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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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I went out on a service call for a new commercial client, a senior housing community in Farmingdale, NJ. The property manager complained of seeing wasps near the retention pond area of the community. As I began my inspection I noticed several wasps hovering over an electrical outlet on the exterior of the building. I inspected the outlet and came across a community of wasps inside the outlet. A closer inspection told me that these were paper wasps. Paper wasps generally have a similar body shape to yellowjackets, but are somewhat slimmer with a thin “waist,” with six long legs, an almost triangular side view, as well as two wings and antennae. They are mostly brown with some yellow coloration. Their nests are recognized as an open comb with the egg chambers visible. The fertilized eggs go through a larval stage before becoming an adult wasp. The nest that looks like paper, hence the wasp's name, is actually made from tree bark that the wasp chews to form the nest with perfect hexagonal cell chamber walls. They prefer to build their nests in protected areas such as under eaves, behind shutters, or in the case here, inside of an electrical outlet.  I decided that the most effective method to safely treat the nest was to apply a direct contact solution. This solution is designed to immediately eliminate the paper wasps on contact. The application is extremely fast and effective. In fact, after waiting just five minutes, I was able to safely remove the wasp nest from the outlet box. Now the community can enjoy a safe and pest-free environment. 
Paper Wasps Hiding in Electrical Outlet in Farmingdale, NJ
A new client in Manasquan, NJ, immediately called Cowleys after her young daughter came face-to-face with a cave cricket. Apparently, the daughter let her mom know of the problem by screaming in terror over what she believed to be “jumping spiders!” She wasn’t far off-base. If you've never heard of or have seen cave crickets before, these ugly, creepy looking pests could be easily be mistaken for an alien spider straight out of a horror film. These crickets are commonly called camel crickets because of their humpbacked appearance. They are also referred to as cave crickets or spider crickets.  Outdoors, camel crickets are commonly found underneath wet leaves, rocks, and decomposing foliage.  When invading a home, they seek out damp, cool areas like basements and crawl spaces. And if you happen to own a hot tub, be careful when you open the cover!  Although these pests sound unusual, they are actually quite common throughout New Jersey. Researchers from North Carolina State University found that camel crickets live in or near 37% of homes in New Jersey. Needless to say, we’ve been getting many calls from distraught homeowners who find themselves with a “plague” of these pests.  Camel crickets are thought to breed year-round, and only in the dark. Unlike field crickets, these crickets do not have sound-producing organs and do not chirp. Also, they are wingless. The good news is that camel crickets do not bite. However, with their long limbs, they jump when startled. This is their only defense to scare off predators and should one of them jump on your face, it’s an experience you won’t soon forget!  When I began inspecting the crawl space, I found a heavy infestation of camel crickets all over the block walls. Fortunately, we have several products that will quickly resolve the heaviest camel cricket infestation. For this home, I took care of the problem by applying both a liquid application and granular bait treatment in the crawl space. I also sprayed the block wall and sill plate to stop the crickets from entering the home through any small gaps around the wire and pipe chases, and I placed more granular bait around the base of the foundation wall.  With the treatment completed, I explained to the homeowner what I found in the crawl space and how I treated the infestation. I let her know that the camel crickets would be gone within a matter of days. The entire family was put at ease, which to me, is the most rewarding part of being a pest control technician.
Cave Crickets Creep Out Family in Manasquan, NJ
Recently, we went on a service call to a home in Red Bank, NJ after the homeowner contacted us after hearing strange wildlife noises in his attic late at night. After the homeowner described what he was hearing, our instincts told us that this was a raccoon infestation. Why? He was hearing a wide variety of sounds, and raccoons are extremely vocal creatures. With raccoons, you may hear purring chittering, growling, snarling, hissing, and even screeching. Also, the timing of the noises is important. Although raccoons can be active during the day, they are primarily nocturnal.  Of course,  a thorough inspection was still needed to confirm our suspicions. Based on the type of damage and the droppings, we had no doubt. Once we began our inspection in the attic, we immediately discovered a ripped hole in the floorboard that the raccoons were using for access. Due to the location of the access point, we needed a different approach to safely catch the critters. We set-up a nose cone, which is a one-way directional door that leads the raccoon to the trap, and then connected a Comstock trap to the cone. A Comstock trap is a heavy duty trap that has an opening on both ends of the trap. When placed over an access point, the raccoon,  thinking that it is a straight path, will walk through the device. However, once the raccoon passes through the trap, they’ll trigger a swing release that closes the trap. And for that raccoon, end of story! In fact, a short twenty minutes after setting up the trap, we heard it go off. We found a baby raccoon inside. We also noticed that the mother raccoon was peeking out of the access point looking at its now helpless baby. We decided that if we left the room,  the mother would enter the trap to reunite with her baby. We were right. Within minutes, the mother raccoon was stuck in the trap right next to her baby. Now, we could safely and humanely relocate the entire raccoon family to a safe location. 
