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How to Apply Insect Repellent - NPMA

Watch this video to learn the proper way to apply insect repellent when spending time outdoors. Video provided by the National Pest Management Association (NMPA).

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The name “bed” bug for these biting insects is somewhat of a misnomer. Since bed bugs are parasitic insects that feed off human hosts, they do often hide in and around mattresses, box springs, and headboards while waiting for their next blood meal. That does not mean, wherever, that bed bug infestations are limited to beds. For from it! While treating any bed bug infestation, we assume that bed bugs could be congregating anywhere and everywhere in a home, especially with heavier infestations where the bed bugs have spread.  Here, I was contacted by property management for an apartment building that we service in Beachwood, NJ for suspected bed bug activity in one of the units. The tenant had reported to the building manager that she was getting bitten while watching TV at night in her recliner, where she often fell asleep before going to bed. She would wake up with 3 itchy bites in close proximity to each other. Mysterious bites are often the first sign of bed bug activity, especially if there is a series of three bites in a row. often, with bed bugs at least, bad things often come in threes! Pest control technicians sometimes informally refer to this common three-bite pattern as breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Here, the bed bugs “knew” that their host returned to the same recliner night after night and were content to wait for her there.  Upon arrival, I immediately inspected the recliner. I immediately knew there was a problem. There were bed bugs skins left behind where the bed bugs had molted in many of the cracks and crevices, or tufts, on the upholstered chair. I carefully turned the chair over to inspect its underside. Sure enough, there were additional skins and even some adult bed bugs nesting in the seams. Bed bugs prefer to nest in tight areas where they have contact on multiple sides of their body simultaneously. As with many animals and insects, tight enclosed spaces provides a sense of safety and security.  I showed the tenant my findings. When I arrived she was worried that she was wasting my time and was imagining things. I told her that was far from the case and a pest control service should be contacted whenever someone is waking up with unexplained bites. Just because you have not yet seen the insects doesn’t mean they are not there, especially with low-level infestations in their early stages. She was also relieved to know that I could begin treatment immediately to get rid of this infestation. I can’t stress this enough — a pest control professional should be contacted even if you just THINK you have bed bugs, especially if mysterious bites start soon after returning from a vacation or after having visitors or returning family members in your home.
Bed bugs found during inspection in Beachwood, NJ
Recently, I was sent to a residential community serviced by Cowleys in Colts Neck, NJ  to resolve what was described as an invasion of hundreds of tiny reddish-brown bugs. I had a good idea of what I was likely dealing with. Upon arrival, I met with the property manager and he had me go to the pool area behind the clubhouse where the infestation was observed. Just what I was expecting. They had a clover mite infestation. Just like with this infestation, these nuisance pests are often found around well-fertilized lawns. If you see a mass of dark red specks crawling around your property, there’s a good chance you have clover mites! Clover mites are are in the same family as spiders and ticks. They have eight legs, but are hard to see because they are about the size of a pinhead. These insects are called clover mites because they feed on clover plants (but also feed on grasses, ornamental plants, and shrubs). Just as with this infestation, clover mites, typically show up in large numbers. With this infestation, there were hundreds of these small mites crawling on the stonework, fences, tables, and chairs.  These bugs typically prefer cooler temperatures, and are inactive on warm, dry days. So, these bugs emerge when temperatures start to warm in early spring and last through late spring/early summer. Once we start getting those scorching summer days, clover mite activity dramatically dies down.  Although these bugs are harmless to people and plants, they can be a major nuisance because of their sheer numbers. Also, if crushed, they leave an unsightly red stain from their body pigments that can get on patio furniture or your clothing should you sit on them by mistake. Also, because of their size, they can easily find their way into structures. They are even small enough to squeeze through many window screens. There is increased potential for clover mites to invade structures when grass extends to the foundation. Once inside, they soon die. These bugs do not infest pantries and contaminate food like many other pests.  I’ll be using a product around the pool area that will knock down the clover mite population in no time so everyone can get back to enjoying the pool area. It’s important to take care of the problem when the bugs are outside before they start entering nearby structures. 
