Ocean County, NJ Pest Control

I received a call for a raccoon in a sail boat  at a marina in Brick. The boat was docked at its slip. When I performed my inspection I found the raccoon asleep on a shelf inside the boat. I was able to grab the raccoon with my snare pole and put it in a trap. I relocated the raccoon to a more proper area. In addition, I advised the boat owner to keep the doors to his boat closed. He had left them open.

Funny thing is they went for a boat ride and didn't know the raccoon was inside the boat. He later found that the raccoon raided the cabinets and gorged on pretzels and bottles of water.

A restaurant in Brick contacted Cowleys to resolve an ant infestation. While insect or rodent infestations are a problem for any business, for restaurants, these infestations are potentially devastating. There are few things worse than restaurant patrons spotting an insect or two roaming around the table that is eyeing the same food.  Talk about quick way to lose your appetite.

A dirty kitchen with food remnants on counters and on the floor is an open invitation for ants and worse, like roaches and rodents. This restaurant had a smorgasbord of food under their fryer (see picture).

While this restaurant had to implement procedures to keep ants out of the kitchen in the future, the first order of business was to quickly resolve the current infestation. Ants are social insects that live in colonies. For long-term results, the colony must be eliminated. Killing isolated foraging ants with a over-the-counter spray is ineffective, and the fumes are potentially harmful. A pest control technician has the chemical applications to resolve the problem quickly. Also, with food establishments the proper applications are critical because it is unsafe to use certain chemicals in food preparation areas. 

I applied the proper treatment to destroy the infestation, and the kitchen staff was ready to clean and sanitize this area. When it comes to insects, restaurants must have a zero tolerance policy. No restaurant should have allowed such food and filth to accumulate on a restaurant floor. This restaurant was fortunate that I observed this issue before a health inspector. After the treatment, the restaurant would be instituting a periodic pest control treatment plan to stay on top of any potential problems. While it is difficult to keep all spills and crumbs cleaned up all the time, it is an essential task in order to keep pests out. Insects are constantly on the prowl for food and water sources, and a commercial kitchen that is not kept in tip-top shape is kitchen will inevitably face an infestation problem.

I reviewed standard cleaning protocols with the kitchen staff and reviewed the potential entry points for foraging ants to find their way into the kitchen. The smallest gaps or cracks have to be immediately sealed, and any screens on windows or doors, as well as any weather stripping, must be kept in good repair. Well-run commercial kitchens work in conjunction with a pest control professional to make sure that insects are one item that’s not on the menu.

By the time I left, the ant infestation was resolved and the restaurant was ready to put preventative measures in place. All in all, it was a good productive day — for me, for the restaurant, and, for those who were planning on eating here for lunch or dinner. 

Today, I arrived at a customer’s home in Watertown for one of our scheduled visits that is included in our residential protection plans. As part of this servicing, I always carefully inspect the entire exterior perimeter of home for any active or potential pest issues. During this inspection, I observed that a tree near the home had fresh “sawdust” along the soil surrounding the entire tree, which is a sign of wood-boring carpenter ants. Upon further inspection, I observed ant galleries and ant harborage areas — all confirming signs of carpenter ant activity.

Because these ants were uncomfortably close to the perimeter of the home, I decided to be proactive and treat the infestation now. I first treated the base of the tree and the problem areas with a residual liquid application. Next, I followed up with an ant gel bait that I placed in all of the openings and cracks using a crack and crevice method. Finally, to further reduce the ant population, I applied ant bait to the soil areas around the circumference of the entire tree.

After completing the treatment, I spoke with the customer and explained the steps taken to eliminate the carpenter ant activity near her home. I set up a two week follow-up appointment to inspect and monitor the activity levels. The customer was pleased with the service and the treatment. I look forward to returning in two weeks to see the results. Carpenter ants, while not as damaging to property as termites, are still destructive wood-destroying insects. It is important to treat them at the first sign of trouble since their populations will only grow.

The transition into fall brings cooler temperatures, and the cooler weather is a trigger for numerous types of bugs and beetles start looking for a warm and dry harborage (our homes!) in which to overwinter and escape the harsh outdoor elements. One of the more common unwanted overwintering nuisance invaders is the Boxelder bug. These bugs are so-named because these they are a common pest of female seed-bearing boxelder tree. Often, when I tell a customer that they have a boxelder bug infestation and I explain that a “boxelder” is a type of tree, the usual response is that they never heard of that type of tree let alone have one on their property — and unless you are an arborist, most of us could not identify a boxelder tree even if one of its tree limbs fell on us! Even though these bugs feed primarily on the seeds of boxelder trees, they are not selective. These bugs have no issues infesting maple and ash trees, which are more commonly found. When overwintering, these pests often invade structures by the hundreds. They find their way inside by pushing through every available crack or crevice they can find. Although these bugs do not breed inside, their sheer numbers can be overwhelming to the occupants.

While performing my monthly service on one of my commercial accounts, I observed many Boxelder bugs on and around the building.
 
Boxelder bugs have similar behavior to the dreaded sting bug. Both seek to overwinter in warm, dry areas of a home or building. A favorite area of infestation of overwintering bugs is the attic where they like to tuck themselves under the insulation away from view.

The best way to control these pests is by taking preventative steps to exclude them from getting inside the structure in the first place. All cracks around the building should be caulked and any visible entry points should be sealed. However, despite taking these steps, these persistent bugs can still weasel their way inside. It is virtually impossible to make a building completely impermeable to insects. With this commercial customer, there was a heavy active infestation despite taking precautions. I applied a treatment around the building’s exterior perimeter of the structure to repel as many of these unwanted invaders as possible. The treatment substantially reduced the boxelder bug population, and this customer will experience far fewer bugs inside the structure.

I was dispatched to an apartment unit in Lakehurst to treat a bed bug infestation. Bed bug infestations are particularly common in apartments and other high density living arrangements like dormitories and nursing homes. Simply put, the more people coming and going, the more chance there is of a hitchhiking bed bug finding its way inside. In these cases, it is important to pounce on a bed bug problem quickly, so the infestation stays localized to specific areas and does not spread.

A thorough bed bug inspection must be systematic from top to bottom. During this particular inspection, I found something unusual: There were bed bugs congregating in the corners of the ceiling! Of course, bed bugs can hide anywhere and everywhere, but their favorite spots are those small, tight locations in and around bedding and other upholstered furnishings — those locations where its human hosts are resting or sleeping when its time for their blood meal.

During my initial conversation with the tenant, he told me that before he reported the problem to property management, he had attempted to self-treat the infestation himself. Often, as was the case here, DIY attempts make matters worse. All of those home remedies for getting rid of bed bug infestations googled on the Internet, from spraying isopropyl alcohol to spinning diatomaceous earth are ineffective. Customers wind up wasting money, and, even worse, lose valuable time, allowing the insect population to grow and spread, becoming even more entrenched. Those in the pest control business know of far too many horror stories of chemical poisoning because of people using the wrong type of pesticide, including products prohibited for indoor use, using too much pesticide, or applying it improperly. For example, certain products can cause skin reactions and should not be applied to mattresses.

In this apartment unit, the bed bugs exiled themselves to the ceiling because the tenant decided to self-treat with boric acid (see pic of product along with a few dead bed bugs). My partner technician and I explained to the tenant that self-treatment can pose a potential health hazard, and applying applications inside a home, without any training and technical understanding of how to do so, can be extremely dangerous. I explained that boric acid, another favorite Internet home remedy, was ineffective for bed bug control. Boric acid is a desiccant that dehydrates insects. If used at all, it should be limited to cracks and crevices to minimize inhalation risk. The boric acid pushed the bed bugs up into the corners of the ceiling, making the problem worse not only for himself, but also possibly spreading the infestation to other units.

I vacuumed up as much of the boric acid away from the baseboards as I could and then applied the correct professional treatment to get rid of this troublesome infestation.

I was sent to a homeowner in Ocean Gate who had called Cowleys in a panic. She was in the midst of an ongoing bird infestation. Sparrows and starlings were using her roof to nest and roost. Nuisance birds, which usually involve pigeons, sparrows, starlings, and sea gulls, can become a major problem for any homeowner unfortunate enough to find themselves with a bird infestation. These invading birds can cause significant property damage. Their acidic droppings do far more than create unpleasant odors. They ruin vegetation, painted surfaces, gutters and awnings, and cause electrical equipment to malfunction. House sparrows can damage rigid foam insulation, and their nests can become fire hazards.Birds also carry a host of pathogens, including serious respiratory fungal diseases like histoplasmosis.

When I arrived on the scene, I immediately noticed the homeowner had Spanish-style roofing. These clay roof tiles, with pattern of distinctive ripples, are aesthetically beautiful. However, when it comes to bird control, this type of roof poses quite a challenge. Spanish style roof tiles are very fragile, and there is always the risk of roof damage if the technician does not know what he is doing. Also, because of their design, these tiles have many gaps and openings where pest and wildlife can find easy access for nesting sites. At Cowleys, we don’t shy away from difficult projects, and our philosophy is that if others can’t or won’t do it, we will. After meeting with this distraught homeowner, I was not about to let her continue suffering for another day because of this worsening bird infestation.

It was time to “take care of business.”  First, I first carefully removed any nesting material and debris left behind from the birds making sure to not damage any of the tiles in the process. I then cleaned and sanitized the problem roof areas of pathogens and bird mites. Next,  I installed copper mesh in all the openings and backed it with an exclusion foam.

Bird control is all about behavior modification. The objective is to create a inhospitable environment, so they move their activities elsewhere. Every job is different depending on the structure and the type of bird, but in this case, I used a Bird Barrier Optical Gel, a type of multi-sensory bird repellent. I placed this amazing gel in plastic pucks, and glued them to each of the roof bump-outs with a silicone adhesive. 

This completely safe product helps deter birds from landing in the treated areas. When we look at this product, we see only a small disk full of a bland white gel. However, birds have far better color vision that us. They have cones in their retinas that give them ultraviolet vision, a much broader spectrum of colors. As a result, under a bird’s Ultraviolet Light Spectrum, this gel actually looks like a giant fireball — a hazard that they instinctively want to avoid!  Of course, there is no actual flame. It’s all one big illusion that prevents future bird issues.

Needless to say, this Ocean Gate homeowner was quite relieved that I had taken care of her bird problem that she had been dealing with. As a general matter, bird infestations do not self-resolve, and the longer they have taken over a roof, the more likely it is that they are not going anywhere without giving them a few “incentives” to leave.

A tenant in an apartment complex in Seaside Park were waking up with bug bites for the past five months. Finally, he decided to contact the property manager. Unfortunately, these delays are more common than you would think. Often, mysterious bites are the earliest sign of a bed bug infestation. If you wake up int he morning with unexplained bites, and you can’t attribute the bites to anything else, it is critical that bed bugs be ruled out as the cause. This is especially true if you have recently traveled or you live in a high-density building like an apartment or college dormitory where infestations can easily spread from unit to unit. 

Upon arrival, I performed a full bed bug inspection throughout the unit to determine the extent of the infestation. Bed bug populations grow rapidly. Because of the extensive delay, by the time that I had arrived, I knew that the infestation would be bad. I just needed to find out how bad. 

These pictures reflect some of what I observed during my initial inspection. It wasn’t pretty! On the bed frames, there were fecal stains, one of the more visible signs of bug activity. Bed bugs are external parasites that feed exclusively on the blood of their hosts. As a result of their diet, their excrement appears as small dark dots that resembles black pepper flakes. Because they live exclusively on blood, their fecal stains bleed onto fabric just like a marker would.

First, I vacuumed up the live bugs. While you can’t get every single of them, it’s an effective way to start treatment. I thoroughly vacuumed the bedding, all furniture, and along the baseboards. Once this was completed, I was ready to commence a full treatment with appropriate applications. This was a particularly heavy infestation, and will require at least one follow-up visit. The infestation will be considered resolved when the tenant has no more bites, and further inspections show that there are no more bed bugs or evidence of bed bug activity.

This New Egypt homeowner had chronically high indoor humidity levels in his basement. High humidity in below-grade areas of your home can lead to significant property damage. Ongoing dampness from humidity can cause the walls and foundation in your basement to rot, leading to structural damage. Also, excess air moisture can also trigger dangerous mold growth. Even when mold is not growing in your living spaces, air currents carry the mold spores everywhere throughout your home. This contaminated air is a health hazard for the home’s occupants, especially those with mold sensitivities or preexisting respiratory problems like asthma.

Dehumidification is the most important long-term preventative measure for removing excess moisture from the air and preventing condensation that may form on concrete walls, especially during the Jersey Shore’s infamous hot and muggy summer days. For this home, we installed a commercial-grade SaniDry CX dehumidifier that is specifically designed for crawl spaces and mid-sized basements. (For larger areas, the SaniDry makes an XP model.)  SaniDry dehumidifiers operate in temperatures as low as 40 degrees F, and are much more powerful than traditional dehumidifiers. If necessary, they have the capability of extracting close to 14 gallons of water per day at 80 degrees F. These dehumidifiers are maintenance-free and require no human intervention. They automatically, turn on and off using a built-in hygrometer that measures indoor relative humidity. They are connected directly into the sump pump or drainage system so there is no water tray to worry about. These humidifiers will maintain a maximum humidity level of 55%, and at these low levels there is not enough moisture for mold to grow. Homeowner feedback is overwhelmingly positive. We hear time and time again how great it is to have a home circulating with with crisp, clean, dry air instead of thick, smelly, humid air.

The Cowleys team also installed a condensate pump to remove the water that is pulled out of the air from the dehumidifier. To make the unit look more aesthetically pleasing, we installed this compact, unobtrusive dehumidifier so that the cords and discharge hose were concealed. 

The homeowner was pleased with our installation, and we are confident that once it’s up and running, he will be even more pleased. His family will enjoy improved indoor air quality, and his home will be protected against basement mold growth caused by high humidity levels.