Raccoon Family Sticks Together in Red Bank, NJ
Recently, I received a call from a residential client of ours in Middletown, NJ who had an issue with moles. Most people have never seen a mole, however, they are well aware of the damage that moles cause to lawns and ornamental beds. When you see a series of 3- to 5-inch round, raised ridges breaking the surface of your lawn that is accompanied by tiny dirt volcanoes, you know you have moles tunneling below ground. Moles only become a problem when they invade lawns and gardens, tearing up expanses of green grass and uprooting plants. Because mole tunneling destroys grass roots, the ridges brown quickly. In order to properly track where the mole activity is, we’re going to do a different approach. A moles favorite food is earthworms which also happens to be a robins favorite food. So anytime you have areas in your yard where you’re seeing an unusual amount of robin activity is where you want to start your search for moles. The robins essentially are going for the worms that are closer to the surface. This will attract the attention of moles. As I started inspecting a location where there was a high activity of robins, I came across two mole tunnels. There are two types of tunnels that moles dig. Travel tunnels and feeder tunnels. Travel tunnels are where you want to set-up your traps. They’re usually around a landscaped edge that’s long and relatively straight, which is how travel tunnels look on the surface of the lawn. Moles use them to travel from tunnel to tunnel as often as 3 times a day and they’re considered active tunnels.  Feeder tunnels, on the other hand, look more like an above-ground spider web. They’re created as moles explore new feeding areas, and they’re often abandoned and inactive. So setting up a trap near a feeder tunnel would be useless. I placed a few traps near the beginning of a travel tunnel that goes from the edge of a landscape, across the yard, and ended at the edge of a shed. I placed a few traps near the end of the travel tunnel as well.  I then followed another travel tunnel that goes along the fence line and placed a few traps there. You can always tell where a travel tunnel is because the disturbed soil will feel soft to the touch. I scheduled a follow-up appointment to check on the mole activity. This is how to track moles with help from robins. We can’t see the moles, but we can see the robins.
Tracking Moles With the Help from Robins in Middletown, NJ
Recently, I went on a service call for a new residential client in Farmingdale, NJ who contacted us to resolve an issue with birds inside their home. The client informed me that they have been hearing chirping, pecking and rustling sounds in their master bathroom very early in the morning. As I inspected the exterior of their home, I came across an exhaust fan that appeared to be damaged. I could tell by some of the marks all around the outside of the exhaust vent and the fact that two of the louvers are missing, that the homeowners have house sparrows. House sparrows prefer to live anywhere there are people because we create the perfect habitat for them. They are attracted to exhaust and dryer vent ducts to nest because they are private places to lay their eggs hidden from potential predators and they like the warm air that flows through them.   The most effective method to safely remove the birds from the home is set up a custom one-way exclusion. A one-way exclusion allows the birds to safely exit the home and prevent them from getting access back into the house. I took a piece of hardware cloth and placed it over the exhaust vent. Then I cut a hole in it, attached a flap, and then weighed it down with washers. So the bird is able to push out and exit the vent and the door will close behind him. Which means that it can’t get back in. I’m going to schedule a follow-up with the homeowners to make sure that their home is bird-free. Once the birds have been evicted I’m going to cover the exhaust vent with a more permanent and durable cover. 