Those dark reddish spots are clover mites in Colts Neck, NJ
One of our commercial accounts, a large office building in Bridgewater, NJ, has a cafe to offer employees breakfast and lunch so they have a location for their meals and don’t have to leave the premises. Recently, during a routine servicing of this property, I was informed by the property manager that their cafe had a large ant infestation. I met with the supervising chef and he showed me the ant trail where ants were accessing the cafe area from a crack in the tile grout. Unfortunately, foraging ants can access buildings through the smallest of gaps, cracks, and spaces in foundation walls and interior slabs.  I immediately identified the ants as pavement ants, one of the more common nuisance ants that infest buildings. Thee ants are so-named because the queen often forms her colony under sidewalks, building slabs, and large rocks. The underside of these materials provides a dark, moist, hidden area for these ants to build their nests. A common sign of pavement ant activity are sand piles and small soil particles that have accumulated nearby cracks in concrete slavs or at the top of foundation walls where the ants have deposited debris from their excavated nests. Similar piles are seen in the warmer months along sidewalk cracks.  Pavement ants will forage into buildings in their search for food. They feed on a wide variety of foods, but are especially attracted to the sugars found in nectar, fruits, and syrups and go  absolutely “crazy” over sugar-laden items like spilled soda and ice cream. These ants will also collect and store grease, dead insects, and small seeds for the colony. In short, pavement ants will consume pretty much any morsel of food that they can scavenge.  Whenever dealing with an ant infestation, I trace the ant trail to determine how and where the insects are accessing the building. Here, the trail route went underneath several appliances. Finally, under one of the refrigerator boxes, I located their main entry point. I observed a huge pile of sand from the foraging ants. I contacted someone of the maintenance staff to show him the areas that needed to be sealed,. He understood the importance of dealing with this immediately given that the infestation was in an area where food was prepared and served.  To resolve this infestation, I applied a liquid gel bait that the ants would take back to the nest and share with the queen and the rest of the colony. With ant infestations, merely killing foraging ants is not enough. Foraging ants are readily replaceable considering that ant colonies can easily number in the thousands. To successfully resolve an ant infestation, a product must be used that will destroy the queen and the entire hidden nest. Even though we often cannot access the nest  directly, we use the ants’ social behavior in a colony to reach the nest indirectly.
Pavement ants in outdoor office building cafe
The black rat snake is NJ’s largest snake. Here in New Jersey, if you have black snakes around your house, they are most likely either black rat snakes or black racers. The black rat snakes are the bulkier of the two, and they are fairly slow moving and often freeze when confronted. Both are non-venomous with white or grayish bellies that eat mostly rodents and other small mammals. These snakes are not out to hurt you. They’re only around because there’s food nearby, and that food isn’t you! Whenever i get a panicked call for snakes, I’m always asked if the snake is venomous. With almost 100% certainty, any snake that a homeowner in NJ find of their property is non-venomous. In New Jersey, there are 22 species of snakes, and only two of them are venomous: the timber rattlesnake and the northern copperhead. It’s very rare to come across either of these venomous snakes because of their elusive nature and their preference for interior forest habitat. All snakes are protected species under NJ law and must be captured and relocated. Snakes cannot be killed and many snake species are endangered. Non-venomous snakes are often misidentified and needlessly killed. Fir example, black rat snakes, especially since they rattle their tail as a warning, are often misidentified as timber rattlesnakes. Of course, non-venomous snakes can and do bite. No snake should be handled or cornered unless you are experienced dealing with them.  This particular homeowner in Bayville, NJ observed a large black snake basking in her patio area. Upon arrival, I inspected the property to determine what was attracting the snake. Her backyard bordered a marshy area that was chock full of snake food sources — frogs, nesting birds, and rodents. After capturing the snake for relocation, I walked around the property with the homeowner to look for ways to reduce snake attractants. The major concern was the rodent issue. White-footed mice scampering around your property does not just attract snakes. These rodents are major carriers of ticks (and tick-borne Lyme disease) as well — one of the major insect problems that will be faced by NJ homeowners this spring and summer.   The homeowner felt that a home protection plan (HPP) would be in her best interest to stay one step ahead of any insect and rodent problems. With a HPP, we come out periodically for preventative perimeter treatments and inspect the property for signs of infestations often missed by homeowners. Also, if there is an infestation, most are covered at no additional cost. By keeping mice off the property and alleviating the influx of insects, this will go a long way reducing the food attractants of the snakes — frogs, rodents, and birds.  Many wildlife infestations, including snakes, can be reduced or prevented outright, by removing whatever attractants enticed them to enter the property in the first place.