A Manahawkin homeowner was hearing wildlife noises in his attic at daybreak every morning like clockwork. He realized that the problem would not self-resolve and contacted Cowleys to inspect the attic and resolve his wildlife problem. I suspected that squirrels were the likely culprits. There was heavy squirrel activity in this neighborhood and, because they are agile climbers, attics are a favorite spot for them. Also, the timing and nature of  the noises coming from the attic dictated that we were dealing with squirrels. First, squirrels are diurnal animals, active during the day and asleep at night. Raccoons, on the other hand, are primarily nocturnal, although they may venture out during the day (especially females foraging for her litter). With squirrel infestations, many homeowners report hearing wildlife sounds like scampering and scratching early in the morning and at dusk. The scampering sounds of squirrels will be older than those of mice or rats because they are larger rodents. Squirrels also make some surprisingly weird vocal alarm signals.  

I inspected the attic to determine the location of any access points. Often, I’ll find holes in a home’s siding or under the soffits, especially when there is wood rot. With this home, however, the squirrels did not have to do any work at all to gain access to the attic. Form the attic, I could easily see that the dryer vent connection had disconnected, allowing easy access to the attic. 

Ii was time to take care of the infestation. I set live traps along the path that the squirrels were taking, and over the course of a few days, I safely and humanely trapped, removed, and relocated three squirrels from the home. Once I determined that there was no more squirrel activity inside the attic and around the dryer vent, I installed a dryer vent cover to block this potential access point for good.

A commercial property owner in Lakewood, NJ had plumbing and gas lines installed into the building and areas around the pipes were not sealed. Often, there are gaps around pipes large enough for mice to enter, but these gaps were large enough for curious squirrels that were more than happy to explore new territory. With any wildlife problem, you have to do more than just resolve the current infestation. It is critical to do the follow-up preventive exclusion work where the technician locates and seals any actual or potential access points to prevent a re-infestation. 

Cowleys technicians not only excluded all of the gaps around the pipes, but also fabricated boxes to fit over the pipes in order to keep squirrels from re-accessing the area.

While servicing a home for one of our home protection plan customers in Forked River, NJ. I needed to go into the crawl space to check, and replace as necessary, the bait in the mouse bait stations that I had set in a prior visit. As I opened the hatch to access the crawlspace I was greeted by a few of eight-legged arachnids (spiders).

Before I started working with Cowleys as a pest control technician, like most everyone else, I had a strong aversion to spiders. I did not have a debilitating case of arachnophobia where I was paralyzed with fear, but spiders definitely gave me the creeps. However, like many pest control techs, when you run into pests on a daily basis, you start to become a desensitized and you overcome your fears. Many insect infestations require us to inspect the non-living areas of the home like dark crawl spaces whose humid environment attracts many insects, especially spiders. Any time you enter a crawl space, it’s part of the job to run into a lot of sticky spider webbing. Spiders just love basements, crawl spaces, and garages. These cool, dark areas of the home are great places for them to hangout and wait for their prey to get stuck in their webs. 

Objectively, spiders have an underserved bad reputation. Just like with snakes, very few are venomous. For example, here in New Jersey, we only have to worry about one venomous spider, the black widow, and even then, their bites are rarely lethal. The reality is that spiders are beneficial insects. Spiders are insect-eating machines, and they help reduce the populations of many other insects that carry diseases including flies, fleas, cockroaches and mosquitos. Spiders rarely bite people, unless they feel threatened or they are inadvertently sat or laid on.

So, although I'm still cautious around spiders, as a pest control technician, I’ve gained a much better understanding and respect for the benefits of having spiders around to control those pesky insects that no one wants. Of course, you can have too much of a good thing, and every so often, Cowleys has to help out customers whose homes have been overrun with spiders.

Cowleys handles all of the pest control matters for many condominiums, senior communities, and other multi-unit housing throughout New Jersey. I was recently sent to a condominium community in Lanoka Harbor, NJ for which we perform all of the preventative pest control treatments in addition to resolving any active pest infestations faced by the homeowners. The property manager informed us that the owner of one of the the units was plagued by small army of ants roaming around garage. As I was heading there, I thought that this was a somewhat unusual ant infestation because these insects are attracted to those locations in a home like kitchens and bathrooms where there is water and moisture.

Upon arrival, I inspected the garage. I observed several ants exiting a small hole in the beam going across the garage. The homeowner also relayed to me a valuable piece of the puzzle: The A/C repairman who was doing routine servicing of all of the units told her that he had found large ant nest in her neighbor’s attic. Whenever dealing with an ant infestation, one of the key objectives is to locate the ant nest so that the queen and the rest of the colony can be eliminated. It saved me a lot of time to be told the general location of the ant nest. This was also an example of how, in attached multi-unit dwellings, an insect infestation can easily transfer from one unit to the next. Here, this unit shared a common wall with another unit on the right side.

While in the garage, I observed ants trading across a garage beam. It was clear that these ants were coming into this garage from the other unit because there was no ant activity to be found on the unit’s exterior. I treated along the beam with a non-repellent application that the ants are unable to detect. We purposely don’t want the ants to avoid the product because we want them to bring it back to the nest and share it with the other ants through feeding and grooming. This way, we use the ant’s social behavior in order to eliminate the entire colony.

I was conducting an exterior inspection of a home in Brick, NJ as part of our home servicing plan. I came across holes in the paver stones. The homeowner thought that ants were responsible for the “vandalism.” However,  based on the type of damage, I knew otherwise.  

These multiple entranceways were the home of the aptly named digger bee. These bees make their nests below ground so that they can later lay their eggs without them being disturbed. They are quite a nuisance because, as you can see, swarms of these bees can dig holes are everywhere. In severe cases, they can even cause paving stones to collapse. 

To get rid of these insects, I applied a dust to each hole individually. While this is a time-consuming pain-staking process to go hole-by-hole, it is the most effective way to resolve a digger bee infestation.

Recently, I was dispatched to a commercial kitchen in Bayville, NJ that was having a problem with flies entering their facility through their backdoor. Flies carry a host of diseases and can transfer fecal matter and other pathogens to anything that they land on, including food and counter-tops. Obviously, for restaurants or anyone in the food service industry this is a serious health hazard. Fly infestations must be resolved in their early stages before they get out of hand and before the problem is noticed by patrons.

To deal with this fly infestation, I installed a fly light that attracts and traps many types of flying insects, including flies, gnats, and mosquitoes. The fly light lures insects with a special UV light and shiny surfaces and then captures them on pheromone fly monitor boards.  After this servicing, the customer decided join our fly control program so we can institute preventative measures to keep out flies and keep tabs on insect activity. These trapping boards will allow me to monitor the level of fly activity on subsequent visits. Needless to say, for a commercial kitchen, fly control is essential and restaurants should look for pest control service experienced with the unique pest control needs of their business.

When homes and other structures have ongoing problems with nuisance birds like pigeons and seagulls landing, roosting, and nesting on ledges, gutters, and other areas around the roof, our Bird Solutions division can install various types of physical barrier deterrents that instantly converts your property from a desirable bird habitat into an undesirable one. Once we remove the landing spots on your ledges and other areas, the birds simply “pack their bags” and move elsewhere.  

Proper installation of deterrents by an experienced bird control specialist is essential. One of the most common physical deterrents that we install are bird control spikes. For this house in Barnegat, NJ that was having a nuisance bird problem, I installed bird spikes on the chimney caps.

The feedback from the homeowner was great. Once these spikes were installed, the birds were given a strong message that they were no longer welcomed here, and they moved elsewhere! Unfortunately, when dealing with birds, they often become someone else’s problem. ideally, we want the birds to use natural structures to land, roost, and nest instead of using homes and buildings.

Birds follow the path of least resistance and if there is a home or other structure that is making things difficult for them, there are plenty of other locations to choose from.

Bird spikes are an effective and humane deterrent that prevents birds from landing on ledges and other areas where they are installed including roof peaks, I-beams, parapet walls, and, yes, even chimney caps! They are especially effective for larger birds like pigeons and seagulls. Depending on the homeowner’s budget and the building’s color scheme, we can install virtually invisible stainless steel spikes or plastic spikes available in a variety of colors. The acidic, toxic droppings of birds are more than unsightly. They can cause property damage — even dissolve roof shingles —  and are a health hazard for the home’s occupants. 

One of the most common physical deterrents that we install are bird control spikes. For this house in Beach Haven, NJ that was having a nuisance bird problem, I installed bird spikes on their gutters.

Solar panels are becoming more and more popular with homeowners. Harnessing the energy of the sun saves on utility bills and is a renewable energy source that is environmentally friendly. However, at Cowleys, we do come across one problem with solar panels installed on the roof. For whatever reason, solar panels are often a magnet for nuisance birds, especially pigeons. They just love to nest underneath them where they can stay hidden and protected from predator birds like hawks and ospreys. 

With their prodigious (not to mention toxic and acidic) droppings, pigeons can make a mess of your roof and the surrounding area of your home. Droppings landing on occupants trying to enter and leave the home are not unread of. Also, if you’ve ever been around a flock of pigeons, they make constant sounds. The males make calls to attract mates and defend their territories and they also make calls of alarm when they feel their territory is being threatened. I have yet to meet a homeowner who enjoys having pigeons nesting and roosting on their roof. Without exception, homeowners want these “rats with wings,” as their often called, gone!! 

Cowleys has a specialized division, Bird Solutions by Cowleys, devoted to the installation of a variety of bird deterrent devices for residences and commercial properties of all sizes. With this home in Barnegat Light, NJ, we excluded the birds by installing a solar panel exclusion system. This effective deterrent will keep pigeons and other birds away from the solar panels without harming them. The objective with bird control is to modify the birds’ behavior by making your property inhospitable for them. If your property is made difficult for birds to land on or there are strategically placed visual deterrents that scare the birds away, it will not take long for the birds to “pick up their bags” and move elsewhere. 

Recently, I was called back in early October to a home in New Egypt, NJ that had been previously treated for a carpenter bee infestation in the front porch railing of her home. Carpenter bees are wood-boring insects. The female dig galleries into the wood to repost their larvae and, by doing so, can cause extensive wood damage. Every so often, there is a re-infestation, and of course, we will immediately return to treat the affected areas and resolve the problem for good. 

Candidly, on the way to this job, I was a bit skeptical of the homeowner’s claim of a re-infestation. I have been in this line of work for quite a number of years, and I’ve never seen or heard about active carpenter bee activity extending beyond the summer months this late into the year. But as the saying goes — never say never, especially when it comes to pest control. Insect behavior never ceases to amaze me, and once you think that you have them pegged, they turn around and surprise you. 

Upon arrival, the homeowner showed me what was clearly a small pile of “frass” — a sawdust-like waste product of the bees boring into the wood and nearby, a dead carpenter bee. Sure enough, the homeowner was right. Some carpenter bees decided to rear their ugly heads well after what anyone would consider active bee season. In the picture, you can see the white dust that we had applied into the boreholes to used to treat the initial infestation. Seeing the dead bee indicates the long life of this product. Clearly, the treatment was still working.

To treat the re-infestation, I inspected for new boring holes and applied to dust to treat those holes as well as the existing holes. I’m confident that that with this re-treatment and dropping temperatures, this homeowner should not be dealing with any more carpenter bees.

I was dispatched to Toms River, NJ to help a homeowner get rid of some nasty yellow jackets. Fortunately, no one had yet been stung, and I wanted to keep it that way. Yellow jackets cause more concern than most other stinging insects, and for good reason. They are highly aggressive and territorial. Yellow jackets are social insects that live in colonies with a reproducing queen and workers that forage for food to feed the larvae, build the nest, and protect it against threats. Because yellow jackets do not lose their stinger when they inject their venom, a single yellow jacket is capable of stinging multiple times. Also, a yellow jacket nest can grow to several thousand of these insects, so a yellow jacket attack can result in dozens and dozens of painful stings. Compounding the problem of a yellow jacket infestations is where they build their nests. Unlike many other stinging insects, especially those that live in colonies, they don’t build their nests above-ground where they are easy to spot, and hopefully, avoid before it is removed. Instead, yellow jackets prefer to dig their nests in hidden locations. We find these nests built anywhere and everywhere around homes including holes in the ground and in wildlife burrows. 

This particular homeowner wound up with a yellow jacket nest built right in the ground underneath a cable box in front of his home. Because of the location of this nest, it posed a huge risk to the home’s residents. There was no question that this colony had to be eliminated and eliminated quickly. Because these insects are so aggressive and will quickly attack anyone they deem to pose a threat, the first thing I did was to put on a protective suit. Just like everyone else, pest control technicians don’t like getting stung. It’s an occupational hazard of the job, but we do our best to avoid it.  With any stinging insect job, we always have our guard up to protect ourselves, and we take safety precautions such as wearing protective suits. 

After I was suited up, I injected a dust into the opening where they were entering and exiting the nest and marked the nest location with a flag to identify its location. This product is highly effective and will eliminate the nest within 24 hours.

When I was first assigned to this particular wildlife job at a golf course in Jackson, NJ, I was reminded of that classic 1980 film “Caddyshack.” The comically deranged Carl Spackler, the assistant groundskeeper for an exclusive country club, played by Bill Murray, is tasked with stopping a gopher infestation that is destroying the course. One particularly destructive, elusive gopher outsmarted him at every turn (and even whimsically poked its head out of its burrow to dance to the movie’s theme song, the Kenny Loggins song, “I’m Alright.”) Frustrated Carl tries to shoot, drown, and even use dynamite to kill the gopher, all without success.  That’s where any similarity to Caddyshack ends! Unlike Carl, professional nuisance wildlife technicians use only proper and humane trapping techniques to capture the invading animals — no shooting, no drowning, and, certainly, no explosives! 

