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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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This past April, homeowners in New Jersey have seen an exceptionally active month for ant infestations. During the winter, ants enter a state of slowed metabolism, called diapause, and produce glycerol, an alcohol that works much like antifreeze, inside their bodies that prevents them from freezing. As temperatures warm, ants begin to come out of their winter slumber, and after their long period of downtime, they are on a serious mission to find food and water.  Unfortunately, their expert foraging often leads them straight into our homes! Recently, I went out on a service call in Ocean Grove, NJ, for a homeowner who was complaining of ants invading her dining room and kitchen. Upon arrival, I started with an inspection of her kitchen, I immediately found a trail of ants along her baseboard. I identified the ants as pavement ants, one of the more common nuisance ants that infest our homes. Pavement ants are light brown to black, with appendages lighter than the rest of their body. These ants will sting, but only if provoked; otherwise, they’re quite docile and want nothing to do with us. A pavement ant colony includes multiple reproductive queens and a vast number of workers. A mature colony can contain over 10,000 workers! A queen establishes a new colony of pavement ants by laying eggs. Pavement worker ants then tend the queen’s brood until they develop into adults. During their development, broods are transferred from location to location to protect them from fluctuations in moisture and temperature. After identifying the type of ants and their inside trail, I began my inspection of the exterior perimeter of the home to locate their entry point. I started with the exterior portion of the home where I had seen the ants on the inside. Sure enough, I found a continuation of the ant trail that was going up underneath the lip of the siding from a nearby mulch bed! Mulch is a major attractant for insects, including termites, and it should not be placed too close to the home. I did some additional detective work and continued to follow their pheromone trail. I discovered that the ants were coming from a tree in front of the home over 100 feet away! Considering their size, only about 3 mm, it’s an amazing distance to travel. Say what you want about pesky ants, but these little pests are determined and focused.  I treated this infestation with a liquid non-repellent application to the ant trail as well as to the tree from which they were emerging. When worker ants forage for food, they'll lay down a pheromone trail to find their way back to the colony. Once ants find a food source, they will lay down an even stronger pheromone scent for other ants to follow. When an ant comes into contact with this application, they will transport it back to their colony and share it with the others, including the queens. Within a short period of time, the entire colony is eliminated, and the ants in your home are no more! You cannot resolve an ant infestation by just killing the expendable workers. You need a professional use application that will reach their nest and, most importantly, the queens. I treated the entire exterior perimeter of the home, especially underneath the lip of all the siding. Indoors, I applied a liquid gel along the baseboard, cracks, and crevices in the kitchen and dining room. The homeowner was very pleased with our servicing of her home, and gave me, what I consider to be, the best customer compliment of all. She said that she would not hesitate to recommend us to her friends and family for resolving the most troublesome pest infestations. 
Pest Control in Ocean Grove, NJ
Recently, I went out on a service call in Brielle, NJ, for a homeowner who had an unexpected run-in with raccoons in his backyard. While he was getting ready for a late night cookout with his family, his grandkids saw a party crasher: a raccoon was sniffing around the backyard fireplace looking for some goodies. Kids aren’t the only ones who love s’mores! For this homeowner, the raccoon was too close for comfort, and he did not want these large, often vicious, animals roaming around his property. Free-range chickens are great; free-roaming raccoons are not! I began a thorough inspection of the exterior perimeter of the home to determine if there were any exposed areas indicating that raccoons have entered the home. Raccoon moms are clever, strong and extremely determined when it comes to finding a den for their young. Attics are a favorite of raccoons, but they will also nest in crawl spaces, basements, and other out-of-the-way private spaces. They will not hesitate to exploit weaknesses in a structure to gain access into a home. Fortunately, there were no signs of raccoon entry into the home.  Since no raccoons had yet entered the home, this particular job is what we consider to be a free-roaming animal trapping scenario. When nuisance wildlife are actively using a yard, I will strategically place traps throughout the backyard to safely trap any raccoons before they do damage to the property.   Here, I first set up a placement trap near the fence in the backyard where the raccoon ran off to when it was first spotted. Often, with wildlife, especially raccoons, they can be skittish with traps. When they step into a trap and feel the metal flooring, they will back out and move on. For this reason, I like to place mulch in the trap leading all the way up to the trip pan to give the trap a more natural feel; that is until the trap door shuts! I placed another placement trap where the raccoon was the first seen near the fireplace. Once again I placed mulch all the way up to the trip pan to disguise the metal flooring. This home also had a deck near the fireplace that would be an attractive nesting area and set a trap there as well. I scheduled a follow-up inspection to monitor the traps, and the homeowner will be contacting me immediately once a raccoon is captured. Once captured, I’ll relocate the raccoon to a more appropriate environment far away from human habitats.