Black snake alerts Bayville, NJ family to mice problem.
With consistently warm temperatures, carpenter bee season is now in full swing. Carpenter bees overwinter (hibernate) during the winter. When temperatures start to warm in the spring, they resume their activities — they mate and pollinate (feed off the pollen and nectar of flowers which permits fertilization of the flowers). Spring is carpenter bee mating season, and for these wood-boring insects, mating season means drilling season! There’s a reason why they’re called “carpenter” bees! The females excavate tunnels in wood for shelter and as brood chambers for their young. The females deposit an egg, and leave a mixture of pollen and regurgitated nectar as food for the larvae You’ll see nearly round entrance holes drilled into wood that look like they were made with a 1/2-inch drill bit. The other common signs of carpenter bee activity is what they leave behind — “frass,” the sawdust-like material from their drilling and stains from their waste droppings. Of course, you’ll often see these bees flying around, especially the males protecting the galleries (males do not have stingers, and the females rarely sting).   Carpenter bees resemble bumblebees in size and appearance, but have a shiny black abdomen instead of a hairy yellow one. It’s very common for homeowners to see carpenter bees flying around the roofline. They seek out unpainted wooden building materials, especially wood that is weakened and damaged from water, and will clean out and enlarge existing tunnels as well as excavate new ones. Over time, new and expanding generations of bees can collectively cause considerable structural damage. The holes allow water seepage into the wood, and the larvae are an attractant for woodpeckers.  I often find carpenter bees nesting underneath the home’s fascia boards that run along the lower edge of the roof, like in this home in Atlantic Highlands, NJ Because of their location near the gutters and roofline, they are susceptible to water damage, and are a potential trouble spot for carpenter bees and other insects, as well as an entry point for squirrels and other wildlife to gain access into the attic. For me, one of the best ways to determine whether they are nesting is finding the regurgitated wood debris (“frass’) that accumulates beneath their galleries (unlike termites, they don’t eat the wood). Once I find their nesting locations, I treat the infestation by applying a dust that expands after finding its way into the galleries. These bees do not dig a straight line into the wood. Rather, they dig a little hole about an inch deep and then turn at right angles to tunnel along the grain of the wood.   Once the dust comes into contact with the bees and their larvae, it does not take long for the infestation to be resolved. These bees can cause a lot of damage, and homeowners should deal with these infestations in their early stages.  
Carpenter bees drill into Atlantic Highlands, NJ home
Recently, I was sent to homeowners in Little Silver, NJ, who were in the midst of a heavy carpenter bee infestation around their garage. Every time that they were going to and from their cars, they were scared of being stung. Carpenter bees are large intimidating-looking bees that like to get up close and personal and buzz right in your face. But the reality is that they are more “bark than bite.” Carpenter bees are solitary, as opposed to social, insects and do not live in colonies like yellow jackets, paper wasps, and other stinging insects. Instead, these solitary bees live on their own. They are called carpenter bees because of their “carpentry” work. The female constructs galleries, usually in weathered and unpainted wood. You’ll often find their excavation work around sheds, deck rails, and under fascia boards. She drills out a perfectly round hole, boring out a chamber with the grain of the wood to deposit her larvae. Over time, these bored-out holes can be quite deep, up to 20 inches long with six to eight larval cells. The eggs develop over several weeks when the adult bees finally emerge. One of the big problems with carpenter bees is that they return to the same sites every year, expanding existing galleries and making new ones after they mate in the spring.  Male carpenter bees hang around nearby acting as protectors of the galleries. They fly and buzz around potential intruders to scare them off. However, it’s all show. The male bees don’t even have stingers! Although the females have stingers, they rarely use them. They are too busy excavating wood and depositing their larvae. To be stung by a female, you pretty much have to step on her or try to grab her. Nevertheless, even though risk of stings are low with carpenter bees, these infestations need to be treated. Their excavation activities can damage wood and allow water seepage and wood rot. Also, woodpeckers love carpenter bee larvae and those with a carpenter bee infestation sometimes find themselves with noisy woodpeckers pecking the wood in search of larvae, causing even more damage. I treated the galleries with an effective dust that will not only eliminate any bees as they return, but will also eliminate the new emerging bees as the larvae develops. The treatment for carpenter bees is highly effective and these homeowners will once again be able to go to their garage without fear. 