This Jackson, NJ golf course was invaded by groundhogs. Like gophers, they are burrowing rodent capable of causing extensive property damage.  Gophers and groundhogs are often confused. Gophers are, by far, much smaller than groundhogs. While gophers only weigh a few pounds, groundhogs can grow to ten pounds or more. Also, gophers have thin rat-like tails, while groundhogs have bushy tails similar to squirrels. Perhaps, most important, is what they have in common. All burrowing rodents are wild animals, no matter how “cuddly” they may look. Even Punxsutawney Phil and all of the other groundhogs that are displayed on GroundHog Day are not pets. They are wild, biting animals. These rodents will become aggressive when cornered or threatened, and their powerful biting jaws and sharp claws can cause serious injury. Groundhogs are also a rabies vector species in New Jersey and must be approached and handled with caution. 

From past experience, this area in Jackson, NJ is known for having high groundhog populations. This job was not the first time we were called out to Jackson to deal with groundhogs. A common issue we face with high nuisance animal populations is “trap-shy” animals. If an animal has had a close call with a trap but managed to escape, they learn from the traumatic experience, and they’ll do their best to not be tricked into entering a trap again. It’s that old saying — fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. Since it is next-to-impossible to get trap-wary animals into traps the conventional way, even when enticed by their favorite, most irresistible foods used as bait, we instead use a special trap that can be placed directly over a burrow hole. This trap will secure the animal, no matter which direction it is traveling, the first time. Essentially, they enter the trap involuntary, and by not giving them a choice, we are able to trap the critters before they even know what’s up! This method of direct trapping over entry/exit points is highly effective — whether it is a burrow opening for excavating rodents like moles, voles, gophers, and groundhogs or openings used by more aerial critters such as squirrels and raccoons to gain access to attics and other structures.

I’ll be back to check the traps in a few days., and I also told the groundskeeper to contact me immediately as soon as a groundhog is caught. I’m confident that these nuisance groundhogs will be trapped shortly and their days of digging up the golf course are numbered. I won’t stop until this property is free of these burrowing, property-damaging rodents.

The Cowleys home improvement team recently installed a dehumidifier for a homeowner in Brick, NJ 

Dehumidification is critical for long-term control of moisture and high indoor humidity levels (especially in basements and crawl spaces). When areas of a home are kept dry and the moisture content in the air is kept below certain levels, mold cannot grow. Without proper dehumidification, homeowners run the risk of mold formation. Cowleys installs and services commercial grade Sanidry dehumidifiers. They are built specifically to work in basements and crawl spaces. They stand apart from the store-bought dehumidifiers we are familiar with, both in their functionality and reliability. Here’s a quick comparison: 

Store-bought dehumidifiers cover, at most, no more than 500 square feet, which is often far less than the needed coverage area. Also, they have a pan to empty, which makes it practically unworkable for non-living areas like crawl spaces. If you don’t get to the pan in time, and it overflows, you have a big mess — a water intrusion problem that can, by itself, trigger mold growth. Also, dehumidifiers from the big box stores just aren’t meant for heavy-duty applications. for instance, they pull in, at most, 70 pints/day from the air. During those hot Jersey Shore summer months, that just isn’t enough to bring down moisture and humidity to acceptable levels. 

The Sedona Sanidry covers up to 3000 square feet - 6X the area of a regular dehumidifier. Also, with the installation of a condensate pump (which usually leads right to the sump pump), these machines are maintenance-free with no pan to empty. Also, these machines are workhorses, able to pull in 100 pints/day from the air, if necessary. You’ll appreciate how hard these machines can work during those unbelievably humid days of summer when you are drenched just from standing outside. Finally, these are serious machines that are built to last — they come with a 5-year manufacturer’s warranty. 

We recently received a call from a homeowner in Manchester Township, NJ for a bat infestation. Most bats are insectivores; they live on a diet of insects, mostly mosquitoes, moths, winged ants, and other pests. Very few bats bite mammals for blood, and of those that do, none live in the United States. Bats have an undeserved bad reputation. They are actually beneficial in keeping down insect populations. However, you don’t want to get up close and personal with a bat in a small enclosed area. They will bite if threatened, and these mammals are known carriers of rabies. 

When we get a call to deal with a bat infestation, inspecting for bats that have taken up residence in a home is not what most people expect. Many think that we simply just go into the attic and look for bats. If only it were that easy! Bats are nocturnal creatures. They do their foraging for food at night. During the day, while they are in the attic, they are sleeping. They crawl up into tight crevices between rafters and trusses and stay hidden away. Unless there is a heavy infestation, we rarely see the bats themselves during our inspection. However, we do see bat guano (droppings) in the attic, but even that isn’t especially helpful other than telling us that bats have been there. It is difficult to tell how recent the bat droppings are and they don’t tell us how and where they are entering the home. Rather, for bat inspections, most of the evidence is found outside of the home. The bats we have in New Jersey are small and they can get into attics with openings as small as 1/2”. Of course, bats follow the path of least resistance, and if there is a larger hole, you can rest assured that bats will take advantage of it if they are looking for a way inside.

What really helps us during a bat inspection is their behavior. Bats are creatures of habit. They will use the same access point to go in and out every time. As I mentioned, the bats need to leave the attic at night to forage for food, and they return to use the attic to sleep during the day. Bats are mammals, and they have oils int heir skin, just like us. When bats squeeze through an opening the oils rub off along the edges of the entry point. This brownish ring is a clear sign that bats are using this gap or crack to find their way inside, and once you find this ring, you have positive proof as to where the bats are gaining entrance to their way inside. Also, another confirmation sign for bat entry is guano. There will usually be guano just below the hole stuck to the home’s siding as well as on the ground immediately below the hole. 

While performing a termite treatment to a home in Manchester Township, NJ, I was greeted by an unexpected guest that popped up out of nowhere as if he wanted to help me out. This surprise visitor was one of the most beautiful and interesting insects that pest control technician ever comes across when he’s out in the field. I’m talking about the Praying Mantis. These insects, with their triangular head and stem-like thorax, are deadly hunters. They are naturally well-camouflaged, with coloring and a shape that make them look like leaves or branches, seamlessly blending in with their surroundings. A mantis scans for prey and for animals like bats and spiders who eat them. And these insects can see! They not only do they have two large compound eyes, but they also have three simple eyes located between them.

The closest insect relatives of mantises that we commonly run across are true pests to humans are cockroaches and termites. Unlike their cousins, however, mantises are not considered nuisance pests. In fact, two species, the Chinese mantis and the European mantis, were deliberately introduced to North America to serve as pest controls for agriculture.  They have since spread widely, and today, they can be found in almost every state, including right here in New Jersey.  

Mantises normally live for about a year. In cooler climates, the females lay their eggs in autumn and die soon thereafter. The eggs, which are protected by their hard capsules, hatch in the spring. Many gardeners, especially those who have organic gardens and stay away from chemicals, encourage mantis populations to help control insect pests. Mantises are mostly ambush predators lying in wait for prey to come to them, but there are a few ground-dwelling species that actively pursue their prey. However, they are far from perfect. In actuality, they have negligible value as biological control agents. First, they are general predators. they pretty much eat whatever they can catch. A mantis is a carnivore that eats a wide variety of insects and even small animals like frogs and lizards. Good biological control agents specialize in a single pest insect. Also,  they do not multiply rapidly in response to an increase in a prey species.  

When treating a home, I focus only on the harmful insects like termites that are capable of causing extensive property damage. I leave the beneficial ones like this praying mantis alone. Not all insects are “bad.” Like the Praying Mantis, some insects support us in knocking down harmful pest populations. We should do everything we can to encourage them to thrive.   

If you look closely at the photo, you can even see him staring me down. It’s pretty clear, that this guy isn’t afraid of anything — including me!

During my inspection of an exterior rodent station of one of the residential communities we service in Manchester Township, NJ, I came across a large colony of yellow ants. These ants are also known as citronella ants because they emit a citronella (lemony) odor when threatened or crushed. These subterranean insects feed almost exclusively on honeydew, a sweet material obtained from aphids or mealybugs that feed on roots. As such, they rarely invade homes and like like odorous house ants or wood-boring carpenter ants. These ants, which are very common in New Jersey, nest outdoors, often next to foundations or under slabs. However, homeowners still can find stray foraging yellow ants inside their home. These tunneling ants take the path of least resistance, and they can easily wind up inside homes through gaps or cracks in foundations, door sills, and cellar window frames or through gaps around piping like water pipes.  

The flying reproductive swarmers in the fall (in fact, these ants are sometimes called fall flying ants) are frequently confused with more serious termite swarms. Although most termite swarms happen in the spring, there is one species of subterranean termite in NJ that swarms in the fall about the same time as citronella ants. (Although citronella swarms often occur in the fall, they can happen at other times of the year, including late summer and late winter/early spring.) These flying ants can vary in color from light yellow to a dark reddish yellow or reddish brown. There are a few ways to tell the difference between flying ants and flying termites based on their antennae, wings, and overall body shape. However, the safest bet for homeowners is to not guess and have a pest control professional come out and definitively determine what insect you are dealing with. If you do happen to have a termite swarm, immediate treatment is necessary. If you have a termite swarm, there is an underground nest nearby that needs to be eliminated. 

Yellow (citronella) ants are considered nuisance pests. They form exceptionally large colonies and, besides having foraging ants find their way into your home, they push soil through cracks in foundations and slabs with their underground tunneling activities creating an unsightly mess. Also, it is a frightening experience to witness an ant swarm in your basement or living space, giving homeowners a “termite swarm” scare (when it comes to insects, we generally assume the worst). Flying reproductive ants can also congregate on the side of your house in large numbers.

Even though these ants had not yet entered the home, I did not want to take any chances.The ants were too close to the structure for comfort. I treated the ant mounds (which is the excavated dirt from their tunneling activities) with a residual product that will be carried by the foraging ants back to the nest to be shared with the rest of the colony. Soon, this queen and the rest of the ant colony will be eliminated — before any foraging yellow ants manage to find their way into the home.  

Bed bugs are the one houseguest that nobody asks for and nobody wants. These bugs are parasites in the truest sense. They feed exclusively on blood, and, unfortunately, they have a distinct preference for human blood. These bugs do not hop or fly, and they can’t crawl great distances. In fact, the only way for a home to become infested with bed bugs is by hitchhiking their way into your home. They quietly attach themselves to a new host or find a place hidden in their belongings. Anyone who travels uses public transit, or is in a high-density area (store, movie theater, you name it) can inadvertently bring a bed bug back into their home. All you need is one lone bed bug to find its way inside, and you’ll find yourself with a bed bug infestation in no time. Bed bugs have nothing to do with sanitation issues. Even the cleanest, most spotless residence can find itself with an infestation. Often, the first sign of an infestation is finding yourself with unexplained, mysterious, itchy bites after waking up in the morning. Bed bugs like to feed while we are staying still or fast asleep.

Recently, I, along with my partner, as a bedbug team, performed a bed bug inspection at a senior residence building Forked River NJ. The resident had complained of bites, ad the property manager wanted to be sure that there wasn’t a bed bug problem. Once inside a high-density residential building, bed bugs can easily spread to other units because of all the common areas shared by the residents. Also, these infestations are especially a problem with the elderly. Oftentimes, there is a delay in discovering the infestation. The elderly may have poor eyesight or mobility issues and not even see the signs of an infestation, they may have a diminished capacity to realize that there is a problem, and many seniors, especially because of anti-inflammatory meds they are on, do not even realize that they are being bitten. It’s one of the saddest situations we come across as bed bug specialists.

Bed bug inspections must be thorough and systematic. These bugs are masters of hiding in the smallest places when not feeding, and they can be anywhere! They like to hide underneath mattresses and box springs, and nearby in nightstands and picture frames. Many times, we find them hidden in recliners and sofas. Here are a few pictures of us performing an inspection, looking at every possible nook and cranny.

Homeowners in Lanoka Harbor, NJ, contacted Cowleys to inspect and treat for a possible mouse infestation. According to the homeowners, they were gone for three months, and upon their return saw the tell-tale signs of rodent activity like droppings.

During my inspection, I found rodent droppings underneath the sofa in and around a box of photographs that was being stored underneath. However, these homeowners were not dealing with mice. There was an infestation of Norway rats, also called sewer rats. Norway rats, which are brown or grey, are larger and more aggressive than roof rats. Roof rats are more slender and have a much longer tail than Norway rats.

Since Norway rats are larger, their droppings are larger as well. Norway rat droppings can be up to 1/2 inch in length and are capsule-shaped with rounded ends. Roof rat droppings are smaller and have pointed ends like mouse droppings. Pest control technicians can often identify the type of infestation based on the appearance of the droppings and track marks. 

I moved the couch to get a closer look. These industrious rats were taking leaves from the indoor house plants to use as nesting materials underneath the sofa. For any rodent infestation, I inspect the home’s exterior perimeter to look for entry points. Usually, the rodents exploit pre-existing gaps and cracks like openings around pipes entering the home. However, here, the rats with their razor-sharp teeth and strong jaws chewed through wood to enter the home. 

To treat this infestation, I was especially careful to selectively apply product. The objective is to target only the pest and you want to make sure there is not possible inadvertent human contact or contact with pets. These homeowners had dogs. I also applied tracking powder to the pipe chases in the crawl space, which are a favorite route for rodents. With rodents, it is never a one and done treatment. I’ll be back for a two-week follow up to re-assess. I’m confident that this rat infestation will be quickly resolved.

Recently, homeowners in Bayville, NJ, contacted Cowleys to deal with a possible wildlife infestation in their attic. Like clockwork, the homeowners would hear noises coming from the attic the first thing in the morning, right before leaving for  work. Whatever had taken up residence above them was on the same work schedule! 