Free Roaming Raccoon in Brielle, NJ
Recently, I went on a service call for homeowners in Ocean Township, NJ, who had contacted Cowleys after spotting an apparent bed bug on one of their pillows.  Bed bugs are small, brownish parasitic insects that feed on blood, and have a preference for human blood. They bite exposed skin, usually when we are sleeping or resting. The adults have flat bodies about the size of an apple seed; however, after feeding, their bodies swell and become a reddish color. A single female can lay hundreds of eggs, each of which is about the size of a speck of dust, over her lifetime. Immature bed bugs, called nymphs, shed their skins five times before reaching maturity, and require a meal of blood before each shedding. Bed bugs have astonishing reproductive rates. Under favorable conditions, the bugs can fully develop in as little as a month and produce three or more generations per year!  Those who find themselves with bed bugs often ask how these bugs were able to find their way into their home. The answer is that they don’t come in by themselves. We bring them in! Bed bugs are expert hitchhikers. And they can be anywhere just waiting to hitch a ride into your home — from your best friend’s house to the park you take your children to, or even the motel or hotel that you booked for your vacation the other night.  Since the bed bug was spotted on a pillow, I started my inspection in the bedroom. When it comes to pest infestations, it’s essential to perform a thorough and detailed inspection before treatment. This helps us to identify the pest we dealing with, how they are gaining access into the home, and determine the best treatment method. I carefully and slowly pulled back the bed sheets so I would not flick off the bugs. Sure enough, I came across a few bed bugs hiding under the pillow. At first, the infestation seemed to be light. However, I then flipped over the wooden bed frame. There were bed bugs infesting the entire frame — some were even hiding in the screw holes!  I continued inspecting the bedroom and found even more bed bugs in the recliner and the sofa. Needless to say, this room will require a comprehensive treatment. First, I thoroughly vacuumed all of the infested areas to remove the bed bugs and their eggs. Next, I applied a dual-action direct contact liquid residual on the bed frame, mattress, sofa, and all the cracks and crevices throughout the bedroom. Bed bugs have a very thick wax coating on their skin, and this residual is able to break down their thick coating and then seep into their body. The bed bugs then carry this residual back to their colony and in no time at all, the bed bugs are eliminated.  I placed a bed bug mattress encasement, a tightly woven fabric case, over the mattress and box spring. This blocks any other bed bugs from using the bedding as a harborage site, and bed bugs already there cannot escape, and soon die inside. As an added level of security, I inspected the rest of the home for any additional bed bugs. Fortunately, the infestation stayed localized in the bedroom. I scheduled a follow-up inspection to monitor the bed bug activity and apply additional treatments as necessary. 
Bed Bugs Take Refuge Under The Bed Frame in Ocean Township, NJ
Recently, I went out on a service call to a home in East Brunswick, NJ to repair damages from a termite infestation. The homeowner had a termite treatment performed, but the damage was already done. A  wooden sill plate in his garage was destroyed by termites and needed to be completely removed and replaced. This was typical of termite damage, and the homeowner was fortunate that the damage was fairly limited. In the United States, it is estimated that termites are responsible for over 5 billion dollars in structural damage annually. Even worse, since it's considered preventable, many homeowners policies exclude termite damage from coverage! First, I inspected the entire interior and exterior of the property before beginning my repairs. Even though a termite treatment was recently done, I wanted to be 100% positive that there was no more active termite activity in the home. Otherwise, the homeowner would continue to suffer more termite damage, possibly even to the building materials I was going to replace. After ensuring that the home was free of termites, I began my repairs in the garage. First, I removed all of the damaged wooden plates. In extreme cases, if termite damage is left untreated over a period of years, there can be such severe damage to a home that it is beyond repair. Fortunately, that was not the case here, and the damage was fairly limited. Next, I cleaned the area and replaced the wooden plate with a new pressure-treated 2 x 4 plate. Pressure treating is a preservative process that helps wood withstand the elements and wards off termites, microorganisms and fungal decay. This new beam will increase support and security to the homeowner's garage. With the repairs completed, the garage was good as new!