House Sparrows Break in Bathroom in Farmingdale, NJ
I received a call from a homeowner in Deal, NJ who had a raccoon issue. The homeowner kept hearing noises in the middle of the night and actually saw a raccoon climb down his drainage pipe. Trapping raccoons this time of year is a slippery slope. We have no way of knowing if we are dealing with a pregnant female, a female that has already had her babies, or a male. We won’t find out until they are trapped. If we do capture a raccoon that is a mother and it cannot get back to its babies, then we have a bigger problem than before. The mother raccoon will do anything to get back to its young and cause more severe property damage than before. If you HEAR or SUSPECT something living in the attic, and it is NOT the DEAD OF WINTER, please assume that there are babies present! As I inspected the exterior of the home I came across several muddy paw prints leading up the drainage pipe to the soffit. The soffit had a nice size hole in it as well. You could tell that the soffit was ripped apart. Raccoons are extremely intelligent, but they are also extremely predictable. They will always take the least resistant path and follow that same path over and over again. Their razor-sharp claws can rip apart roofs, sidings, and soffits, but they leave the evidence behind.   There are scenarios we come across where a “positive set” or one-way device isn’t possible or would be difficult. A
Wildlife Removal in Deal, NJ
While performing a service for a homeowner under one of our Home Protection Plans in Neptune, NJ, I found several foraging ants entering the house. As part of our residential service plans, which cover the treatment of dozens of common household pests, we schedule periodic inspections and preventatively treat the exterior perimeter. As I took a closer look, I immediately identified these ants as pavement ants. Pavement ants are small ants about 1/8 of an inch long and are dark brown to black. Their name comes from nesting under sidewalks and driveways.  The ants also nest under stones, logs, boards, patio blocks, and other items lying on top of the ground. A tell-tale sign of these ants are little mounds of dirt piles formed from the ants building their underground nests.  The pavement ants were trailing along the bottom of the foundation and entering beneath a window in the brick wall. The homeowners told me that they had just begun to see ants in their kitchen, so this was perfect timing for our service! Ants will start to seek out food and water once the ground temperature warms up. After a long winter of dormancy, the ants are starving – and they are relentless in their hunt for food. They send out scouts to seek out food and water, and once they find food they send out a pheromone signal that alerts others of the “bounty.”  I’ve seen ants trailing over 100 yards from a tree stump into a house! Considering their size, it is an amazing pathway, and bring the meaning of determination to a whole new level. A highly effective way to resolve the infestation is to apply a light liquid application onto their trail as well as where they are entering the structure. This application is designed to keep the ants alive long enough to carry it back to their colony where they transfer it to other members from feeding and grooming. As disgusting as this may sound, ants will eat other dead ants. This process of transfer is what we call the transfer effect.  Within two weeks, the ant population should be completely gone. We have products that are designed for complete colony elimination. The DIY sprays often just kill foraging ants and does not offer a permanent solution to these challenging infestations. These homeowners were quite pleased with our servicing. It’s hard to think of anything worse to ruin your morning than ants coming out of your coffee pot. Certainly, these clients didn’t think so!
Exterminators in Neptune, NJ
I was responding to a complaint at one of my commercial accounts, an apartment complex in Manasquan, NJ. One of the tenants was complaining about experiencing bites while in bed. I had a strong feeling that they had a bed bug issue. I needed to conduct an inspection first to confirm my suspicions. Once in the bedroom I cautiously peeled the linens and pillows off the bed, looking for signs of bed bugs. When it comes to bed bugs you want to remove the infested items as slowly as possible. NEVER shake or rip the items right off the infested area. You’ll risk shaking the bed bugs onto other areas. Bed bugs leave pepper-like fecal stains, skin castes, and very tiny off white eggs. You need a keen eye and a bright flashlight to locate these evasive insects. While examining the pillows, I turned my attention to the wedge pillow the tenants were using for back support. Along the closed zippered area I found a live cluster of bed bugs. The overlap of fabric over the zipper was creating a perfect harborage area.  Bed bugs will hide in suitcases, boxes, and shoes to be near a food supply. They are primarily nocturnal creatures. However, they are opportunistic insects and can take a blood meal during the day, especially in heavily-infested areas. Bed bugs usually require 5-10 minutes to engorge with blood. After feeding, they move to secluded places and hide for 5-10 days. During this time in the bed bug life cycle, they do not feed, but instead digest their meal, mate, and lay eggs. Now that I know where the bed bugs are harboring the next step is to get rid of them. The main part of our treatment is to eradicate as many bed bugs as possible in our initial treatment as possible. We do this with a Hepa-Vacuum. This greatly reduces the numbers of bed bugs. I going to thoroughly vacuum the pillows, the seam of the bed, edges of the bedding frames, headboards, wall junctures and behind electric wall plates. Afterward, I going to do a crack and crevice treatment of those areas with a liquid application. This application specifically targets bed bugs and is designed to deliver instant and long-lasting results. I scheduled a follow-up inspection to make sure that these clients are pest free!