When the homeowners told me what they were hearing and the timing of the noises, I suspected a squirrel infestation. Sure enough, that’s exactly what it was. The most common nuisance animals that infest attics from access points in and around roofs are squirrels and raccoons. With less frequency, we deal with bats and birds. Of course, mice and other rodents often make their way into the attic. However, they usually enter around the home’s foundation and then find their way up there through wall voids (although every so often, mice will make their way to the roof by climbing up a gutter downspout). 

With squirrels in the attic, homeowners usually hear the fast pitter-patter of these light and fast animals scurrying about. Sometimes you’ll hear scratching sounds or acorns or some other nut rolling around. As these homeowners found out, squirrels are diurnal rodents — they are active mostly during the day, so you’ll commonly hear them in the morning at first light, and then again in the evening when returning from foraging. 

With any wildlife infestation, I always want to determine how the critters are gaining access into the home in the first place. Here, I observed a hole at the top of the stucco chimney area. Squirrels are actually very small animals and look much bigger because of their fur. They usually weight not much more than a pound and, excluding their tail, are no more than 10 inches in length. A gray squirrel can squeeze through a hole as small as a quarter — about the same as a rat! Eastern gray squirrels have two breeding periods per year, one in early spring with the pups born in March or April, and a second litter in mid-summer with the babies arriving in July or August. Because of the time of year, it was highly likely that this invading squirrel was a female with pups.  

Effective animal trapping is more than setting up equipment. It’s as much of an art as it is science. Those who don’t know what their doing often come up empty handed. It requires careful planning, a knowledge of the target species, the correct bait and trap locations, and how and where to safely remove trapped animals, among other things. Here, I installed a multi-catch squirrel trap that can catch multiple squirrels without having to reset the trap as well as three baited traps along the roofline.  After successfully catching the mother, I carefully removed the pups. One of the photos shows the babies in their nest with insulation around the outside. I released the mother while leaving the pups inside the open trap. It’s important to minimize handling of the pups and allow the mother to retrieve them one-by-one and take them to her new nest. 

These homeowners also had a large roof gap along the gutter line. With the high squirrel population in this area, this opening posed a risk of a wildlife re-infestation. Cowleys addressed his issue by installing a gutter guard that critter proofs the gap and prevents entry for a majority of nuisance wildlife. 

As part of my monthly servicing for one of our commercial accounts in Barnegat, NJ, I always conduct a thorough inspection of the building’s exterior perimeter looking for signs of pest and rodent infestations. Many times we are able discover and treat infestations before they make their way inside and cause even more trouble. Here, I discovered a trail of ants on the exterior frame of the warehouse doors. Foraging ants will form a pheromone trail from the nest to the food source for other ants to follow. It’s the ant’s version of not re-inventing the wheel! Once we discover a trail, we follow it to see where the ants are coming from and where they are going. Here, the ants were trailing from a nearby tree to the warehouse door and then making their way up the side of the building to the gutter/roofline.

Ant infestations can be difficult to treat because of their sheer numbers. Also, it is essential to treat the ant nest itself and not merely kill off replaceable foraging workers. I treated this infestation by applying a liquid treatment to the foundation, windows, and door frames. This product will be carried back to the nest by the foragers. I then applied a gel bait around the door frame as well as a granular bait around the tree were the trail had started. The combination of these treatments will soon eliminate this ant colony. I always feel good about stopping a pest infestation dead in its tracks before they have a chance to make their way inside the structure.

I homeowner in Atlantic Highlands, NJ, was having a problem with yellow jackets somehow managing to find their way inside her home. Out of all the stinging insects that could invade a home, to me, there is nothing worse than yellow jackets. These are nasty, territorial, aggressive, predatory wasps that often seem to sting for no reason at all. She was at a complete loss figuring out how these intruders were able to gain access inside her home. There were no obvious entry points. Her home was in great condition. They were no ripped window screens and all of the doors to the outside were kept shut. At first blush, there were no entry points allowing these insects to get inside. It was as though they just magically appeared out of nowhere. Finally, after too much unnecessary frustration, the homeowner decided to contact Cowleys to determine the problem and get it resolved. 

I just love pest control assignments where I have to put on my detective cap. Upon arrival, I first inspected the attic. My initial thought is that if there were no entry points for these insects to gain entry from the outside, this may be an “inside job” with an inside nest. And the most likely place for a yellow jacket nest was the attic. However, after a thorough inspection, I came up empty handed. I could not find a single sign of insect activity up above. But for me, eliminating the attic meant I was one step closer to finding the solution. I then moved my inspection to the outside perimeter of the home to look for any possible ways that yellow jackets could gain access. Something caught my eye that could have been easily overlooked since it was not at eye level. I noticed a broken dryer vent. I hopped on my ladder and, sure enough, I was greeted by an active yellow jacket nest inside the vent.

I treated and removed the nest for the homeowner. I also happened to have a dryer vent cover on my truck. I asked the homeowner if she would like me to install  a new cover while I was there, and she agreed without hesitation. With the nest removed and a new cover for the dryer vent in place, this homeowner will no longer have the problem of mystery yellow jackets invading her home.

Recently, I was sent to a home in Forked River, NJ, for a routine home protection plan servicing. Upon arrival, I spoke with the homeowner to inquire if she were aware of any pest control issues before stating my inspection. She told me that she would see ants crawling around her kitchen window when it rained or immediately thereafter. The timing did not surprise me. Although ants need water, thy can have too much of a good thing. Most ant species live in shallow, underground nests. It does not take much rain for their nests to become flooded. Once it starts to rain, ant nests can flood in a matter of minutesThe ants head for higher, drier ground, which sometimes includes our homes, especially our kitchens since that’s where food and water is often available. On the way into your house, ants leave a pheromone scent trail that allows them to return to the nest after the sun comes out and their turf dries out.  

I first treated around the kitchen window. Afterwards, I conducted an outdoor inspection near the window to see if I could determine where the ants were likely coming from. I suspected that there was a hidden ant nest somewhere nearby. Sure enough, I noticed a few ant hills at the base of the home’s foundation right under the kitchen window. For these ants, it was a short commute! It happened to be a nice sunny day, and the ants were busy on the ground outside. But all we needed was a little rain, and once again, they would be back — scrambling up to the kitchen window to escape, what for them, is a flood. To treat the outside area, I fan sprayed product underneath the window. I also applied a granular bait. This bait is carried back to the colony by the foraging ants and spread throughout the colony. With this indoor and outdoor treatment, I’m confident that this homeowner will no longer be visited by ants come the next rainfall.

I was recently sent to a home in Barnegat, NJ, to deal with a carpenter bee infestation. Carpenter bees are one of the more common wood boring insects that infest homes and other structures. The females runner into wood to deposit their eggs, and their excavation can cause considerable damage, especially if left unchecked and the bees return year after year. Often, carpenter bees rear their ugly heads around the eaves on the sunny side of a home. But carpenter bees can burrow into virtually any wooden structural material in and around your home. These bees often bore their nesting holes into the wood of decks, bay windows, and even wooden swing sets. The common thread is that their usual choice ion wood s bare, unpainted, weathered wood that is often soft from water damage.

While treating a home for carpenter bees on the peaks of a home, I’ll always inspect the surrounding areas for not only the target pest, but for any other pest activity. Upon inspection, I noticed a pile of fresh sawdust — this “frass” is a telltale sign of property-damaging wood-boring insects. Sure enough, this little pile was right underneath an entry hole. After treating this hole, I noticed active carpenter bee activity under a bay window. I could actually hear these little buggers chewing the wood and I could hear the “munching” sound of carpenter bee activity as the females bored into the wood. 

Homeowners should keep an eye out for carpenter bee and other insect activity. They don’t make much noise, and generally the damage they do is subtle and takes place over a long period of time. Carpenter bees return to the same location year after year to reuse and expand old galleries and build new ones. Over time, damage from carpenter bees and other wood-boring insects can be extensive. The earlier that these infestations are identified and treated, the better.

A residential customer in Beachwood, NJ contacted Cowleys after coming across one too many ants in her kitchen and laundry room. She would often see random foraging ants crawling around. However, she did not notice an ant trail or see them entering her home from a specific location. During my inspection, I observed ants making their way to the dog food bowl. I always recommend that dogs have specific feeding times and their food is not left out for extended periods. As this homeowner found out, leaving any uncovered food out in the open, especially on the floor, is an invitation for trouble.

I was able to follow the ant trail all the way through the kitchen and right into the laundry room. In the laundry room, after moving two boxes of snacks that I thought may have been a target of the ants, I observed an active ant trail going right into the outlet cover of the wall void. Fortunately, the ants did not reach the stored snacks. Now that I was able to trace the location of the nest somewhere in the wall void, I could effectively treat this ant infestation. We use an application that is carried back to the nest, so the entire colony is eliminated. Simply killing the foraging ants will not resolve these infestations. The homeowner was having an upcoming holiday party, and she was glad that these unwanted guests would be gone before her invited guests arrived!

Often, raccoons, especially mother raccoons seeking a quiet, private place to raise their young, use attics and chimneys as dens. But they can and will make their nests almost anywhere. We’ve dealt raccoon nests in crawl spaces, barn lofts. and with this home in Barnegat, NJ, the mother raccoon didn’t even bother to break into the home. Here, the mother set up shop underneath some patio furniture that was covered for the winter.  So, when you are ready to start using your patio furniture and remove the protective covering, please be cautious. There may be a family of wildlife squatters that have already decided to use your covered patio furniture as their own little backyard campsite! before you do!

I set up a few traps and loaded them with my secret irresistible bait recipe. It did not take long to trap the mother raccoon. As you can see from the photo, she was giving me quite the dirty look for trapping her. I rounded up the babies and safely relocated the family to a location safer for them and safer for these Atlantic Highland homeowners. Raccoons may look cute and cuddly, but they are large aggressive animals that can be quite dangerous if they feel cornered or threatened. Mother raccoons are especially protective of their helpless kits. Wildlife is wonderful, but it’s a much better situation for everyone when wildlife stays in the wild and enjoyed at a distance, far away from human habitats.

Recently, a homeowner in Barnegat Light, NJ contacted us because of wasp activity around their swimming pool. During late summer, stinging insects are at a peak and we receive many calls for mature nests that have formed in all the wrong places. Upon inspection of the pool area, I could not initially locate any nests. I banged on the railing surrounding the pool, seeing if that would jar any activity. Sure enough, some yellow jackets started coming up from an opening in the brick paver around the pool. Unlike paper wasps and other stinging insects, yellow jackets often build underground nests in cavities, so they stay hidden until disturbed. 

I treated the nest with an effective dust that gets distributed to all of the members of the colony. It works quite quickly and waited a few minutes to knock down the wasp population. Once the activity stopped, I cleaned up the area. Now, this family can enjoy their pool for the remaining weeks of summer!

Recently, I was sent to a home in Lakewood, NJ to resolve a persistent bed bug infestation for an extremely frustrated homeowner. Another pest control service had made multiple attempts to eradicate the bugs, but to no avail. The homeowner decided to try another pest control service and contacted Cowleys. We have a number of pest control technicians, including myself, who have extensive experience with bed bug infestations.  

Bed bugs are challenging infestations to resolve because these bugs are masters of stealth. Between their blood meals, these insects can hide virtually anywhere and everywhere. The key to successfully resolving these infestations is a thorough, systematic, and meticulous inspection. You have to take your time and examine every gap or crack. 

Bed bugs typically don’t venture far for their next blood meal. Wherever these bugs are feeding on their human hosts, it is essential to examine every item within a 2 to 3 foot radius. Since the bugs like to feed on us when we are resting or sleeping, you must examine not only the mattress and box spring, but also everything nearby. I’ve uncovered bed bugs hiding in a variety of easily overlooked locations. For example, I’ve found these bugs in nightstand screw holes, behind electrical outlet plates, in picture frames, in the nooks and crannies of bed frames, and even inside a clock radio! Here, the prior company failed to look underneath the screw tops to the four bed posts. Sure enough, when I unscrewed each screw top to the bed post, I discovered a large number of bed bug eggs just waiting to hatch and adult bed bugs patiently waiting for their next blood feeding.  

If a customer is being bitten by bed bugs, they must be hiding somewhere. The pest control technician must be willing to put on his detective cap and be persistent. You can’t give up. Once their harborage areas are located, “the jig is up” for these bugs. Here, I took out my hepa-vac and carefully vacuumed up the bed bugs and their eggs. I completed my inspection and could not find any other bed bug activity. Out of an abundance of caution, I also performed a thorough crack and crevice treatment to all possible harborage areas.  

I’ll be returning for a two-week follow-up to re-inspect and apply additional treatments as necessary. With bed bugs, we consider the job done when our re-inspection shows no more activity and the homeowner reports no more bites, no more sightings, and no more signs of bed bugs like tiny specks of blood or fecal stains on the sheets. 

I was recently dispatched to a home in Brielle, NJ that was undergoing some extensive renovations.We were told that there’re “flying insects” bothering the workers. Upon arrival, I observed some  insects crawling around and underneath the exposed Tyvek house wrap, attached to all of its nooks and crannies. 

Upon closer examination, I saw what I was dealing with. These were European hornets  building a nest in a wall void. With European hornets, you’ll rarely see those freely suspended football-shaped nest that are common with bald-faced hornets and paper wasps. Instead, just like here, they usually build their nests in a hole or cavity. With these insects, their nests are usually hidden and difficult to reach and treat. 

European hornets, like many other stinging insects like yellow jackets and bald-faced hornets, are social insects that live in large colonies. Social insects are often highly territorial and will aggressively defend their nests. European hornets happen to be especially intimidating because of their size. They are one of the larger stinging insects we regularly deal with — about an inch long!  

European hornets have orange, brown, and yellow markings. Because they have a bit of yellow in them, they are often confused with yellow jackets. These hornets just happen to be much larger than the slender yellow jacket. For homeowners, it’s enough to know that both are aggressive insects that can deliver painful stings. Also, if these insects get inside a home, they can build nests inside wall voids, chewing their way through sheetrock.