Termite Damage Repair in East Brunswick, NJ
Recently, I went on a service call to a home in Manasquan, NJ for a homeowner who had an issue with ants in her bathroom. Bathrooms provide the perfect breeding ground for ants. Stagnate water and materials coating the inside of your bathroom drains like human hair, soap, and flaked-off skin attract many types of insects, especially ants. And once ants make their way into your bathroom, it can take a great deal of effort to remove them.  As soon as I began my inspection of the bathroom, I immediately noticed ants crawling up and down the floor to a window sill. I identified these ants as pavement ants, one of the more common nuisance ants. These ants received their clever name because the queen often forms her colony under sidewalks, building slabs, and large rocks, all of which provide a dark, moist, hidden area for these ants to build their nests. A common sign of pavement ant activity are sand piles. These mounds of small soil particles are deposited debris from their excavated nests.  Whenever dealing with an ant infestation, I trace the ant trail to determine how and where the insects are gaining access to the building. Here, the ants were using a tiny gap in the window sill to gain access into the bathroom. As I followed the ant trail, I noticed a thin layer of moisture on the bathroom floor. The foraging ants were taking water from the bathroom to their colony. Water is as much of an attractant for ants as food! To resolve this infestation, I applied a liquid gel bait along all the baseboard, windowsill, cracks and cervices in the bathroom. The ants will carry this product back to the nest to 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, especially considering that ant colonies can easily number in the thousands. To successfully resolve an ant infestation, the queen and the rest of the colony members in the hidden nest must be eliminated, and our products do just that.  As an added measure, I treated the attached hallway, the exterior, and a nearby bedroom with a light liquid application. Even though we often cannot access the subterranean nest directly, we use the ants’ social behavior in a colony to reach the nest indirectly. In no time at all, this home will be ant-free!
Pest Control in Manasquan, NJ
Recently, a very frustrated homeowner in Millstone Township, NJ contacted Cowleys because she thought there was a bed bug infestation in her home, but as often happens with these elusive pests, was unable to find a single live bug after searching high and low for over a week. She knew the signs of bed bugs as well and was unable to find any stains or casings in her home. She was starting to think it was all in her head, and confided in me that she was hesitant to even contact a pest control service. I assured her that she did the right thing by contacting us. Bed bugs can be notoriously difficult to locate for the untrained eye, and it is always better to play it safe and have an inspection even if you just THINK you have these pests. Often, the only early sign of a bed bug infestation is waking up in the morning with unexplained bites. I told her that I’d conduct a thorough inspection, and if she had any bed bugs, I’d take every measure necessary to get rid of them.  Bed bugs are small, oval, brownish insects that feed exclusively on the blood of animals, and they have a distinct preference for human blood. Adult bed bugs have flat bodies that are about the size of an apple seed. After feeding, however, their bodies balloon with blood and become a reddish color.  I began my inspection in her bedroom, which is where she was being bitten. I slowly pulled her covers down and inspected them. It is important to remove coverings gently so that any bed bugs are not dislodged. Bed bugs like to hide in the cracks and crevices or creases of bed linens. I immediately put all of her bed linens into a black garbage bag so she could put them right in her washing machine. I advised her to wash the sheets in hot water and then place them in a dryer on the highest setting. I did not find any bed bugs or signs of bed bugs on the linens. Next, I lifted the mattress and inspected all of the seams on the underside. Once again, absolutely nothing. I did the same with the box spring. Again, I saw absolutely nothing in all of the seams.   With a bed bug infestation, eliminating potential places is just as important as finding the bugs. Next, I focused on the bed frame. While inspecting the wooden slats of her bed frame, I saw bed bug droppings. The bed bugs had laid a few eggs as well as some droppings right next to a nylon strap that holds the bed slats together.  It pays to be persistent! I told the homeowner she was right and not imagining anything, and that it was good that she called us sooner rather than later while the infestation was still localized and in its early stages. She was ready to get this job treated immediately. With my HEPA vacuum, I vacuumed all areas of the bed frame, including around the seams of the mattress and box spring. Once completed, I applied a light liquid application to the areas where the bed bugs were found. This application specifically targets bed bugs and is designed to deliver instant and long-lasting results. I scheduled a two-week follow-up to check on the results. I explained to her that it is not uncommon to see a bed bug between the first and second servicing because they have to come out and come into contact with the application. The homeowner was quite relieved that the infestation was immediately found and treated, and said she will contact Cowleys for any future pest problems. For me, that type of immediate customer feedback is what makes my day!
