Middletown, NJ Pest Control Expert Services

This poor homeowner in Middletown, NJ, had a MASSIVE infestation of termites in her living room. She and her husband accidentally found them as they were repairing a window frame. Turns out, the termites had spread almost throughout the entire living room! Termites cause more than $5 billion in property damage in the U.S. each year due to their voracious wood-based diets. They are able to break down the cellulose fibers found in wood and derive much needed nutrients and are one of the few creatures that relies on wood as a primary food source.

Since termites live beneath ground level, with owner's permission, we drilled into the walls of living room and injected a foaming termiticide. Afterward, we drilled into the flooring of the living room and around the entire exterior of the home and injected a liquid version of the termiticide. The termiticide binds to the treated area and creates a protective zone that the termites can't detect. The termites will unknowingly come in contact with this treatment as they go about their normal routines, bring it back to their nest, and transfer it among throughout their colony.

In a short amount of time, the termites will be exterminated and the home will be protected from termites for many years to come.

We recently treated a home in Middletown, NJ that had a severe bed bug infestation in their sons bedroom. The bed bugs were all over the bed frame, the headboard, and even in the corners of the wall! Remember, just because they're called bed bugs doesn't mean that they reside only in the bed. Bed bugs will harbor anywhere close to where they can get a blood meal.

For treatment, we vacuumed up all the live bed bugs and their eggs and then treated the baseboards, bed frame, and the entire room with a bio-pesticide application. This product creates a barrier that infects and exterminates the bed bugs over a short period of time. Lastly, we scheduled several follow-up visits to monitor the infestation and apply any additional treatments if needed.

A new customer in Middletown, NJ called our office stating that she was stung several times by yellow jackets by her driveway. Fortunately, she wasn't allergic, but her toddler is, so we needed to pinpoint the nest and eliminate these aggressive insects ASAP! During our inspection, we noticed a few yellow jackets hovering around an area in railroad times by the end of the driveway. We took a closer look and discovered that the yellow jackets were nesting in a wide gap in the railroad ties. Why didn't anyone notice this before? Because the fallen leaves were blocking the opening!

First, we injected a knockdown aerosol application. Several moments later, we injected a knockdown dusting application. Both of these treatments exterminate the yellow jackets almost immediately. Several moments later, we removed the nest and disposed of it.

I returned for a follow-up visit for one of our commercial accounts in Middletown, NJ. They were having a problem with rats and I came to replenish the bait in our rodent bait stations. When I went to replenish one station, I was greeted by a colony of ants and slugs! 

I removed the station, disposed of the ants and slugs, and then treated the entire exterior with a non-repellent application. Once the ants come in contact with this product, they'll bring it back to their colony to share it with the other ants and the queen. Soon after, the ants will be eliminated. I also replaced that particular bait station with a brand new one. 

I was performing a routine Home Protection Plan service for one of our clients in Middletown, NJ when I noticed carpenter ants harboring in a small crack near the back prochs steps. Carpenter ants are red or black ants, about  1/2 to 5/8 an inch in size that excavate wood and form smooth tunnels inside of the wood. Unlike termites, carpenter ants do NOT eat wood, they only tunnel and chew through wood to create nests. Carpenter ants prefer to attack wood softened by fungus or that is water damaged. 

First, I applied a liquid residual application directly into the small opening and a granuluar bait along the entire exterior of the home. Once the ants come in contact with either one of these products, they will bring it back to their colony and share it with the other ants in the colony, including the queen, either through feeding or grooming. In a short amount of time, the entire colony will be eliminated. 

Recently, a homeowner in Middletown, NJ contacted Cowleys because of a cockroach infestation in her kitchen. Roaches can hitchhike their way into a home in groceries or hidden inside corrugated boxes. Other times, roach eggs are deposited on something brought into the home and hatch once inside.  With exponential roach breeding rates, It does not take long for their population to skyrocket. DIY roach treatments are generally ineffective because the roaches hide in deep cracks and crevices that over-the-counter products simply can’t reach.

Here, I started treatment of the kitchen using an injector that disperses a fog spray that permeates deep into the cracks and crevices where roaches are hiding. For every aroach you see, there are likely dozens that are hidden waiting to come out when the house is quiet and the lights are off. I then moved onto the refrigerator. I moved it away from the wall and found the motherlode. There were dozens and dozens of roaches coming from the wall molding and hidden in the refrigerator motor. These pests are attracted to the warmth of motors so you’ll often find them around appliances. Not surprisingly, when I moved to the dishwasher, I found more hiding roaches. I treated all of the cracks and craves of the rest of the kitchen. It will take some time to work, but the roach population will be knocked down and once any eggs hatch, those roaches will be killed as well.

Recently, a Middletown, NJ homeowner arrived home from work only to discover a gaping hole in the gable vent above her garage. Suspecting it was some wildlife issue, either squirrels or raccoons, she immediately contacted Cowleys to arrange for a nuisance wildlife technician to take care of the situation.