I treated the opening with a highly effective dust. When insects comes into contact with the dust, they bring it back with them and share it with the rest of the colony. Here, once I applied it, the hornets did not even want to advance into the opening. After treatment, it takes about a day for the activity to cease. Now, the home renovations could proceed uninterrupted without anyone worrying about being stung.

As a pest control technician for Cowleys, one of my primary responsibilities is help to keep commercial establishments, especially restaurants and other food-related business, pest free. To do this we work hand-in-hand with the owner or manager and the kitchen staff to ensure that proper sanitation and hygiene protocols are followed. It’s a joint effort and good communication is essential. The objective is to prevent pest infestations from happening in the first place, but if they do happen, to treat them in their early stages so a minor issue does not turn into a major one. 

Recently, I was scheduled for a routine monthly service of one of our restaurants in Lakewood, NJ that has been a client of Cowleys now going on seven years. I’m proud to say that there have been no serious pest-related issues with this restaurant during that time. It’s not luck. The path to success in keeping an establishment pest- and vermin-free is vigilance and not letting down your guard for a second.

Although many think that the most important job of a pest control technician is applying product, it is actually the inspection process. A thorough inspection allows us to discover potential issues before they happen and find potential entry points or attractants that could lead to an infestation. Here, during my inspection underneath the cookline, I discovered an accumulation of food debris and grease under the equipment. This, of course, is a major attractant for all sorts of pests including mice, flies, and cockroaches. 

After documenting the problem on my work order and taking pictures, I immediately texted the pictures to the owner so that she was aware of the problem. The owner was quite appreciative that this was brought to her attention before matters became worse, and she assured me that  there would be an extensive clean-out of this area immediately. 

Recently, I was sent to a residence in Point Pleasant Beach, NJ after a homeowner contacted our office requesting a wasp nest removal. Upon arrival, I immediately saw that these were bald faced hornets, a close relative of yellow jackets. These wasps are relatively easy wasps to identify because of their distinctive coloration — black with ivory markings on their faces and abdomens. Unlike yellow jackets, which are ground-nesters, bald faced hornets are aerial wasps that usually build their nests a few feet off the ground, usually in protected locations like under eaves or hidden away in come corner. Made from a mixture of chewed wood and their saliva, their grey spherical paper nests can grow to impressive dimensions especially by the time we reach late summer/ early fall, growing as large as 14 inches in diameter and more than 24 inches in length. Like yellow jackets, these wasps are territorial, aggressive and won’t hesitate to sting if they perceive that their nest is being threatened. Any loud noises or sunken movements can get them riled up and trigger a swarm of wasps that can deliver multiple, painful hornet stings extremely quickly.  

This homeowner was quite concerned about the potential manager of an active wasp nest on his property. He not only had his own little boys, but the Point Pleasant school is just a couple of blocks away and many students and school staff walk by his property on a daily basis. He did not want to risk of anyone being stung.  

I proceeded to treat the nest, which was located between the soffit and the chimney. To quickly knock down the population I used a foaming-action residual solution that I sprayed directly into the nest opening and around the surrounding area. It not only kills any wasps on contact, but it is a residual, meaning that it stays active and does not dissipate. This way, it will also kill any foraging wasps returning to the area of the nest, preventing them from attempting to rebuild the nest anywhere in the same general area. 

After waiting until there was minimal wasp activity, I removed the nest and bagged it so I could take it with me off the property. After the nest was removed, I applied a dust that will also eliminate any wasps returning to the area. With the wasp nest gone and the colony eliminated, the homeowner will not have to worry about his family or any schoolchildren being stung.  I was glad to help out and remove a potently dangerous stinging insect infestation.

A homeowner in Jackson, NJ, a long-time customer of Cowleys, recently contacted us. She was fairly distraught because there was an out-of-control mice infestation in her kitchen. Mice were running around the kitchen cabinets and counters, leaving their tell-tale droppings everywhere. Once temperatures start to drop in the fall, we start to get more calls for mouse infestations. These rodents “overwinter,” that is, they seek out locations for warmth and shelter so that they are not directly exposed to the harsh outdoor elements. Mice do not have the fat reserves or the ability to hibernate like other animal. There very survival depends on finding a warm location over the winter where they have access to food and water. And our homes are an easy choice. We offer them everything they want, and usually it’s not too difficult for them to gain entry through gaps or cracks around the foundation. Mice only need an opening about the size of a dime to squeeze through. 

Some feel that mice are harmless and we should just let them be. However, a mouse infestation is  serious health hazard. Mice inevitably find they way to the kitchen because that’s where the food is. They can chew through cereal boxes and other cardboard containers contaminating food. Mice can also carry ticks and fleas into the home. Finally, their droppings can contain many dangerous pathogens that transmit serious, even life-threatening, diseases to people including hantavirus and histoplasmosis. When mice droppings dry out, microscopic airborne particles can be released in the air and inhaled by the home’s occupants. You do not even need to directly touch the rodents urine or droppings to get sick.

Upon arrival, I started my inspection. With a mouse infestation, the most important part of the inspection is to identify any actual or potential entry points. To do this properly, the technician must be systematic and thorough. Mice usually enter through gaps or cracks around the foundation to enter the attic and crawl space, and then travel through wall voids throughout the home. Often, like with this infestation, they forage for food in the kitchen.  Here, I located large openings under the kitchen sink where the water supply was entering the cabinet from underneath. These pipes were coming in through the basement and was the likely route used by the mice between the basement and the kitchen.

I sealed these gaps around the pipes with a copper, chew-proof mesh material. It is liable and easy to form a complete seal around the pipes. After blocking their kitchen access, I set up a bait station for any mice that may still be around. I’ll return in two weeks for a follow-up to reinspect and see if there is still active rodent activity. During these follow-ups, I replace any depleted bait and take whatever additional steps are necessary until the infestation is resolved. Homeowners cannot tolerate overwintering mice in their homes. The health risk to family members is simply too great.

Recently, I went on a service call in Manchester Township, NJ for a homeowner who contacted Cowleys after his daughter spotted hornets outside her second story window. I arrived and began a thorough inspection of the entire property. Within minutes, I found the hornets' nest. I also noticed a few hornets circling around the nest. Upon a closer examination of the nest, I was able to identify these stinging-insects as bald-faced hornets. 

The bald-faced hornet is a relative of the yellowjacket and gets its name from its largely black color and mostly white face. This stinging insect is named a hornet because of its large size and aerial nest. A bald-faced hornet infestation is clearly visible with the presence of a nest, which would be suspended above the ground. There will also be worker bald-faced hornets flying around the nest and nearby area if there is an infestation. They are EXTREMELY aggressive and will not hesitate to sting anything that invades their space.

First, using my extension pole, I applied a direct contact solution to the nest and then safely removed it. Then, to prevent the bald-faced hornets from rebuilding their nest, I applied a liquid residual along the soffit area. This residual is undetectable to the hornets and once they come in contact with it, they’ll be eliminated. Now, the homeowner's daughter does not need to live in fear of the hornets that were hovering around her bedroom window.

A frustrated homeowner in Toms River, NJ was having a real problem with raccoons getting into his attic. I’m sure you’re asking, how did the homeowner know he had raccoons and why was he so upset? One afternoon, the homeowners neighbor saw a raccoon going through back yards on the block, climb up on the homeowners brand new gable vent and then ripped it apart.

A common misconception is that if you see a raccoon during the day, it’s rabid. This is not the case. Raccoons are nocturnal, but there are a number of potential explanations that would debunk this myth. For example, the raccoon could have been discovered by a homeowner when they went into their attic and spooked the raccoon, which left to find a safer location where it won’t be disturbed. Another example is that a trapped raccoon may have been just been released in the middle of the day and needs to seek shelter. 

After thoroughly inspecting the attic, I found evidence that there was a raccoon in the attic. In order to humanely catch the raccoon, I set up a one-way exclusion device over the gable vent. A one-way exclusion device is designed to allow a raccoon to safely exit the property and prevent it from getting back in. I placed a strip of metallic tape on the end of the one-way device to monitor the raccoon activity. If the tape is disturbed, we replace the tape and keep replacing it until it remains unbroken for a few days. 

This is how we ensure that the animals are out and we can seal up the access point knowing that we aren’t trapping the animal inside the house. Raccoons get what we call trap shy. If a raccoon has been trapped before, it will remember the experience and won’t go into the trap, regardless of how well the trap is baited. Once the raccoon is safely caught, our contracting team will come out and repair the gable vent. 

An office manager in Brick, NJ contacted Cowleys complaining of birds noises in the attic of his building. Once I arrived and inspected the exterior of the building I found a wide opening on the roof. As I got closer I could hear the sounds of birds chirping and saw nesting "debris" protruding out from the opening. 

Birds invading a home is a serious health risk. First, birds will bring a huge amount of debris to their intended nesting area that can carry parasites such as lice, ticks, and fleas. Additionally, if there are birds, naturally, there will be bird droppings. This is not only an unsightly mess that can be difficult to remove, but it also harbors diseases such as histoplasmosis and encephalitis.

First, I needed to safely remove the birds from the attic before cleaning. To do this I set-up a one-way exclusion cone, which is a device that will allow a bird to safely exit the attic but, due to the design, prevent the bird from returning. I set-up a night vision camera to monitor the bird activity and make sure that all the birds were gone. After a short while, I returned to the office building, fully inspected the attic, and found no more bird activity.

Next, I carefully removed the nest and then sanitized and deodorized the opening and the attic with a solution that targets bird mites. Bird mites are parasites that feed on blood. When birds leave their nests, the mites are left behind without a suitable host for their next blood meal. If disturbed while removing they will make their way into a building and once inside they will take over, climbing all over the walls, and ceilings. 

After removing all remnants of bird activity I then sealed up the opening with plywood to prevent any additional bird infestations. The office manager was pleased that not only did I remove the birds from the attic, but sealed up the opening as well. 

I went out on a service call for a homeowner in Brick, NJ who was having an issue with camel crickets in their crawl space. Camel crickets received their name from their humpbacked appearance, which is similar to that of a camel. They’re commonly known as cave crickets or sprickets and are found in caves, damp, cool areas underneath wet leaves, stones and rotting logs. Camel crickets use their long legs to leap in the air when they are frightened to scare off predators.

When I began inspecting the crawl space I found an abundance of camel crickets all of the block walls. 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. 

After I finished treating the crawl space I explained to the homeowner what I found, how I treated the infestation, and, that in a couple of days, the cave crickets will be eliminated. The homeowner was relieved that his home will be free of these nightmare-inducing pests. 

We were sent out on a service call for a homeowner in Toms River, NJ. The homeowners are in the process of selling their home and on one of their visits, they noticed a raccoon entering their attic. Beginning our inspection we noticed small raccoon paw prints on the downspout. We followed them up to an area of the soffit that’s damaged. It was obvious signs of raccoon damage.

Raccoons use their shoulders to open flimsy soffits made from thin aluminum or plastic. Once the soffit is opened, they can easily gain access to the entire attic. They also have razor-sharp claws which makes it easy for them to rip apart the siding of a home. We continued our inspection around the side of the building and found another area that a raccoon has entered. After a thorough inspection of the area, we determined that this area was inactive of raccoons. 

We sealed up the inactive area which metal flashing and then set up a one-way device in front of the main access area and enclosed it with hardware cloth. A one-way device will allow the raccoon to safely leave the attic but prevent it from getting back in. We also placed tape on the end of the one-way to monitor the activity. We also set-up a placement on the roof as a back-up. Once we are certain that all raccoons have been removed from the home, we're going to sanitize the attic area and then repair and seal up the soffit to prevent future intrusions. 

Earlier this week, I went out on a service call for a homeowner in Forked River, NJ. The homeowner had contacted Cowleys complaining of a wasps nest on his porch ceiling. Come August and September, all those stinging insects are in full swing and are establishing their nests on the most inconvenient places on a homeowners property. 

As soon as I arrived and began inspecting the homeowner's porch, I immediately spotted the nest in question and examined it carefully, so I don't get stung. After surveying the nest, I identified these wasps as paper wasps. Paper wasps get their name from the paper-like material out of which they make their nests and are sometimes called umbrella wasps, after the shape of their distinctive nests. They are about 5/8 to 3/4 of an inch in size and are usually brownish in color with yellow markings. Paper wasps are semi-social creatures, as they typically live in small colonies but do not have a worker caste.

Whenever you come in contact with a paper wasp nest or any stinging insect nest, you must back away slowly and do NOT wave your arms at the nest — these stinging insects take that as a threat and will aggressively defend their nests against anything that comes within close proximity to their nest. Paper wasp stings can be very painful and can cause the same risk of allergic reaction as other insect stings. If you do wind up getting stung by a paper wasp, immediately clean the area with soap and cold water and monitor the location of the sting. If the pain worsens, contact a healthcare provider. I inspected the entire exterior of the home to find any additional paper wasps nests, to which I found none. 

Since paper wasps are extremely aggressively, I will need to treat their nest from a safe distance in order to avoid getting stung. I used my extendable pole, attached an aerosol flusher to it, and began treating the nest liberally. The aerosol application will almost immediately eliminate the paper wasps on contact. After a few minutes, I used my scraper to remove the nest and then disposed of it properly. Now the homeowner can enjoy sitting on his porch without worrying about paper wasps stinging him.

I went out on a service call for a homeowner in Toms River, NJ who was stung by several hornets as he was pruning a tree in his front yard. Once I arrived, I inspected the area and located several bald-faced hornets circling around a nest in the tree.

Bald-faced hornets are social stinging insects that have black bodies and a predominately white face. In the insect world, there is a distinction between “solitary” insects and the so-called “social” ones. Solitary insects go through life alone without the interdependent support network of a colony. The stinging insects responsible for the most pain and misery are “social” ones. They are territorial about their nests and if you get too close and they feel threatened, they will attack. 

