Pest Control Company & Exterminators in Dayton, NJ

As I was completing my inspection of a commercial establishment in Dayton, NJ, I asked some employees if they had noticed any pest activity since our last servicing. They said that they had spotted a mouse and reported it to the manager. This facility has had rodent problems in the past and we had traps set up. I checked all of the rodent equipment to see if there were any signs of mice. As I made my way over to the bathroom, I smelled something that was quite familiar to me — the smell of mice.  There was a hidden “tin cat” mouse trap. A “tin cat” is a baited mouse trap that can catch up to 30 mice per setting. Sure enough, a mouse was inside. I removed the mouse and replaced the glue board. For good measure, I set up additional glue boards in the area where there were signs of rodent activity.

I handle the pest control needs for a senior residential community in Dayton, NJ. The property manager informed me that they were having a serious problem with flies, so I immediately went out to resolve the infestation and determine the source of the problem. With flies, more often than not, the problem is sanitation-related. If garbage and food scraps are left out in the open unsealed, you’re asking for trouble. That trouble may come in the form of flies, cockroaches, other insects, rodents, and wildlife.  

Once I began my inspection, I immediately noticed several serious sanitation issues that needed to be addressed immediately. First, there were two dumpsters that were only about five feet away from the back of receiving door for deliveries. This was way too close to the building. To make matters words, the door was left wide open. Any flies that were attracted to the garbage could be easily sucked into the building by the air current — they would not even have to try to get into the building on their own initiative. Second, I found dirty garbage cans with garbage debris and coffee grounds on the bottom. Flies are attracted to decaying food debris and garbage. 

I strongly suggested that management move the dumpsters farther away from the rear entrance and and that the garbage cans be thoroughly cleaned. Garbage cans should always be bagged and the tops should have a firmly sealed lid. Finally, I performed a treatment with a residual application to the top lids of the dumpsters, around the frames of the doors, and any surface areas where flies could land.

This past winter, the food supply for ants spoiled or depleted much earlier than usual because of the warm, dry weather we experienced. Since then, we’ve had a cooler wet spring. As a result, as we enter summer, ants have been unusually active and aggressively seeking food. As a result, we’ve had a large spike in calls from homeowners dealing with ant infestations. 

To resolve an ant infestation, you have to kill the queen and the rest of the colony. It is not enough to kill a few isolated foraging ants. One of the most effective ways to control and eliminate ant infestations is by employing a granular ant bait. Granular ant bait is brought back by the foraging ants to the colony, where it is shared and eaten by the reproducing queen and worker ants. This bait, in combination with a liquid application treatment available to pest control applicators, virtually ensures that the ant population is knocked down quickly.

In the image in Dayton, NJ, you can actually observe ants transporting the granular bait back to the colony immediately after I set the bait. Ants just love this stuff, and even better, they love sharing it with the rest of the colony!

During my day as a Cowleys pest control technician, I periodically come across some interesting insects during my home inspection. Here, in Monroe Township in southern Middlesex County, I came across a Halloween display better than anything you could buy in a store: A beautiful garden spider was beginning to weave its treacherous web on a customer’s fence.  During the fall season, it doesn’t take long to find a spider and its intricate webbing. I carefully removed this spider and let her go into the woods away from a human habitat where it could enjoy the rest of its crawly life in peace.

Like the misunderstood bat, spiders have an undeserved reputation as something that is scary, creepy, and dangerous. Out of the thousands of species of spiders, only two in New Jersey are poisonous, the black widow and the brown recluse. Of course, it’s always best to avoid touching any spider. While spiders never actively seek human contact, they will bite if they feel threatened or endangered.

For the most part, spiders are beneficial insects for humans. They are one of the best biological forms of pest control — and they don’t cost homeowners a penny! Spiders will happily feed on common indoor pests that they ensnare in they web including mosquitoes, flies, clothes moths, and roaches. Also, spiders kill other spiders in gladiator-like competitions for survival, so they maintain their own populations as well. So, if you happen see a spider, just remember that he is working around the clock helping to control insect populations in and around your home — and he doesn’t even expect a thank-you!