health hazard to the family, but also was severely damaging the roof! 

In order to safely and effectively keep the turkey vultures off the roof, we installed Shock Track. Shock Track is a unique electrically charged track that imparts a mild electrical shock when the turkey vultures land on them. The shock will not harm them but will condition them to avoid the area. The shock track gets affixed to roof, with no screws, and is connected to a solar-powered charger. Now the turkey vultures are properly excluded from the roof.

For years this homeowner in Colonia, NJ wanted to clean up his crawl space and add more insulation to it. Unfortunately, a work related accident prevented him from doing that, so he called Crawl Space Solutions for help and we were sent out. 

The first thing we did was remove all of the old, deteriorated insulation and other debris out of the crawl space and properly dispose of them. Afterward, we removed the old vapor barrier and added a drainage matting. This is a dimpled plastic mat that allows all excess moisture to work its way over to sump pump. Afterward, we added a reinforced polyethylene plastic film on top of the drainage matting. The next thing we did was seal off all the exposed vents throughout the crawl space. This will prevent any outside moisture and any pests from entering the crawl space.

Next, we installed ComfortTherm® Insulation throughout the crawl space. ComfortTherm® Insulation is poly-encapsulated and is ideal for moisture-rich crawl space environments. The insulation also helps to preserve the air quality and reduce energy costs. ComfortTherm® insulation also provides excellent temperature and noise control, and comes with a vapor-retarder for use in hot, humid climates. Lastly, to control the humidity levels in the crawl space, we installed a Sedona dehumidifier. This is a powerful, energy-efficient, commercial-grade dehumidifier that outperforms standard household dehumidifiers by as much as 10 times while using the same amount of energy to run.

As we were inspecting this home in Jackson, NJ, we found two active bald-faced hornets nests on each of the electric meters! What makes bald-faced hornets particular dangerous, aside from being one of the most aggressive stinging insects out there, is that they can remember an intruders face, sense vibrations in the ground, and sting an individual over and over again with their smooth stinger. 

For treatment, we injected a knockdown aerosol application into the opening of each nest. This rapidly exterminated the bald-faced hornets. Shortly after, we removed each of the nests and disposed of them properly. 

During a routine service treatment for a new Home Protection Plan customer in Old Bridge, NJ we noticed a few openings around several utility pipes and utility wires around the exterior of the home. Although the homeowner didn't have any issues with mice in her home, if these gaps are left alone, it's only a matter of time until she does. Remember a mouse only needs an opening the width of a pencil to infest a home!

So we stuffed each and every opening with chew-proof stainless steel mesh, which mice hate to chew through. We then sealed them in place with a waterproof, premium adhesive. The combination of these two materials make for a great deterrent and the home is properly guarded against rodents.