I equipped an aerosol application to my extendable and began treating the bald-faced hornet's nest. The aerosol application immediately eliminates the hornets on contact. After a few minutes I removed the nest and the branch it was attached to and properly disposed of them.

During an exterior inspection of a termite baiting station that was recently installed for a customer in Barnegat, NJ I found a colony of ants, with larva, taking shelter in the bait station trying to survive the cold winter temperatures. A closer inspection revealed that these were pavement ants. Pavement ants are also called sugar ants and are about 1/8 of an inch in size and are brown to black in color. They will eat almost anything, including other insects! They forage in trails for distances of up to 30 feet and are known to climb masonry walls that enter into occupied areas. Why are they called pavement ants? Because they create nests under or in cracks in pavements.

I applied a liquid non-repellent directly onto the ants and around the entire property. The ants will come in contact with this application and transfer it to other ants in the colony, either by grooming one another, feeding one another, or eating their dead! They'll even transfer the treatment to the reproductive queen, ensuring complete elimination of the entire colony. 

Recently, I went out on a service call for a new homeowner in Jackson, NJ who was having an issue with "jumping spiders" in his crawl space. As soon as I entered the crawl space I was greeted by a large infestation of camel crickets.

Camel crickets are those nightmare fueled pests that are most notoriously known as "sprickets" (spider crickets), which is incorrect because camel crickets aren't arachnids. Also, these pets cause no harm at all to humans and their only means of defense is that they jump at predators to scare them off. They typically reside in moist, dark caves, but when it comes to invading homes, moisture-filled crawl spaces or basements will do just fine.

I treated the sill plates with an aerosol application that eliminates the camel crickets almost immediately and then applied a granular bait throughout the crawl space. Finally, I applied a liquid residual along the entire exterior of the building and throughout the crawl space.

When the camel crickets come in contact with any of these products, they ingest it through grooming and feeding. Shortly after, they are neutralized. 

As we were treating a property in Mantoloking, NJ, we found something interesting on the front of the home, a portion of the roof near the gutter had a huge hole in it! We spoke to the homeowner and mentioned that this needed to get fixed ASAP or else he will have a big problem with nuisance wildlife, like raccoons and squirrels. 

He agreed and called his roofer to come out and fix it ASAP. It's imperative to conduct routine inspections around your home to make sure that your property is properly protected from pests and all nuisance wildlife. 

During a routine treatment for a home in Lanoka Harbor, NJ, we noticed that one of the crawl space vents was badly damaged and fell off. This is yet another reason why routinely inspecting your property is important! If not taken care of immediately mice, rats, pests, or nuisance wildlife will utilize this opening and infest this home!

We spoke to the owner and mentioned several options to properly seal off this exposed vent. Since he was looking to encapsulate his crawl space anyway, he will call our office and schedule a free inspection with our Contracting Division.

A new homeowner in Jackson, NJ kept finding mice droppings throughout their kitchen and needed someone to help get rid of these disease-ridden pests. Fortunately, Cowleys was there to help!

When we arrived, we observed a large number of mice droppings throughout the kitchen, particularly around the stove. We opened the oven and was shocked to discover a massive amount of mice droppings inside the oven! Turns out, there was actually a small hole in the back of the oven that the mice were utilizing. Fortunately, the oven was disconnected and hasn't been used for quite some time. 

There was even more mice droppings behind the stove as well as a tiny opening around the gas line that the mice were using to infest the home! 

For treatment, we carefully cleaned up all the mice droppings and disinfected the area. Afterward, the homeowner removed the broken oven from his home. Next, we installed several rodent bait stations in the kitchen, the crawl space, and in several locations outside of the home. As a temporary solution, until a contractor arrives and installs the new oven and gas line, we stuffed the opening with chew-proof metal mesh and sealed it in place with a waterproof adhesive. 

Lastly, we scheduled several followup inspections to monitor the infestation and replenish the bait stations until the mice are no longer infesting the home. 

We received a phone call from a frantic homeowner in Island Heights, NJ who was having an issue with hornets in the backyard. Moments before she called our office, her son and dog were stung by these hornets. We were sent out to inspect and treat.

Once we arrived, we were shown the area of concern, which was bird house in one of the trees. When we examined these pests, we identified them as European hornets. European hornets are much larger than yellow jackets and, unlike most stinging insects, can be active at night. Their bodies are brown with yellow stripes on their abdomens. They have pale faces, two pairs of wings, and six legs.

First, we treated the nest with a knockdown aerosol application and then a knockdown liquid application. Both of these treatments exterminate the European hornets almost immediately. Shortly after, we removed the nest, disposed of it, and treated the area with a residual product to prevent the European hornets from constructing a new nest.

Recently, we were sent out to a home in Pine Beach, NJ to treat and remove a hornets nest. The nest was actually discovered by the homeowners landscaper as he was trimming the hedges. As we inspected the area we found the large hornets nest in a tree underneath where the landscaper was working. A closer inspection revealed that these were bald-faced hornets. 

Bald-faced hornets are social stinging insects that are a close relative to yellow jackets. They are EXTREMELY aggressive and will not hesitate to sting anything that invades their space. What makes them even scarier is they have smooth stingers, which means they can sting over and over again, can actually sense vibrations in the air, and remember their invader's face!

We injected the nest with a knockdown aerosol product, waited several moments, and then treated it with a knockdown dusting application. Both of these treatments will rapidly exterminate the bald-faced hornets. A short while later we removed the nest, and the branch it was attached to, and disposed of them properly. 

This homeowner in New Egypt, NJ recently had a flood in his crawl space. Although it was repaired in time, the insulation was saturated and needed to be removed ASAP or else mold will develop. 

First, we removed all the contaminated insulation from the crawl space. Next, we wiped down all the joists and then installed ComfortTherm® insulation. ComfortTherm® insulation provides excellent temperature and noise control, and comes with a vapor-retarder for use in hot, humid climates. Since the humidity levels in the crawl space were extremely high, we installed a Sani-Dry Sedona commercial-grade dehumidifier. The Sedona directs the extracted water pulled out of the air directly into the sump pump and will control the humidity levels in the crawl space.

Lastly, we replaced the broken crawl space door with a new EverLast™ Crawl Space Door. The EverLast™ Door is made entirely out of completely inorganic plastic and foam doors are & create an airtight, waterproof seal between your crawl space and the cold or humid air outside.

As we were checking up and replenishing the bait in the rodent bait stations at this home in Pine Beach, NJ we were shocked to find a garter snake in one of them! Garter snakes are the most common snakes found in NJ, often making themselves comfortable around homes. These snakes often hibernate under the siding of a home. They are the first snakes to emerge from hibernation and can be seen as early as mid-March. Its color varies from olive brown to black and typically has three long stripes extending from head to tail. Garter snakes are relatively harmless to humans. In fact, they are often kept as pets. Although some species do possess a mild neurotoxic venom, it's not dangerous to humans.

We safely retrieved the snake, finished replenishing the bait in our bait stations, and then relocated the garter snake to a new, humane location. 

After her husband was stung several times by hornets that were in the bedroom, this customer in Mantoloking, NJ called Cowleys for help. Once we inspected the room we identified these stinging insects as European hornets.  European hornets are social stinging insects, are much larger than yellow jackets, and, unlike most stinging insects, can be active at night. Their bodies are brown with yellow stripes on their abdomens, have pale faces, two pairs of wings, and six legs. Afterward, we went outside and saw that the hornets were entering the home by going underneath the trim board by the gutter.

For treatment, we injected a knockdown dusting application directly into the small opening. This will rapidly exterminate the European hornets. Once they're gone the homeowner will contact a roofer to repair the hole in the trim board. 

A new Home Protection Plan customer in Barnegat Light, NJ found some rodent droppings in his crawl space and was worried that he may have mice in his home! So he called Cowleys for help and we were sent out. 

As we inspected the crawl space, we confirmed the owners suspicion that they were indeed mice in his home! Fortunately, we found the access point within minutes! There was a gap around a utility pipe on the outside of the property that the mice were using to infest the home. Many homeowners forget to seal any gaps around the external utility lines, so mice (who only need an opening the width of a pencil) use them to infest a home!

First, we carefully cleaned up all the droppings and set up several rodent bait stations in the crawl space and along the outside of the home. Next, we stuffed the opening around the utility pipe with chew-proof metal mesh and then sealed it (as well as any other gaps we found) with a premium, waterproof adhesive. Lastly, we scheduled several follow up inspections, to monitor the activity as well as replenish the bait stations until the mice are no longer infesting the home. 

While treating the exterior of this home in Lavallette, NJ we found a praying mantis on a stoop by the back door. Praying mantids are considered beneficial insects, as they prey on bothersome insects like mosquitoes, moths, crickets, and flies. They are typically green or brown, but many species will take on the color of their habitat. They may mimic leaves, twigs, flowers, grass, and even other insects.

Although praying mantises are voracious predators, it is highly unlikely for them to hurt a human. They have no venom, cannot sting, and do not carry any infectious diseases. While being extremely cautious, we safely moved the praying mantis to another location that was out of the way.

A new customer in Toms River, NJ called our Wildlife Division with a huge vole problem in her front and back yard. Also called meadow mice or field mice, voles are rodents with small eyes and partially hidden ears. They are active day and night, year-round, do not hibernate, and their diet consists of plants, especially grasses and seeds, as well as bark, crops, insects, and animal remains. Voles can cause extensive damage to orchards, tree plantings, and field crops. Voles also can ruin lawns, golf courses, and ground covers.

In order to solve this major issue, we used our Burrow RX. The Burrow RX is a carbon monoxide device that uses a smoke-oil tracer that shows us where the majority of the carbon monoxide is going, how far we are reaching in the tunnel, and if there are any leaks. If we noticed any leaks, we fill them in. The gas isn’t toxic to humans because we are outdoors in a well-ventilated area. There’s also no residual that is left behind, so the family is in no danger of getting a residue on them and the vole situation is properly taken care of.

We were sent out to a new Home Protection Plan customer in Toms River, NJ to handle a mice issue inside his home. Upon inspection, we found mouse droppings in the living room and the attic. We also discovered several openings around the downspout and around several utility pipes. Apparently, the homeowner tried to seal these openings using some sort of spray foam. Although this seems like a good idea, it doesn't work as the mice will chew right through it, which is exactly what they did here!

First, we carefully cleaned up all the mice droppings and properly disposed of them. Next, we installed several rodent bait stations in the living room, the two adjacent rooms, the attic, and along the exterior of the home. On our first follow up visit we will replenish the bait in the bait stations as needed, remove all the foaming adhesive from all the gaps, stuff them with chew-proof metal mesh, and seal them with a premium, waterproof adhesive.

This homeowner in Mantoloking, NJ had a mice problem in her home. As we inspected, we found an abundance of mice droppings on the bottom and top of her staircase. We also noticed that there was a lot of cardboard containers, trash bags, and other items on the top and bottom of the staircase. As we took a look inside one of the trash bags we found a mouse inside of it! We recommended that the owner dispose of all the trash bags and cardboard boxes ASAP, sanitize or throw away the items inside them, and store the items inside sturdy, plastic containers. She agreed and her and her husband removed the items.

In the meantime, we carefully cleaned up the droppings and installed several Ready-to-Use rodent bait stations inside and outside of the home. Afterward, we inspected the exterior of the home and stuffed all exposed gaps around the utility pipes with chew-proof stainless metal mesh and then sealed them with a premium, waterproof adhesive. Lastly, we scheduled several follow up visits to monitor the infestation and replenish the bait stations until the mice are no longer infesting the home. 

Recently, we were sent out on a service call for a homeowner in Jackson, NJ who had an issue with squirrels living in her attic. Turns out, a few weeks back, the squirrels had ripped apart a static vent to gain access into the home. As we inspected the attic, we found a massive amount of squirrel droppings throughout the area. The insulation was also soaked with their urine and needed to be removed ASAP. We informed the owner that our Attic Insulation team can remove all the contaminated insulation, disinfect the area, and add blown-in cellulose insulation. She agreed and, once the squirrels are gone, she will schedule an appointment. 

In the meantime, we installed a one-way device over the main access point and temporarily enclosed it with hardware cloth. We also set-up several baited devices nearby. The one-way allows the squirrels to safely exit the area, but prevent them from getting back in. Shortly after setting up our devices, we safely retrieved all the squirrels & relocated them to a new, humane environment.

In order to prevent any future intrusions from squirrels, & any other nuisance wildlife, we installed Pest-Blok over ever single static vent around the home. Pest-Blok doesn't restrict the airflow to the attic, undergoes a silicone-protected polyester coating process that makes it last longer, and guards the home against squirrels, pests, birds, and all other nuisance wildlife. We also noticed that the gable vent was unprotected and vulnerable. So, with the owners permission, we installed Pest-Blok over the gable vent! Now the home is properly excluded from all nuisance wildlife, birds, bats, and pests!

Recently, we were sent out to the home of a new Home Protection Plan customer in Lanoka Harbor, NJ to handle a rat problem in her shed. As we inspected the area, we immediately found a large hole on the right side of the shed. Continuing our inspection, we found multiple rat burrows around the exterior of the shed. Turns out that the rats had chewed a hole in the shed and were devouring the plant seeds that the homeowner had stored in there. We advised the homeowner to put the seeds in an airtight glass container and then store them inside her home in a cool, dry place (preferably the fridge) to avoid any future rodent problems. She agreed and starting doing just that!

In the meantime, we installed several Ready-to-Use rodent bait stations near the hole in the shed, around the shed, and the exterior of the home. Next, we installed several snap traps that are inside temper-proof, child resistant boxes near the rat burrows. Lastly, we scheduled several follow-up visits to monitor the rat infestation, apply any additional treatments, and replenish the bait in the bait stations as needed.