Massive Bed Bug Infestation in Manasquan, NJ
I received a call from a homeowner in Monroe Township, NJ who had an ant issue. As temperatures start to rise, ants become very annoying this time of the year. After months of lying dormant, ants wake up hungry and start searching for food. This is typically when ants gain entry into your home. Usually, the kitchen is their go-to place to find food. In this case, ants were seen on the homeowners' kitchen counters and in the sink. As I took a closer look I could tell that they were pavement ants.  Pavement ants are 1/8 of an inch long and are dark brown to black in color. They consume insects, seeds, honey, bread, meats, nuts, and cheese. They forage in trails for distances of up to 30 feet and are known to climb masonry walls that enter into occupied areas. Pavement ants typically nest under stones and pavement cracks— which is how they got their name! Although pavement ants don’t pose a health risk, they can contaminate food and should be avoided.  In order to determine where the ants are gaining access into the home, I will conduct a thorough inspection of the interior and exterior. As I was inspecting the exterior perimeter I found the entry point. Directly outside of the kitchen was a vent that the ants were using as an access point. I found the entry point by following the ants' trail. When ants search to find food, they’ll leave a pheromone trail for them to follow back to the colony. Once an ant finds food it lays down a stronger pheromone trail. When other ants run into that trail, they give up their own search and start following that trail.  I continued to follow the ant's trail to a stump that was located within five feet of the home. Now that I've located where the ants are coming from, the next step is treatment. The most effective treatment is to apply a light liquid application. This application is designed to keep the ants alive long enough so they can transport the product back to their colony. I applied the application to the stump, entry points, and underneath the lip of the siding. By applying the application underneath the lip of the siding will ensure that the product is out of direct sunlight. Direct sunlight on the application will cause it to break it down quickly and no longer affect the ants. Within a few weeks, the ant population should be eliminated.
Ants Spring Out on Kitchen Counter in Monroe Township, NJ
I received a call from a new commercial client in Freehold, NJ who purchased a restaurant that he was going to renovate. Before he could begin renovating, he had a serious issue in the basement kitchen. Cockroaches, and a lot of them! This was a situation that he wasn’t properly equipped to handle so he called Cowleys!  I serviced many types of commercial kitchens throughout my career. Occasionally, there are instances where cockroaches can multiply at an alarming rate and more intensive treatments are required. This was one of those instances. To say that this kitchen was infested with cockroaches would be an understatement. The kitchen was OVERRUN with cockroaches. As soon as I stepped foot in the kitchen I could immediately tell that this job would require intensive treatment. I need to conduct a thorough inspection to identify the type of cockroach and determine the harborage areas.  After my inspection, I determined that these were German cockroaches. German cockroaches are light brown to tan with two dark stripes located on their backs and are oval shaped with six legs and antennae. German cockroaches can be found throughout a building, but show a preference for warm and humid places, such as kitchens or bathrooms. They are a reservoir for a range of bacteria including salmonella, staphylococcus, and streptococcus. German cockroaches can even harbor viruses such as the poliovirus.   After I concluded my inspection I asked the client to remove all the cooking utensils and plates from the area being treated. In addition, all areas not being treated needed to be covered. I provided the client with a checklist that goes over the sanitizing process for this level of an infestation. I also informed him to make sure that all areas that are not covered must be sanitized thoroughly after the treatment is applied to prevent contamination. It turns out the cockroaches were gaining access into the kitchen via a few small gaps in the baseboards. Once everything was removed I began treating the baseboards, cracks, and crevices with an EPA registered growth regulator product that affects the cockroaches reproductive system and prevents them from reaching adulthood. The growth regulator is less toxic than pesticides and just as effective. Applying this treatment will knock down the cockroach population to a manageable level.  The next step of the treatment process is to use a microinjection machine which sprays a very fine mist of an oil based product into the cracks and crevices where the cockroaches may be hiding. This product chases the cockroaches out of hiding and forces them to the areas that were treated with the growth regulator. This process is the safest and most effective long-term treatment method for this level of infestation. Now that all the infested areas are treated, I will follow up with the client at a later date to set up glue trap monitors which will determine if any more harborage areas exist and to reestablish effective pest control of the establishment.
Cockroach Chaos in Freehold, NJ
Introducing our new #TechTalk series from Cowleys. This month, Kevin Vernon shares his expertise about Termites.
TechTalk: All About Termites
Recently, I received a call from a new commercial client in Tinton Falls, NJ. Seems that the owner was noticing mice activity in his storage room. Once I started my inspection I noticed that the storage room is located about four feet away from the back door to his building. When I inspected the storage room door it was pretty obvious that the metal frame was rusted beyond repair. The gaps were what I like to call a
Super Highway for Mice in Tinton Falls, NJ