Marlboro, NJ Pest, Wildlife & Bird Control Experts

Recently, I was sent to deal with some stinging insects that nested in the utility closet of an apartment building in Marlboro, NJ serviced by Cowleys. A technician from the electric company was there to change a meter, came across a nest, and contacted the property manager. The information relayed to me was that it was a carpenter bee nest. Something didn’t sound right to me. Carpenter bees are solitary bees, and the females bore out galleries in wood to deposit their larvae. These bees seek out untreated, often soft, water-damaged wood. Carpenter bees don’t build nests like social bees and wasps. I was anxious to find out what insect was causing all the trouble. 

Upon arrival, I had my answer. These weren’t carpenter bees — they were bumblebees! It’s easy to confuse the two. However, upon closer inspection, you’ll see that bumblebees are a bit smaller and are fuzzy while the larger carpenter bees have a shiny black abdomen. After thoroughly inspecting the area, I noticed that they were entering the utility closet from in between two doors (see photo 1). I came across some nesting material on the ground. After waiting a few minutes, I noticed the bees coming in and out of an entry point. 

Bumblebees aren’t particularly aggressive insects like many wasps and hornets. However, they ae certainly capable of stinging and they will sting if they perceive that their nest is being threatened. Here, after treating their entry point into the closet and moving a bit of debris off the nest, the bees became extremely aggressive. So, if you ever encounter a stinging insect nest (such as the one in photo 2), remove yourself from the area with as little commotion as possible.  

After treating the nest and observed no more activity, I safely removed the nest off the premises. The electric company technician could get back to work and replace the meter. Photo 3 shows the larvae space, which were hard to the touch. Bumblebee larvae feels almost like wood encasing the eggs. These guys are well protected!

Recently, I was sent to a church in Matawan, NJ for a termite inspection. For termites, no building is off-limits — even a church! Here, there was extensive termite activity around the framing of a Termites seen here were having a go at the framing of a small flight of stairs leading to a stage in the church’s gymnasium. There is a common misconception that termite damage can occur only around the perimeter of a building. While perimeter damage is common, termites will find gaps in the foundation anywhere to reach wooden building materials. With these steps, the closest exterior wall was more than 100 feet away. I took some photos of some termites in action showing workers gathering food for the colony and a soldier termite tasked with protecting them. 

An expedited termite treatment has been scheduled.

Most of my days are filled with dealing with nuisance wildlife problems. I find the best solution to capture and relocate the animals, clean up whatever damage they have made, and close up the entry points into the home to prevent a re-infestation. I love my work and dealing with animals. Many forget that us wildlife technicians are all animal lovers at heart, or we couldn’t be in this type of work. Our job is a win-win. We help homeowners resolve wildlife infestations, but we also help wildlife by relocating the animals to an area that is better suited for them. We have a responsibility to treat animals humanely and with compassion, especially as we continue to take over more and more of their natural habitat. As our living spaces expand, the inevitable consequence is more human-wildlife encounters. My job is to resolve those animal interactions that have become too close for comfort and pose a threat to a family, we can never forget that animals have a basic right to live on this planet too.

Every so often, I have a special day at work that leaves me with great memories and some interesting stores to share. This was one of them. I was assigned a routine job of trapping some raccoons that had taken up residence in a homeowner’s attic. Even though I’m often around wildlife, I witnessed something pretty unusual. This homeowner was himself an admirer of wildlife, and had been feeding deer in the area. He has been doing so with enough frequency that some deer recognized him as a friend, someone non-threatening. It reminded me of the same initial interaction from which wolves slowly became domesticated as dogs; those less aggressive wolves realized that they could have a pretty good life hanging around humans for food and protection. You can call it survival of the friendliest. In this case, over time, deer actually approached the homeowner. If I did not see it with my own eyes, I would not have believed it. A doe and her two fawns were literally eating food out of his hand! According to the homeowner, this little family would leave the nearby woods and stand by his side door, every day at the same time, waiting for some treats. He said that they were so consistent you could almost set your clock to when they would arrive. They loved apples, of course, but, surprisingly, they also liked bird seed. Most of my days are spent separating nuisance wildlife from human habitats for the benefit of both species. On special days like this, however, it was a wonderful change of pace to see people and animals getting along. It’s a great reminder that we all live together on this planet, and our connection with wildlife can be a positive one. For the rest of that day, as the saying goes, I had a smile on my face that nobody could wipe off.