Previously, this homeowner in West Creek, NJ had bats infesting his attic. They were able to enter the home via the ridge vent & the attic fan. A short while ago, we successfully and safely removed and relocated all the bats in the attic. To prevent them from getting back in, we installed Ridge-Guard® over the ridge vent and an attic fan cover over the attic fan. Ridge-Guard® secures and reinforces the ridge vent shingles so that bats, and other nuisance wildlife, are unable to enter. The attic fan cover is made out of heavy-duty 18 Gauge expanded Galvannealed steel mesh and excludes all nuisance wildlife from entering the home through the attic fan.

Now the home properly secured from all nuisance wildlife!

After finding a bed bug in her pillow case, this customer in West Creek, NJ immediately searched for a local pest control company, found Cowleys, and called us for an inspection & treatment. As we inspected the bed room, we found the bed bugs in the pillow cases, the bed frame, and the headboard. We continued inspecting the home and found more bed bugs in a another location - in several electrical outlets in the hallway!

First, we vacuumed up all the live bed bugs and their eggs throughout the bed and the outlets. Next, we treated the mattress, headboard, and the bed frame with a bio-pesticide application. This product creates a barrier that infects and exterminates the bed bugs over a short period of time. Afterward, we treated every outlet throughout the home with a residual dusting product. This treatment will eradicate bed bugs of all life stages, sex, and feeding status within a short amount of time. Lastly, we scheduled several follow-up visits to monitor the infestation and apply any additional treatments if necessary.

As we were treating the property of a Home Protection Plan (HPP) client in Mantoloking, NJ, the owner had mentioned that she saw a few cave crickets (what many people call sprickets) in her crawl space, so we went to inspect and treat the area. As we examined the crawl space, not only did we find cave crickets, but also mice droppings in the insulation and throughout the area! We informed the owner and told her that, since she is a HPP client, we'll take care of the mouse issue.

First thing we did we look for an entry point, which was the broken crawl space window that lead into the crawl space. We offered to replace it for the owner, once the mice are gone, but she mentioned that her husband will buy a new one and replace it on his own. In the meantime, we installed several rodent bait stations in the corners of the crawl space, on the joists, and along the exterior of the home.

We then focused on the cave crickets and treated the area with a liquid residual that not only rapidly exterminates the cave crickets, but also prevents them from reinfesting the area. As a precaution, we also treated the entire exterior with another liquid residual and applied a granular bait to the landscape areas. We then scheduled several follow up visits to replenish the bait stations and monitor the activity. 

As this new homeowner in West Creek, NJ was remodeling his newly acquired home he came across something that made his heart stop - active termite mud tubes in the laundry room! He heard about Cowleys through his sister-in-law and contacted us for an inspection and treatment. As we inspected the home from top to bottom, we found an infestation of termites not just in the laundry room, but also in the attached garage too! We told the owner what we found and he informed us that he never had a termite inspection conducted to his property before purchasing it. Termites have the ability to chew through wood, flooring, and wallpaper, often without being detected - which is why they're known as "silent destroyers". They usually live entirely out of sight, and by the time they're detected, often the damage has been done.

For an effective treatment, since termites live beneath ground level, we drilled into the slab in the laundry room, garage, and around the perimeter of the home and then injected a liquid termiticide. This application binds to the treated area and creates a protective zone that the termites can't detect. The termites will come in contact with this treatment as they go about their normal routine, bring it back to their nest, and spread it among the 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.

Recently, we were sent out on a service call for a new client in Pine Beach, NJ to treat for termites. During a previous inspection we located the termite activity in the utility room in the basement. For an effective treatment, since termites live below ground level, we drilled into the concrete in the utility room and around the exterior of the home. Next, we injected a liquid termiticide into the drill holes and around the entire exterior of the property.

This application binds to the treated area and creates a protective zone that the termites can't detect. The termites will come in contact with this treatment as they go about their normal routines, bring it back to their nest, and then spread it throughout their colony. The application then spreads throughout the colony like a virus and then, in a short amount of time, the termites are exterminated and the home will be protected from termites for many years to come.

This customer in Barnegat Light, NJ noticed that there was a lot of moisture in his crawl space, so after seeing us encapsulate his neighbors crawl space, he called our Crawl Space Division for help. Once we arrived and inspected the area, we determined that the majority of the moisture coming into the crawl space was due to the broken crawl space door. Controlling what goes on in your crawl space begins with the crawl space door. Too often, a crawl space door is simply cut from a piece of plywood and secured loosely over the crawl space opening with hinges or screws. Unfortunately, this treatment allows insect and rodent pests to enter the crawl space, along with cold winter air that can make your floors frigid. To make matters worse, wood will crack, warp and deteriorate over time, requiring repainting or even replacement.

First, we removed all the contaminated insulation from the crawl space, disposed of it, wiped down all the joists, and installed ComfortTherm® insulation. ComfortTherm® insulation provides excellent temperature and noise control, and comes with a vapor-retarder for use in hot, humid climates. Next, we leveled the ground for proper draining and installed drainage matting, which is a dimpled plastic mat that allows all excess moisture to work its way over to the sump pump. Afterward, we installed a vapor barrier.

A vapor barrier is a heavy-duty, 20-mil 7-ply sandwich of high and low-density polyethylene with a polyester-cord reinforcement. The vapor barrier is extremely durable and is treated with an antimicrobial to prevent mold. Afterward, we installed SilverGlo™ on the walls of the crawl space, which is a waterproof foam insulation that seals the walls from outside moisture and humidity. Next, we installed a Sani-Dry Sedona commercial-grade dehumidifier to control the humidity levels in the crawl space. The Sedona directs the extracted water pulled out of the air directly into the sump pump and will control the humidity levels in the crawl space.

Lastly, we removed the old crawl space door and installed an EverLast™ crawl space door. EverLast™ crawl space doors are made from ½-in.-thick PVC plastic that is just about indestructible. EverLast™ doors will never warp, crack, shrink or require maintenance or painting. An air and water seal is certain, thanks to the heavy-duty weatherstripping that comes with each EverLast™ door. 

A new customer in New Egypt, NJ has having an issue with mice getting into her home and she wanted Cowleys to come out and help. As we were inspecting the home, we discovered an exhaust vent that had droppings around it. This was how the mice were getting into the home. 

For treatment, we installed a rodent bait station in front of the exposed exhaust vent, in several other locations around the property, and inside the home in the high infestation areas. Once we were finished, we scheduled several follow up visits to monitor the activity and replenish the bait stations as needed.  Once all the mice are gone, our Wildlife Division is going to come out and install an exhaust vent cover. 

Recently, we were sent out to a new customers home in Beach Haven, NJ to handle a mice infestation in her garage. As we were inspecting the property, we noticed a few of the utility pipes that led into the garage had gaps around them. After a thorough inspection, we determined that this was how the mice were infesting the garage. We informed the homeowner and mentioned to frequently check around her home in order to check for entry points for pests. 

For treatment, the first thing we did was carefully clean up all the droppings inside and around the home. Next, we installed several rodent bait stations in the garage, the laundry room (as a precaution), and around the exterior of the property. Lastly, we scheduled several follow up visits to replenish the bait stations as needed and monitor the activity. On our next follow up visit, we're going to stuff all the openings around the utility pipes with chew proof metal mesh and then seal them with a premium, waterproof adhesive. 

We recently went out on a service call to a home in Barnegat, NJ to handle a possible termite infestation. The owner had mentioned that as he was renovating his living room, he noticed a few of the wooden beams seemed to be damaged by termites. When we arrived, we inspected the wooden beams and, unfortunately, confirmed the owners suspicion that not only were the wooden beams damaged by termites, but there was an active infestation!

We found termites and active mud tubes throughout several of the wooden beams. Mud tubes are pencil-width size tubes made by the worker termites that the termites use to travel to and from their nest when foraging for food. For treatment, with the owners permission, we drilled into the flooring of the living room, as well as around the exterior home, and injected a liquid termiticide. Afterward, we drilled into the walls of the living room and injected a foaming version of the termiticide. Both of these treatments bind to the treated areas and creates a protective zone that the termites can't detect.

The termites will come in contact with the termiticide as they go about their normal routines, bring it back to their nest, and transfer the treatment throughout their colony. In a short amount of time, the termites will be exterminated and the home will be protected from termites for years to come!

As this homeowner in Mantoloking, NJ was trimming her yard, she noticed a groundhog run across her lawn and then go underneath her shed. Since she is a Home Protection Plan client, she contacted our Nuisance Wildlife Division and we were sent out. 

First, we installed a heavy-duty retrieval device over the burrow and temporarily enclosed it with a portion of Dig Defense® in order to safely retrieve the groundhog. Next, we installed Dig Defense® around the entire perimeter of the except over the groundhogs burrow. We also placed a baited device nearby. Dig Defense® is a below-ground fence system that is 15 inches deep, 4 feet across, and protects structures against invasive nuisance wildlife and feral animals.

Once we safely retrieve the groundhog, we will relocate it to a new, humane location, fill in the burrow, and install another portion of Dig Defense® over the burrow.

A new client in Island Heights, NJ called our office after spotting a few ants in her sons bedroom. Once we arrived and inspected the bedroom, we found the ants trailing along the baseboards. With the owners permission, we pulled back the trim and found a large colony of ants hiding behind it! Turns out that there was a leak in one of the pipes behind the wall and all that moisture buildup attracted the ants to that area.

For treatment, we flushed the ants out of hiding with a knockdown aerosol application. Afterward, we treated the baseboards, cracks, and crevices with a liquid non-repellent. Next, we applied an ant gel bait directly to the ant trails in the bedroom. Lastly, we went outside and treated the entire exterior perimeter of the home with the liquid non-repellent. Once the worker ants come in contact with any of these treatments, they will bring them back to their nest and then transfer the products throughout their colony. They'll do that by feeding one another, grooming one another, or eating their own dead.

A short while later, the ants will be exterminated. Once they're gone, the homeowner can repair the leaky pipe behind the wall. 

As this homeowner in Manahawkin, NJ, was cleaning out his shed and he noticed a burrow on the side of the shed and a skunk going into the burrow! He immediately went inside, found Little Rascals on Google, and scheduled an appointment. 

As we inspected the area, we noticed that there was a hug gap underneath the entire perimeter of the shed. After setting up our retrieval devices, we successfully and safely retrieved the skunks and relocated them to a new, humane environment. All that's left is to exclude the skunks from the shed! To do this, we dug a 12 inch deep trench around the entire perimeter of the shed and then installed hardware cloth. The hardware cloth is installed 12 inches deep and 12 inches out from the bottom of the shed. This creates a sturdy "L shaped" perimeter that will prevent skunks, and other nuisance wildlife, from digging and nesting underneath the shed.

After seeing a few birds going in and out of several exhaust vents on the side of her property, this homeowner in Seaside Heights, NJ, called Bird Solutions by Cowleys for help.  After a thorough inspection of the exterior, we determined that the birds were using all 3 exhaust vents to infest the home. First, we carefully removed all the nesting debris from all 3 of the exhaust vents. Next, we disinfected each exhaust vent with a solution that targets bird mites. Bird mites are parasites that feed on the blood of birds and are the main reason why extreme care is needed when removing a birds nest.

Lastly, we installed a Defender over each exhaust vent. The Defender is the perfect choice to help keep out nuisance birds, and squirrels too. While allowing free-flowing air movement, its patented design effectively blocks intrusion by using a system of bars instead of a screen under the hood.

While we were servicing this home in Toms River, NJ, we came across several active ant mounds in the front of the house. After we finished treating the exterior home with a liquid residual, we applied an ant gel bait and a granular bait to each of the ant hills. The worker ants are going to bring both these applications back to their nest where they will share the treatments with the other ants in the colony and their reproductive queen. 

They'll do this by grooming one another, feeding one another, or eating their own dead. In a short amount of time, the ants will be exterminated. 

A new customer in Lavallette, NJ, called Cowleys after his wife found some damaged wooden beams in the basement and was afraid that they might have termites. Once we arrived and inspected the basement, we immediately found several active termite mud tubes on several of the walls in the basement. Mud tubes are pencil-width size tubes made by the worker termites from soil and wood cemented together using their saliva and excrement as "glue." Termites use these tunnels to travel to and from their nest when foraging for food. These protective tubes allow the termites to stay moist underground. We reported our findings to the homeowners and immediately began treatment.

Since termites live beneath ground level, for an effective treatment, we drilled into the floors & walls of the basement and around the exterior of the home. Once we were finished, we injected a liquid termiticide into floor of the basement, around the entire perimeter of the home, and then injected a foaming version of the termiticide into the basement walls. The termiticide binds to the treated areas 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 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.

This homeowner in Mantoloking, NJ, was hosting a party and greeting her guests by the front door, when suddenly she and her guests were getting attacked and stung by several angry yellow jackets! Since one of her guests was a customer of Cowleys, she immediately called our office and we were sent out. 

After equipping our protective bee suit, we inspected the front porch area and noticed that the yellow jackets were going in and out of a tiny opening underneath the aluminum flashing by the front door. We treated the area with a knockdown dusting product, which rapidly exterminates the yellow jackets. Once they were exterminated, we then treated the area with a liquid residual to prevent any future yellow jackets from reinfesting the area. Now the homeowner can continue her party without worrying about yellow jackets stinging her or her guests! 

As this homeowner in Mantoloking, NJ, was renovating his living room he discovered something that made his heart drop - extensive termite damage found behind the walls on the wooden beams. He was hoping that the damage was old and that there weren't any active termites infesting his home, so he gave Cowleys a call. When we arrived and inspected the area we, unfortunately, confirmed that there were active termites infesting his home, and a lot of them too! Termites are often called the silent destroyers of homes since subterranean insects do their damage hidden from plain view. It's easy for homeowners to miss the often subtle signs of a termite infestation until there has already been substantial damage to the home!