Carpenter bees scare homeowner in Little Silver, NJ
Recently, a residential development that we service in Somerset, NJ, contacted Cowleys because some uninvited guests “crashed” their community indoor swimming pool — ants, or more specifically, pavement ants. Homeowners often find ants around their swimming pools. And for good reason. Ants are attracted to swimming pools like bees to honey. Indoor pool areas have an environment that’s perfect for ants to thrive. It offers them plenty of heat, moisture, and harborage areas, not to mention all of the crumbs left behind from poolside snacks. Of course, dying or dead ants floating on the pool’s surface makes swimming less enjoyable, and it’s not much fun stalling an ant while doing laps! Ants in and around pools are more than a nuisance. They can cause actual damage by clogging your filter and filer pump, and sometimes even damaging pool linings.  During my inspection of the pool area, I observed pavement ants trailing along the border of the wall. Pavement ants are one of the most commonly encountered ants that invade homes and other structures. They can form large colonies, often containing over 10,000 workers. They are called pavement ants because of their preferred nesting locations. They commonly nest and excavate soil under sidewalks, walkways, and patios.  To treat any ant infestation, it is critical to locate and eliminate the queen and the rest of the colony. It is not enough to kill isolated foraging ants. Foraging ants are expendable, and there will always be replacements for them. Like any good detective, I followed the ant trail. Worker ants leave trail pheromones to mark pathways to resources for other ants to follow to and from the nest. Here, the I found a tiny crack in the grout where the ents were entering. I showed the property manager how the ants were gaining access inside. and he was in immediate contact with his contractor to schedule a repair. To deal with this infestation, I treated the crack and the exterior perimeter with a residual product. Any foraging ants crossing the treated areas will carry the product back to the nest. Soon, the ant colony will be eliminated.    
Pavement ants invade community pool in Somerset, NJ
This particular residential job involved pavement ants. Here in New Jersey, soil-nesting pavement ants, one of the most common house-infesting ants, start making their presence known in early spring. After a long winter rest where insects become dormant, warming spring temperatures act like an alarm clock . The insects spring back to life and once again start their cycle of reproducing and foraging for food. These particular ants, called “pavement” ants because of their preferred nesting locations, often nest and excavate soil to build their colonies underneath sidewalks, building slabs, walkways, and patios. Once temperatures warm, a common sign of a pavement ant problem are little sand piles where the ants deposit debris from their excavation work popping up nearby cracks in sidewalks and concrete slabs. The foraging ants come a nuisance once they enter homes and other structures through cracks in foundation walls and interior slabs.   This homeowner in Beachwood, NJ, starting seeing ants crawling all around her front porch, but she couldn’t figure out where they were coming from. She was rightly concerned that the ants would soon find their way inside her home. She contacted Cowleys to take care of the infestation before her ant problem worsened.  I start my inspection as soon as I drive onto a customer’s property. I want to have a general idea of the layout of the home and surrounding area even before I ring the doorbell. There are often clues that help me identify the source of the infestation and develop a treatment plan. As I walked up to the front door, I noticed several cracks in the walkway leading to the from steps where she reported seeing ants. Walkway cracks and pavement ants go hand in hand. These ants nest under walkways because the soil directly underneath provides them with a stable, dry environment for their colony to thrive. Also, the ants use walkway cracks as little protective pathways to move about while foraging. From my experience, these ants being looking for protein feedings in early spring before their sugar feedings in the summer. To treat the infestation, I performed a light liquid application to all of the crack and crevices areas around the walkway as well as her front porch.  Any foraging ants that cross the treated areas will carry the non-repellant product back to the nest, soon eliminating he ant colony. With this product, the ants don’t die immediately. I like to think of it as a Trojan Horse. The product keeps the ants alive long enough, so that they unknowingly carry it back to the colony where it spreads and is shared by everyone.  Also, this is a residual product, meaning that it is long-lasting in the soil and will continue to work. Pavement ant colonies can be quite large — some of them have over 10,000 workers! It is important to have a product that works over a period of time. I explained the treatment process to the homeowner who was observing me. She was curious why the ants weren’t immediately dying.  With social insects like ants that live in subterranean nests, resolving an infestation requires a little time and patience. Killing a few isolated foraging ants is not a permanent solution.    
