Cowleys Pest Services Before & After Photos

Recently, I went out on a service call for one of our commercial clients, an apartment complex in Belmar, NJ. The property manager had contacted us after a tenant in one of the lower-level apartments reported a mouse infestation. Mice are more than a nuisance. They pose a significant health hazard. Mice can contaminate food and counter surfaces with their urine and droppings, particles of which can become airborne.  Mice can transmit numerous diseases including Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS), a severe, sometimes fatal, respiratory disease and Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis (LCM) that affects the membranes of the brain and spinal cord. If that weren’t enough, they often carry in Lyme-carrying ticks or disease-ridden fleas with them as well.

Once I arrived, I began my inspection along the exterior perimeter of the apartment where mice were reported to locate potential entry points. I discovered many access points where the mice could easily enter the structure. There were spaces around piping entering the building, gaps around the windows and doors and a large space between the soil and the landing to the staircase leading upstairs. 

As I continued my inspection inside the garage and apartment, I came across a large number of mouse droppings. This unit had a heavy rodent infestation that required extensive treatment.

With rodents, it is essential to keep them out in the first place by excluding any areas where the rodents are gaining access. I stuffed chew-proof copper mesh material into small spaces around pipes and sealed the gaps around the larger holes with metal flashing. Mice hate the taste and feel of copper mesh, and once they come in contact with this material, they quickly decide to go elsewhere. 

After all the points of entry were sealed, I placed several rodent bait stations throughout the property. Typically, the number of rodent bait stations we use depends on the severity of the infestation. In this case, I set up twelve small rodent bait stations in the inside of the apartment and one larger station along the exterior perimeter. After placing all rodent bait stations, I carefully removed all of the hazardous mouse droppings.

Due to the severity of this infestation, it will take longer than usual to rid this apartment of mice. I scheduled periodic follow-ups to monitor the level of infestation and replenish the bait in the stations until this mouse problem is completely resolved.

Soil is a porous medium that acts like a sponge. After rainfall, soil soaks up water, and once the soil is saturated, it will form surface puddles along with moisture and humidity. This was the case for this homeowner in Belmar, NJ who realized there was a problem and wanted our crawl space specialists to handle it.

First, we removed all of the debris, flattened the surface and laid down a drainage matting. The drainage matting allows moisture to work its way over to the new sump pump that we installed. Next, we lined the entire crawl space with a super-durable, 20-mil 7-ply vapor barrier, which is made up of high and low-density polyethylene with a polyester-cord reinforcement. This barrier will deter moisture from entering the crawl space, is puncture and tear-resistant, and is treated with an antimicrobial solution to prevent mold. 

Afterward, we lined the walls of the crawl space with foam insulation called SilverGlo™. SilverGlo™ not only has a higher R-value than standard EPS foam but also comes with a shiny integral radiant barrier that reflects heat for enhanced energy efficiency. The homeowner previously purchased a commercial-grade dehumidifier and planned on installing it after we were finished. Now, the homeowner has a dry, energy-efficient, and healthy crawl space. 

A property manager of an apartment complex in Belmar, NJ called our office after his maintenance team saw a few squirrels coming out of the soffit area of one of his apartment units. He called our Little Rascals Nuisance Wildlife division and we were sent out.

As we inspected the unit, we noticed that the flashing on the soffit was missing. Apparently, there was a big wind storm the other night and this caused the flashing to rip right off! The squirrels saw the opportunity and took full advantage.

Fortunately, the squirrels left the area and were no longer present in the unit. We disinfected the attic area and installed new metal flashing on the soffit. Now the apartment unit is no longer vulnerable to any future squirrel intrusions. 

A homeowner in Belmar, NJ was having issues with wildlife entering the void above the soffit. Soffits are the horizontal boards that fit under the eaves of the roof. They protect the area underneath a roof’s overhang from rain and snow which, if left unprotected, could cause the beams to rot, become vulnerable to mold growth, and attract insects and wildlife. Also, soffits are often vented in order to help air to circulate in the attic. Separate from a home’s soffits are the fascia boards, which cover the front of the soffit. The fascia gives a roof’s edge a finished look and serves as a mount for the home’s gutter system which funnels rain and snow run-off off the roof and away from the home’s foundation. Since soffits and fascia are exposed to the elements, they will often start to decay if not maintained. All too often, we see wildlife, especially squirrels and raccoons, exploiting weaknesses in a home’s structure. Often, they’ll rip their way through damaged fascia boards, soffits, or roofing shingles, to gain access inside the attic. 

This home’s soffits were in poor shape. Much of it was falling and left unsecured, leaving it wide open for wildlife to enter — which they did! The only good news for this Belmar homeowner was that the soffit wasn’t connected to the attic, so the wildlife simply nested in the void above and did not gain access inside the home. Once wildlife enters the attic, damage can be extensive. Usually, if the infestation is not quickly resolved, the insulation is destroyed and the whole area becomes a toxic mess from all the wildlife droppings. 

The Cowleys home improvement crew was called in. We removed the damaged soffits, cleaned out all of the built-up nesting debris, and then replaced the soffits with high-performance PVC trim boards. This material won’t rot, cup, split, twist, or warp. The new soffits looked great and blended in with the house. Now, with this home improvement, this homeowner will not have any further issues with wildlife exploiting weakened and damaged soffits in order to gain access to the void above to use as their private nesting home for their offspring.

After homeowners in Belmar, NJ, found themselves with squirrels in their attic, they contacted Cowleys to deal with this wildlife infestation. Squirrels managed to gain attic entry by tearing off a loose piece of soffit in the corner of the roofline.  Builders often call these particular roof returns as “pork chop.” Apparently, they use this peculiar label because this common, generic roof return is quick and easy to build relative to other designs. The trade-off is that they aren’t a particularly elegant design. For homeowners that don’t care about their home being featured in Architectural Digest, this roof design is perfectly fine. With these returns, the raking fascia is built flush with a triangular piece that covers up the end of the rafters and merges with the soffit below. Sometimes, however, these roof corners are used by some wildlife like squirrels and raccoons to gain entry into the attic by attempting to tear off or bend this metal triangular piece enough for them to squeeze into the attic. Sometimes, like with this squirrel infestation, they are successful!  

Upon arrival, after inspecting the roof area, I saw what I needed to do to catch these wily critters. First, I placed a “one-way” door over the opening used by the squirrels. These “one-ways” do precisely what their name says — they allow wildlife to exit, but they soon find out that it’s a one-way trip. These doors only open in one direction, so they are blocked from returning. To monitor wildlife activity, I like to place a piece of tape on the door so that i know whether any wildlife has left 

I also placed two baited traps to lure the unwanted guests out of the attic. Often, when there are now objects placed where the animals are coming g and going, they are timid about exploring them and they need to get acclimated to the objects so they don’t perceive them as a threat. To catch wildlife, you need a bit of patience. Also, it doesn’t hurt to use the right bait that’s too tempting to resist! 

After it is clear that there is no more wildlife activity or the animals have been trapped, I’ll patch the area with aluminum flashing and ensure that the roofline is secure and the homeowners won’t be visited by any more squirrels. Often, especially with wildlife infestations that have gone on for some time, the attic has been contaminated from droppings, and the area must be deodorized and sanitized. Cowleys has experienced crews that specialize in wildlife clean-up and the removal and replacement of contaminated insulation.

With the attic now sealed, this homeowner should not be visited by any more raccoons.