Bed Bug Removal in Millstone Township, NJ
Misidentification of insects by homeowners sometimes happens. A common source of confusion are ants and flying termites. Knowing the difference is critical. While invading ants are a nuisance, wood-destroying termites can cause major property damage. Also, the treatment for these two insects is completely different. Recently, I went out on a service call to a home in Jackson, NJ, after the homeowner contacted us because of a suspected ant problem.  Of course, I’m ready for anything. Upon arrival, to target my inspection, I asked the homeowner where her home had the highest level of ant activity. This helps me identify potential entry points and find the best solution for the infestation. Here, the homeowner told me the heaviest ant activity was in the first-floor bathroom. Ants prefer damp, moisture-rich environments, so it is quite common for ants to build colonies in and around bathrooms. Other common areas of ant infestations are in and around kitchens because of food debris. Ants will build nests in hidden, protected places like wall voids, under appliances, behind window frames and beneath floors. Ants are “commensal” pests, meaning they thrive in human habitats. After all, they like to like to eat much of our food, especially sweets, meats, starches, and liquids, and our homes give them great protection for their colonies. As I inspected the bathroom, I noticed something interesting about these “ants.” They weren’t ants at all. They were termites! And not just termites, but swarmers, that is, reproductive termites. The sole purpose of these winged termites is to reproduce and create new termite colonies. These future termite kings and queens will swarm, find a mate, and then look for a suitable location to start their new colony.  How could I tell the difference between the two? It certainly helps to have thirteen years of on-the-job experience. If you take a detailed look, ants have elbowed antennae and a three-body segment (head, thorax, and waist) while termites have straight and beaded antennae and a two-body segment (a head and a waist). Unless you’re a trained professional, it’s easy to get confused between the two. Now that I knew what I was dealing with, I continued my inspection, I noticed that the termite swarmers were gaining access through a hole behind the bathtub. To treat this early-stage infestation, I applied a highly effective liquid application underneath the bathtub and along the exterior of the property. This application binds tightly to the treated area to create a protective treatment zone undetectable to the termites. Whenever a termite comes into direct contact with the application, it becomes a “carrier,” transferring the product to any other termites it contacts. Within no time, it’s lights out for the termites before they even had a chance to think about causing any damage to the home.  I informed the homeowner about his termite situation. She was none-too-thrilled to hear she had termites. However, I told her that it was a blessing in disguise since the problem was resolved early on. Swarmers are the earliest and most visible sign of a termite infestation. After that, the signs of an infestation are far more subtle, and hidden damage to the home starts. Once I told her how the insects gained access into the home, she informed me that she would immediately hire a contractor to replace her bathtub and repair the hole in the wall. I scheduled a follow-up inspection to make sure that her home is termite-free.
Those Aren't Ants, Those Are Termites Under the Tub in Jackson, NJ
Recently, I went out on a routine service call to one of our commercial clients, a senior living community, in Eatontown, NJ for which we service the common areas as well as the individual units of the residents. Upon arrival, the property manager told me that a resident was having an ant issue in her kitchen, and I jumped right on it! Sure enough, as soon as I began my inspection of her kitchen, there were ants a-plenty.  I found pavement ants trailing along the baseboards and in the cracks and edges of the linoleum tile. Pavement ants are small ants, only about 1/8 of an inch long, and are usually dark brown to black in color. How did they get their name? From their preferred nesting locations. These ants often nest under sidewalks, driveways, and concrete slabs. Pavement ants will feed on a wide variety of food, everything from sugar, fruits, syrups, and small seeds to grease and even other dead insects. Suffice it to say, they're not really picky eaters.  Now that I had identified the type of ant and where they were foraging, the next step was to find how they were gaining access to her kitchen and the general location of their colony. The queen will send out scouts to seek out food and water for the colony. Once the scouts find food or water, they lay down a pheromone scent that attracts even more ants. Following their pheromone trail, I  discovered that the ants were gaining access through a tiny hole underneath the kitchen window, near the dining room table.  I applied a non-repellant liquid application to their entry point, and along the base of the exterior property. Non-repellant applications are undetectable to the ants, so when they come in contact with it,  they return to the colony and share it with other ants, including the reproductive queen. The application works quickly, and soon, the ant population will be completely gone. I advised the resident to ask their community association to repair the hole underneath the kitchen window to help prevent any future infestations. 
Ants Helping Themselves to Kitchen Leftovers in Eatontown, NJ
For the April's Tech Talk, we're talking about everyone's least favorite pest, ticks!
Tech Talk: All About Ticks
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