Pavement ants in Beachwood, NJ
Recently, i was sent to a home in Neptune, NJ, after receiving a call from a homeowner who wanted us to eliminate an ant infestation in heir garage. I applied an appropriate treatment to the garage area. Whenever I receive a call, with the homeowner’s permission, I like to do a check of the home and property before leaving. Often, we identify pest issues that the homeowner was unaware of, specially when in its early stages. Here, there was a shed on the property, so I took a peak inside.  As you can see from the video clip, there were trails of odorous house ants.These ants get their name because they release a rotten coconut-like smell when crushed.  These small ants, often confused with pavements ants, are no more than 1/8 of an inch. They regularly forage for food along well-traveled trails. When outdoors they commonly nest under stones, firewood, mulch, or lawn debris, and feed on dead insects and the sweet honeydew produced by plant sap-feeding insects such as aphids and mealybugs. Odorous ants, like all ants, lay down a chemical trail of pheromones between the nest sites and food sources. These trails act like little highways for the foraging ants to follow. As you can see in the video clip, these ants appear to be well-disciplined and travel in an orderly straight line. Pest control technicians often follow these trails to locate the nest and helps us apply the treatment where needed. Here, I applied product to the appropriate areas to rid the shed of these pests.
Odorous house ants found in Neptune, NJ
A homeowner in Oakhurst, NJ while doing laundry in her basement, observed several large, black ants and some fine-sawdust like material on the floor. She immediately got on the phone and contacted Cowleys.  It was a good thing she did! These large ants were wood-destroying carpenter ants. These ants are sometimes difficult to identify because that are not uniform. Rather they are polymorphic, which means they come in several sizes. The sawdust material on the floor is called “frass.” These ants, as their name implies,  burrow out channels in mostly moist, decaying wood. Unlike termites, they do not actually eat the wood. They carve out galleries in wood to establish pockets of space in which to nest. These ants forage for the same foods as most other ants. Their diet consists of honeydew, meats, pet good, sugar, and other sweets. Upon entering the basement, I followed the trailing ants to a cavity in the wood. Using an aerosol pyrethrum, I probed the cavity to flush the nest out of hiding. These ants can run, but they can’t hide! I found a carpenter ant nest that I treated with a residual dust that will soon eliminate the queen and the entire colony.
