Cowleys Pest Services Before & After Photos

After meeting with one of our sales inspectors, a new customer in Point Pleasant Beach, NJ wanted Cowleys to add some much needed insulation in his crawl space. When we arrived, we saw that the crawl space was full of debris and there was barely any insulation in the crawl space. Little to no insulation in a crawl space can make your floors feel cold, cause excessive moisture to build up, and lead to mold & rot issues.

First, we removed all the contaminated insulation & debris, discarded them properly, and cleaned up the joists. Once we finished, we installed new ComfortTherm® insulation throughout the entire crawl space. ComfortTherm® insulation improves energy efficient and provides excellent sound control. 

A homeowner in Seaside Park, NJ, contacted Cowleys after hearing strange “thumping and scratching” wildlife noises coming from the attic. Something was up there, but she wasn’t interested in investigating to find out what type of wildlife had taken up residence in her attic. Common “attic invaders” that we deal with are squirrels, raccoons, bats, and birds. Here, it turned out that the culprits infesting the attic were squirrels. 

Upon arrival, for the start of my inspection, I want to determine how the animals are gaining access into the attic in the first place. Unless it is a flying animal, the animal must first find a way to gain access to the roof (usually, it’s an overhanging tree branch or utility wires coming into the roofline area) and then, once on the roof, they look for some weakness in the roof structure to exploit. Often, with large wildlife, it’s not a mystery. There is an obvious entry hole in the roof or around the roofline. Here, however, at first glance, I did not see any visible damage indicating where the wildlife was finding its way inside. Upon closer inspection, I found the answer. All four of the plastic static roof vents had large holes chewed through them. Squirrels are in the rodent family and they have razor-sharp teeth that can eat through many types of building materials.

As you can see from the photo, the hole was underneath the plastic cap so it was not causing any water leakage. Nevertheless, the hole was more than enough for squirrels to gain easy access to this homeowner’s attic. Unfortunately, manufacturers do not usually design vents to be pest-proof. Contractors are looking to save money on their projects and price considerations affect the quality of “manufacturer’s standard” building materials. 

To resolve this problem, I covered three of the four roof vents with a tough galvanized steel mesh cover that fits over the entire vent. This cover is strong and durable enough to stop any wildlife from even thinking about using the vent to gain access to the attic. Why didn’t I cover all four vents? I wanted to allow any squirrels hiding in the attic a route to leave. With three of the four access points closed, the squirrels had no choice but to exit through the remaining opening. On this fourth vent, I installed a makeshift temporary cover attached to a one-way door. The door allows animals to leave, but it’s a one-way trip. They are unable to regain access into the attic. Once any animals are trapped and relocated and we are certain that there is no more wildlife activity inside the house, the fourth and final vent cover will be installed. And this wildlife job is complete — all wildlife is safely and humanely removed from the home and all entry points are sealed to prevent a re-infestation.

For years, this small business owner in Fair Haven, NJ has dealt with his gutters getting clogged, which caused some severe moisture issues as well as pest issues at his home business, which terrified his clients! The gutter screening he had wasn't cutting it and was actually causing more damage to his property!

So we removed the old gutter screening, cleaned the gutters, and installed RainDrop® Gutter Guards. This cutting-edge product provides maintenance-free, self-cleaning gutter protection for both new and existing gutters and is compatible with all roof types and gutter styles. Made of its own unique polypropylene blend, the RainDrop® Gutter Guard withstands severe storms, heat, and cold, is specially formulated to absorb heat from the sun, melting ice and snow quickly to keep water flowing, and blends seamlessly with the gutters.

We also installed end caps that closes off the system to keep out birds, bees, squirrels, and other nuisance pests. Most importantly, the self-cleaning gutter guards prevent build-up, keeping pests away, and creating a safer, more enjoyable environment! Another great feature is that RainDrop® doesn't change the look of the property and is invisible from the ground.

One day this customer in Fair Haven, NJ noticed a woodpecker was flying around one of his windows and causing extensive damage to the header! So he called our Bird Services division for help and we were sent out. 

Looking at the photo, you can see that the woodpecker caused some visible and serious damage to the header! First, we cleaned the area, stuffed the opening with steel mesh, and sealed it in place with wood putty. We made sure to blend it in with the same color of the home. Then to deter the woodpecker from pecking another hole, we added two Intimidator bird flashers. The Intimidator reflects the suns rays as the wind spins it around and gives off Ultra Violet "flashes" (ultra violet is a color that birds can see but humans can not). The woodpeckers will relate the UV flashes as a danger and stay away. This is a humane and effective visual deterrent to prevent the woodpeckers from causing any further damage to the home.

This customer in Fair Haven, NJ was cleaning out his attic one day, when all of a sudden he was attacked and stung by several yellow jackets! Since he was a Home Protection Plan customer, he immediately called our office and we were sent out to inspect and treat.

After equipping our protective bee suit, we thoroughly inspected the attic. A few moments into our inspection, we found a HUGE yellow jackets nest underneath the attic insulation in the corner of the attic! First, we injected a knockdown dusting application into the nest. A few moments later, we injected a knockdown aerosol product. Both of these treatments will rapidly exterminate the yellow jackets. A short while later, we removed the nest & any contaminated insulation, and properly disposed of them.