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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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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 recently responded to a complaint from tenants in a unit at one of my commercial accounts, an apartment complex in Manasquan, NJ. The tenants were experiencing unexplained bites while in bed, which is a common first sign of bed bugs. Before arrival, I had a strong feeling that this was a bed bug issue. Of course, I needed to conduct a thorough inspection first to confirm my suspicions.  Starting my inspection in the bedroom, I cautiously peeled the linens and pillows off the bed, looking for signs of bed bugs such as bed bug castes and stains. With bed bugs you want to remove the coverings off any potentially infested items as slowly as possible. NEVER shake or rip any coverings off a potentially infested bed or other furnishings. By doing so, you risk flinging the bed bugs onto other areas of the residence. Bed bugs leave behind pepper-like fecal stains since they consume only blood. You can also find skin castes from molting and very tiny off-white eggs that are coated with a sticky material. To inspect for bed bugs, you need a keen eye, a bright flashlight, and patience to systematically inspect for these evasive insects. When not feeding on their host for their blood meal, these bugs will stay well hidden. 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 created a perfect harborage area.  Bed bugs will hide in suitcases, boxes, and shoes to be near their food supply (mammal blood), which is usually a human host. Although they are primarily nocturnal and feed while we are sleeping and stationary, they are opportunistic insects and can seek out blood meals during the day, especially in heavy infestations. Bed bugs only require five to ten minutes to engorge themselves with blood. After feeding, they then move to secluded places and hide for five to ten 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 knew where the bed bugs were harboring, I was ready to treat and get rid of these biting parasitic insects. Our bed bug treatment is designed to eradicate as many of these bugs as possible in our initial treatment. We do this with a HEPA vacuum whose filer is designed to trap and contain bed bugs. Thorough vacuuming substantially reduces the number of bed bugs. Here, I thoroughly vacuumed the pillows, the seam of the bed, the edges of the bedding frames, the headboard, wall junctures, and even behind electric wall plates. Afterward, I performed a crack and crevice treatment of those areas with a liquid application that specifically targets bed bugs, and is designed to deliver instant and long-lasting results. With bed bugs, we always schedule a follow-up inspection to make sure that the residence is bed bug-free. With bed bugs, the job is complete only when the bed bugs have been eliminated completely, and the residents are not experiencing any more midnight bites.
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
I got a call from a homeowner out in Monroe, NJ who was hearing noises in their attic during the day. The homeowner told me that they literally just had their roof and gutters repaired. When I did my inspection, I saw that 3/4 of the house’s drip edge was not installed, or not installed properly leaving a large gap, between the fascia and the roof edge. If you plan on having your roof and gutters repaired, it's important to make sure it is done properly and that there are no gaps. If not done properly, you're going to have a lot of extra
New Roof No Problem for Squirrel in Monroe, NJ
The name “Bedbug” can be somewhat deceiving when dealing with these pests. Not all bedbugs will live in the bed. Sometimes we find them in recliner’s, couches as well as furniture within close proximity of where you’re at rest the most. In this particular home in Bradley Beach NJ, I found an adult bedbug on the seam of an area rug in a bedroom. I’m a firm believer that a thorough inspection will yield the best possible results. The more thorough the inspection, the chances of success increase tenfold. When I was performing a bedbug treatment I made sure to look at the area rug beneath the bed. As I was scanning the seams with my flashlight I found an adult bedbug that had recently gotten a blood meal. Bedbugs love to have pressure on multiple sides of their bodies when at rest, so any seam within a close proximity to where people rest the most is a likely area where bedbugs will live. Anytime that I find live bedbugs, I make sure that my vacuum is ready and I begin sucking up everything in sight. The vacuum guarantees instant bedbug removal from the home. By vacuuming all the seams in the surrounding areas we are increasing our chances of success. Once all of the areas are vacuumed, a light liquid application is the final step. The liquid application will take care of any eggs as well as leave a residual behind that could potential eradicate bedbugs if they decide to return. It’s also imperative to schedule a two week follow up to monitor the situation. Returning to re-inspect and treat the areas again will only ensure that we are doing everything we can to make sure that the client is happy and the bugs are gone. The best part of this job is making the client happy and giving them a sense of relief. 
Bed Bug Under the Rug in Bradley Beach, NJ
Here we are in Sea Girt, NJ where a client of ours was complaining that she had ants in her bathroom.  Now, the two most popular areas in your home where you will find ants are in the kitchen, because the smell of food attracts them, and in the bathroom because they are attracted to anything that is damp. When I began my inspection in the bathroom, I immediately located the ants coming out of the cracks and gaps of the grout. Upon closer inspection of the ants, I noticed that these ants were Odorous House Ants.  How do I know the difference? Apart from years experience dealing with pests and insects, Odorous house ants, sometimes called odorous ants, are about 2.4 to 3.3 mm in length, they have dark brown or black bodies with one node on their petiole, which is hidden by their abdomens, and they have an unevenly shaped thorax when viewed from the side. Aside from all that technical info, the MAIN reason why they are called Odorous House Ants is that when you crush them, they emit a strong, rotten coconut smell. Hence the name ODOROUS!  Odorous ants enter homes in search of food, preferring sweets and meats. Kitchen pantries and cupboards are common targets for these pests and they prefer to build their indoor nests near locations that are warm and close by to moisture. Odorous ants also nest outside and may crawl indoors through cracks in the foundation or openings around doors and windows.  Odorous house ants are extremely persistent pests, traveling indoors in large numbers. When they invade kitchen storage areas, they have a tendency to contaminate food products. What makes them even more annoying is that they are able to bite, but don’t worry, they don't cause much pain.  In addition to finding ants in bathrooms, as I continued my inspection of the home I also found Odorous ants in the kitchen and basement area. I baited the areas as needed and continued inspecting the entire home to make sure I didn’t miss any access points. Afterward, I suggested to the homeowner that they caulk any open cracks and crevices throughout the home as well as to keep moisture and crumbs at a minimum and to clean up any pet food that is on the floor and to wash their pets food and water dishes.  Odorous ants are attracted to pet food and sanitizing their dishes regularly will minimize the risk of an infestation. This is the time of year where ants are invading homes like crazy and you want to do ever preventative measure to make sure your home isn’t on their list!
Odorous Ants Love Bathrooms in Sea Girt, NJ