During my inspection of the home’s exterior, I found at least a sliver of good news. The sole point of entry was the hole that the animals made through the gable vent, and the rest of the roof, soffit, and fascia was was undamaged and secure. With only one access point, I installed a one-way device over the gable vent. This allows the animal to leave via a spring-loaded door, but it’s a one-way trip — the animal is blocked from regaining entry. I also set two baited traps near the entrance area. 

Once I am assured that no animals are inside the home, I will seal off the entry point with hardware cloth to temporarily exclude further animal “break-ins” until the homeowner can have the gable vent replaced.

I was sent to Middletown, NJ, for the first visit of a new Home Protection Plan (HPP) customer. The homeowner was anxious for the plan to get started because he had seen ants in the kitchen. With a HPP, a customer has periodic inspections and preventative perimeter treatments throughout the year and they can call us at any time to treat pests covered under the plan at no additional cost. It’s a great budgeting tool for homeowners. 

The homeowner told me that he was mostly seeing ants by the kitchen windowsill and on the floor by the kitchen window. Often, the ant nest is located outside nearby the home and the worker ants trail inside a home to forage for food for the colony. During my inspection, I did not happen to see any insect activity in the kitchen. However, since ants were observed trailing inside, I used an aerosol application around the windows and treated along the kitchen baseboard.

Outside, was a different story. I observed significant ant activity. Ants were trailing up the brick veneer right into an opening where the homeowner had observed ants. I thoroughly treated the exterior perimeter area outside of the kitchen, especially on the brick where the ants were trailing as well as a mulch bed right outside the foundation. Mulch is a favorite harborage area for insects and it is best to leave a foot gap between the home and a mulch bed to reduce the risk of termites and other insects reaching the home. With this residual product, as the foraging ants go to and from the nest, they will carry in back to the colony where it will be distributed. Soon, the queen and the rest of the colony will be eliminated. I was glad that I had a chance to help this customer on our first visit to his home. 

I was recently sent to a home in Middletown, NJ because the homeowner was having trouble with wasps on the property. Upon arrival, the homeowner's caretaker showed me the areas of concern around the property. The most serious issue was a large hornets nest attached to one of the windows in the main home. 

This summer, I’ve had plenty of experience removing hornets nests from structures and trees, so I was prepared for this job. There are different methods for removing nests both efficiently and safely depending on the particular circumstances. For this stinging insect infestation, I chose to use a liquid product that would kill both the wasps in the nest as well any hornets returning to the nest. The treatment takes 2 to 3 days for the nest to become dormant, and once the nest is dormant, it can then be safely removed without the threat of anyone being stung. While there, I also removed two active paper wasps nests from the house and another active nest under a patio bench. 

I later returned for a follow-up visit after giving the application time to “deactivate” the nest. The attached photos show the effectiveness of the treatment. There was not a wasp to be found in, on, or around the nest. Now,  with the nest dormant, I could safely remove the nest, and most important, remove the threat to the homeowner and any visitors of being attacked and stung by a small army of agitated, aggressive, territorial hornets.

Homeowners often assume that buzzing, biting mosquitoes are flying into their backyard to bother them, not realizing that mosquitoes, which do not fly great distances, are often home grown and the females are laying eggs somewhere on their property. If your lawn has more than its fair share of mosquitoes, I could walk with you around your property and show you at least a half-dozen potential mosquitoes breeding grounds.

I was conducting a routine exterior service to a Middletown residence and noticed many areas where one lone female mosquito could lay her eggs -- and a lot of them. Upwards of 200 eggs a few times throughout the season! The key is to look for anything capable of retaining water. With this house, I told the homeowner about kids toys left outside in the yard, a tire swing, clogged gutters, and a bird bath. The tinniest of objects, even a bottle cap, is enough water for a mosquito to lay her eggs. The accompanying photo is a perfect example of a potential breeding site. I took this photo as I was walking back to my truck along the street. 

If all the species of mosquitoes found in New Jersey weren't enough to deal with, over the last decade or so, New Jersey has become another state invaded by the  Asian tiger mosquito. These little pests got their name from their area of origin and their coloring. They are an invasive species, native to Southeast Asia, were first identified in New Jersey right here in Monmouth County in 1995. They soon spread to other areas of the state. They are called "tiger" mosquitoes because of their coloring, a black background with distinctive white markings including a white strip running down the center of its head and back and white bands on its legs.

Also called the tree hole mosquito, the females lay their eggs in small hard-sided containers rather than swamps or marshes. While they like to breed in tree holes, they are happy to use anything else where they can glue themselves to the sides like flower pots, an old bucket, a tin can, or tires. In fact, the spread of this mosquito has been attributed to the interstate transport of used tires.

Unlike other mosquitoes that tend to be active at dusk, this particular species is equally active during the day,making them even more of a nuisance than other species. The Asian Tiger mosquito is an aggressive, persistent biter and can transmit diseases like the West Nile virus and Eastern Equine Encephalitis.