Carpenter Ants Discovered in Oakurst, NJ home
A three-man crew from the Cowleys Home Improvement team was sent to a home in Toms River, NJ. As often happens in homes situated in areas with high water tables, especially after periods of heavy rain or snowmelt, this home had a significant problem with groundwater seepage. The rising water table creates hydrostatic pressure against the foundation. This pressure is so powerful that it can force water into the home by exploiting existing cracks or creating new ones. Also soil around the home perimeter, because of the original excavation work, tends to be looser, more absorbent, and expansive. When soil expands, it creates lateral (sideways) pressure against the foundation and just like hydrostatic pressure, lateral pressure can cause foundation damage and create leaks. These are natural forces that can cause problems over time, so having groundwater seepage in your basement or crawl space does not mean that your home was poorly constructed. Any type of foundation can wind up with water seepage issues once foundation cracks start to form on the floor or wall. There can also be water seepage in known ‘weak spots” that allow seepage like window wells and the cove joint where the foundation wall meets the footing. As this homeowner found out, an unfortunate byproduct of groundwater entering a crawl space is mold growth. The homeowner realized there was a mold problem in the crawl space because the musty smell of mold had permeated the home.  We first resolved the mold problem and then to effectively deal with future groundwater intrusions we installed two workhorse “smart pumps” that tie into a discharge line. This homeowner was looking for an effective long-term solution to his chronically damp crawl space to avoid future mold problems. To do this, we installed a thick mold-resistant drainage matting and TerraBlock floor insulation that is specifically designed for the challenging environment of crawl spaces. This durable insulation not only adds energy efficiency to the home, but also acts as a vapor barrier. Next, we installed SilverGlo insulation on all of the crawl space’s exterior walls. SliverGlo is a lightweight, closed-cell insulation that is far superior to over-the-counter batt and foam insulations. With Silverglo’s closed-cell structure, there is minimal water absorption and low vapor permanence. We then installed CleanSpace crawl space vent covers over the crawl space vents to block outside air from entering the crawl space. Made out of durable plastic, they never need to be painted and there is no issue of the vent covers rotting or rusting. With the SilverGlo insulation, drainage matting, and vent covers in place, we installed a heavy-duty 20-mil CleanSpace vinyl vapor barrier. This vapor barrier is an engineered film made of layers of high density and low density polyethylene. Finally, to complete the crawl space encapsulation, we needed to address dehumidification, which is the most important long-term preventative measure for controlling dangerous crawl space moisture. For this Toms River home, we installed a commercial-grade SaniDry CX dehumidifier. These powerful maintenance-free dehumidifiers are much more powerful than traditional dehumidifiers.      
Unbelievable crawl space makeover in Toms River, NJ
During a bed bug inspection in Old Bridge, NJ, I discovered a carpet beetle skin (technically, this outermost layer of an insect’s “exoskeleton” is called the “cuticle”). This layer serves as an insect’s external backbone and is necessary for protection against physical injury and water loss and for support. With most insects, after the egg hatches, the immature insect starts to feed and grow. Throughout its developmental stages, most insects, including beetles, bed bugs, and cockroaches, molt, that is, periodically shedding and replacing their rigid outer layer. Molting is the only way that insects can grow since, after a certain point, this hard outer cuticle won’t permit further expansion. An insect’s cuticle functions just like a shell and, eventually, the larva or nymph must shed this “overcoat” to continue developing.  Carpet beetles are often confused with other pests, especially bed bugs and fleas. Proper identification is key since treatment protocols and applications used to resolve these infestations are completely different. Homeowners, and even less experienced pest control technicians, sometimes misidentify the invading pest.  Although both bed bugs and carpet beetles molt, they have very little else in common. Bed bugs are external parasites that feed exclusively on the blood of mammals and birds, and, unfortunately, have a distinct preference for human blood. Carpet beetles, on the other hand, have a completely different diet. As their name suggests, they feed on natural fibers found in carpets and rugs. These bugs are not fussy eaters and also feed on silk, hair, feathers, fur, paper (including books), grains, spices, and pet food. Although carpet beetles do not bite like bed bugs, they can cause a similar red itchy welt due to an allergic reaction from the small prickly hairs on the outside of their body and both are very small bugs. Although bed bugs are small, carpet beetles are even smaller — an adult carpet beetle is no more than 1/8”. Bed bugs are reddish brown, flat, and shaped like an apple seed, Carpet beetles usually have white and yellow-brown scales and turfs of hair on their abdomen. A carpet beetle has several lines running horizontally from the midway point to the bottom while a bed bug does not. For this homeowner, I vacuumed the skins and app[lied a light liquid application to kill any eggs or live pests that would be foraging around the nesting areas. For homeowners, no matter If you are uncertain as to whether you are dealing with bed bugs or carpet beetles, its always best to contact a pest control professional to identify and treat the problem. Both insects require a trained eye and a precise treatment plan depending on the size and scope of the infestation.  
Carpet beetles found during bed bug inspection in Old Bridge, NJ