Since termites live beneath the soil, with the owners permission, we drilled into the flooring of the living room, as well as around the exterior home, and injected a liquid termiticide. Next, we drilled into the walls of the living room and injected a foaming version of the termiticide. Both of these treatments bind to the treated areas and creates a protective zone that the termites can't detect. They will then come in contact with the termiticide as they go about their normal routines and transfer it throughout their colony. The treatment then spreads like a virus throughout their colony and in a short amount of time, the termites are exterminated and the home is protected for years to come!

As this homeowner in New Egypt, NJ, was mowing his lawn, he suddenly was attacked by several angry hornets! Good thing he wasn't allergic! He quickly ran inside and called Cowleys for help! When we arrived, the homeowner showed us the area where he was stung. As we looked up to inspect, we found a very large and very active bald-faced hornets nest in the tree! Bald-faced hornets are one of the most aggressive and territorial stinging insects out there and won't hesitate to attack anything that comes close to their nest. They can even sense vibrations in the air, such as vibrations from a lawn mower!

Since the nest was about 10 feet up in the tree, we grabbed our extendable pole, attached a knockdown aerosol application to it, and then injected the product into the opening of the bald-faced hornet nest. This treatment quickly exterminates these aggressive stinging insects! A short while later, we removed the nest, as well as the branch it was attached to, and properly disposed of it. 

This customer in Jackson, NJ, noticed a large amount of yellow jackets coming from his gas fireplace. So after he temporarily sealed up the fireplace on the inside of the home, he called Cowleys for help. Once we arrived, we discovered that the yellow jackets were nesting in a small opening on the exterior side of the fireplace. Yellow jackets are aggressive, territorial wasps, with distinctive yellow-and-black coloration, that are known for their propensity to sting anyone and anything that they perceive as a threat, such as those who venture too close to their nests or their food.

For treatment, we injected a knockdown aerosol application into the small gap around the fireplace. This treatment quickly eliminated the yellow jackets. Once they were gone, we treated this area with a liquid residual which will eliminate any returning yellow jackets as well as prevent them from building a new nest. 

As this homeowner in Lanoka Harbor, NJ, was heading to her mailbox she was greeted by several angry bald-faced hornet's! She quickly ran inside and gave Cowleys a call. Bald-faced hornets are one the most aggressive and territorial stinging insects out there! They have smooth stingers, which means they can sting you over and over again and can actually sense vibrations in the ground.

After equipping our protective bee suit, we inspected the area, and found the basketball sized hornets nest high up in a tree right above the mailbox!

So we grabbed our extendable pole, attached a knockdown liquid application to it, and injected it into the nest. After several moments, we also treated the nest with a knockdown aerosol application. Both of these treatments quickly exterminates the bald-faced hornets. Once they were eliminated, we removed the nest and properly disposed of it. 

As we were treating this property in Mantoloking, NJ, we came across something interesting - a pile of dead cicadas right next to a cicada killer wasp burrow. Cicada killers are large wasps, approximately 2 inches in size, and get their name from killing cicadas in order to reproduce their larvae. Once the female finishes her burrow, which can be 8-16" long, they then go out and hunt for food, which usually is a cicada. The adult female will paralyze the cicada with her stinger, carry the cicada back to their burrow, and lay her eggs under the left or right second leg of the cicada. The eggs then hatch and the larvae begin to eat the cicada while it is paralyzed. 

Cicada Killers are solitary insects, meaning they nest alone. They choose to nest in well-drained, light-textured soils in full sunlight that are near trees harboring cicadas. During the burrowing process, female cicada killers can displace several pounds of dirt making a big mess and damaging the roots of plants. Additionally, they can dig in areas near walkways which can make some structures unstable. They may look deadly and dangerous, but in reality, they aren't aggressive and rarely sting unless they are grasped roughly, stepped upon with bare feet, or caught in clothing.

For treatment, we applied a granular bait throughout the landscape and injected a residual dusting application directly into each burrow. This product rapidly eliminates the adult cicada killers, their eggs, and the larvae inside the chamber.

We're returning to this commercial property in Beach Haven, NJ, to check on the activity of the cockroach infestation in the kitchen. We had installed several monitoring devices throughout the building. When we checked them, there was still an abundance of cockroaches in each of the devices, which means that there is still a hefty infestation of cockroaches in the building.

So we then retreated the high infestation areas with an EPA registered insect growth regulator that is combined with a residual product. This treatment affects the cockroaches' reproductive system and prevents them from reaching adulthood. Next, we applied a knockdown aerosol product to every single crack, crevice, appliance, and baseboard throughout the building. This product flushes the cockroaches out of hiding, into the growth regulator, and rapidly exterminates them.

Lastly, we installed new monitoring devices and scheduled several more follow up visits to monitor the activity. 

During a routine service for a Home Protection Plan customer in Bayville, NJ, we noticed some firewood that was piled on the lawn on the side the home. That's never a good sign, as firewood that is improperly stored will attract pests and rodents can harbor in them. Sure enough, as we inspected the pile, we found that is was loaded with carpenter ants.

Carpenter ants are wood-destroying insects and are so named because they excavate wood in order to build their nests. They typically nest outdoors in damp, decaying wood like tree stumps, logs, or hollowed-out trees. Occasionally, carpenter ants build their nest inside a home, seeking out water-damaged, decaying wood that they can easily excavate. In doing so, they can seriously damage the structure of the home.

We spoke to the homeowner and, with her permission, we properly discarded all the firewood. Next, we treated the area, and the entire exterior of the home, with a liquid residual application. Afterward, we applied a granular bait throughout the grassy areas of the property. Once the worker carpenter ants come in contact with either of these products they'll return to their nest and transfer the treatments to the other ants in the colony and their queen. A short while later, the carpenter ants will be exterminated.

Lastly, we spoke to the owner once again and mentioned that all firewood must be placed at least 5 feet above the ground on a cement slab as well as be placed at least 20 feet from the home. 

As an employee of the gas company was inspecting the gas meter on this customers home in Jackson, NJ, he was shocked to find a hornets nest attached to it! He immediately informed the owner and, since the homeowner is a current Home Protection Plan customer, she called our office for assistance. 

Once we arrived, we equipped our protective bee suits and began treating the nest. First, we injected a knockdown aerosol application directly into the nest. Afterward, we injected a knockdown dusting product into the nest. Both of these treatments rapidly exterminates the hornets. After a few moments, we removed the hornets nest, disposed of it, and cleaned the area. 

As this homeowner in Jackson, NJ, was cleaning the exterior of the their back of their house, they were suddenly surrounded and attacked by a swarm of angry yellow jackets! She quickly ran inside, found Cowleys on Google, and gave our Pest Control Division a call.

Once we arrived, we equipped our protective bee suit and inspected the area where the owner was attacked. Minutes into our inspection, we noticed that the yellow jackets were going in and out of a small gap around one of the utility pipes. For treatment, we injected a knockdown dusting application into the opening. This treatment eliminates the yellow jackets almost immediately. A short while later, we removed the nest that was inside, disposed of it properly, and treated the area with a residual application. This product will exterminate any yellow jackets that return to the area as well as prevent them, and any other stinging insect, from building another nest. 

As we were treating this home in Seaside Park, NJ, we found several mouse droppings along the side of the building. We followed the droppings and found several rodent burrows underneath the siding of the building. We brought this to the owners attention and, since we was a building contractor, he mentioned that he will seal off the gaps properly at a later date.

Until that happens, as a temporary solution, we stuffed the openings with chew-proof stainless steel mesh. Rodents typically don't like chewing through metal because it's extremely uncomfortable for their teeth and gums. Next, we installed several rodent bait stations around the exterior of the home. Lastly, we scheduled several follow up visits to monitor the infestation and replenish the bait stations as needed. 

Our Wildlife team was sent out to a new customers home in Point Pleasant, NJ, to remove a raccoon that harbored underneath the shed. After setting up our retrieval devices, we successfully and safely removed the raccoon and relocated it to a new, humane location. Now we need to protect the shed from any future intrusions from raccoons as well as any other nuisance wildlife.

To exclude the raccoons from the shed, we dug a 12 inch deep trench and then installed hardware cloth. The hardware cloth is installed 12 inches deep and 12 inches out from the bottom of the shed. This creates a sturdy "L shaped" perimeter that will prevent raccoons, and other nuisance wildlife, from digging and nesting underneath the shed.

As this elderly homeowner in Beach Haven, NJ, was relaxing on her front porch, she was suddenly attacked and stung by several angry yellow jackets! She quickly ran inside, found Cowleys information, called our office, and we were sent out to inspect and treat.

As we inspected the front porch, we noticed several yellow jackets were emerging from the top corner of the front door entrance. We took a closer look and discovered that there was a yellow jackets nest underneath the siding!

For treatment, we injected a knockdown dusting application directly into the opening where the yellow jackets were coming from. This treatment will exterminate the yellow jackets almost immediately. A short while later, we removed the nest, disposed of it, and then applied a residual application to the area. This product will eliminate any yellow jackets that return to this area as well as prevent them from building another nest.

Recently, we were sent out to the home of a new customer in Mantoloking, NJ, to treat for bed bugs. The homeowner reported seeing them in her master bedroom. As soon as we inspected the bedroom, we found a massive infestation of bed bugs throughout the mattress, bed frame, outlets, end table, and even in the briefcase!

Bed bugs love to harbor in tight, enclosed spaces where they can feel pressure on both sides of their body. For treatment, the first thing we did was vacuum up all the live bed bugs and their eggs. Next, we treated the baseboards, bed frame, mattress, end table, and the surrounding areas with a bio-pesticide application. This product creates a barrier that infects and exterminates the bed bugs over a short period of time.

Next, we treated every outlet throughout the bedroom and the hallway with a residual dusting product. This treatment will eradicate bed bugs of all life stages, sex, and feeding status within a short amount of time. Lastly, we scheduled several follow-up visits to monitor the infestation and apply any additional treatments if necessary.

During a routine treatment service of this property in Beachwood, NJ, we noticed a few yellow jackets hovering around the fascia board at the peak of the house. So we took a closer look and found two small, yet dangerous yellow jacket nests!

We treated the area with a knockdown dusting application. This treatment will quickly eliminate the yellow jackets. After a few moments, we removed the nest, disposed of it, and then treated the area with a liquid residual. This application will exterminate any yellow jackets still hovering around the area as well as prevent them, and any other stinging insect, from building another nest. 

During a routine treatment for a new Home Protection Plan customer in Jackson, NJ, as we were treating the backyard, we noticed several yellow jackets hovering around the garden. As we got closer, we noticed that the were coming from a small opening in the stone wall!

First, we applied a knockdown aerosol application into the small gap that the yellow jackets were coming from. Afterward, we applied a knockdown dusting application. These treatments will exterminate the yellow jackets almost immediately. A few moments later, we spotted the nest behind the stone wall, dug it out, disposed of it, and then filled in the burrow. 

A new customer in Jackson, NJ, called our office after noticing a few winged ants in her dinning room. Once we arrived and took a closer look at these pests, we quickly realized that these weren't winged ants, but termite swarmers! Termite swarmers are winged termite adults that form colonies in or around your home. As we informed the owner and continued our inspection, we noticed that a portion of the dining room floor had evident damage from termites! We told the owner and she agreed to a full termite treatment. 

First, with the owner's permission, we drilled into the flooring of the dinning room and then around the exterior of the home. Afterward, injected a foaming termiticide into floors and walls of the dining room. Next, we injected a liquid version of the termiticide around the entire perimeter of the home.

The termiticide binds to the treated areas 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 their colony. Once we finished, we plugged and filled in each one of the drill holes. In a short amount of time, the termites will be exterminated and the home will be protected from termites for many years to come.

After spotting a mouse in her crawl space, this homeowner in Bayville, NJ, called our office for help. As soon as we began our inspection we immediately noticed that the crawl space door was missing and that it was replaced with a piece of plywood and a brick! The homeowner thought that this would keep the rodents out! She had no idea that mice can fit through an opening the width of a pencil.

We mentioned to the owner that she will continue to have rodent and pest issues as long as the crawl space door is left the way it is. Fortunately, our Crawl Space team can install a new crawl space door for the homeowner and, once we eliminate the mice, they will come out and do just that! In the meantime, we carefully cleaned up all the mouse droppings throughout the crawl space. Next, we installed several rodent bait stations in the crawl space and along the exterior of the home.

Lastly, we scheduled several follow up inspections to replenish the bait in the stations and monitor the mice activity.

During a scheduled treatment service for a new Home Protection Plan customer in Lavallette, NJ, we found something interesting underneath the deck in the backyard - rat droppings! We found them around the crawl space door, which was broken and being held up by a piece of wood and cinderblocks. As we closely inspected the crawl space, we found even more rat droppings throughout the area and noticed that the insulation was falling down. Turns out that is was saturated with rat urine!

We told the owner, who had no idea that he even had a rat problem! We mentioned that, once the rats are gone, our Crawl Space Division can not only install a more sturdy crawl space door, but also remove all the contaminated insulation and install new insulation! He was happy to hear that and scheduled an appointment. As far as the treatment for the rats, we installed several rodent bait stations in the crawl space, underneath the deck, and along the exterior of the home. Lastly, we scheduled a number of follow up visits to monitor the rat activity and replenish the bait stations as needed. 

Recently, we treated a home in Toms River, NJ, for termites. The homeowner had reported seeing termite damage in her dinning room ceiling. Once we arrived and took a closer look, not only did confirm that the damage was inflicted by termites, but we found several subterranean termites inside the wooden beams in the ceiling! 

First, with the owners permission, we drilled into the walls and ceiling of the dinning room and injected a foaming termiticide. Afterward, we drilled into the concrete slab and around the exterior of the home and injected a liquid version of the termiticide. Both of these treatments bind to the treated areas 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 routine, bring it back to their nest, and transfer it among their colony. The applications then spread like a virus and, in a short amount of time, the termites will be exterminated and the home will be protected from termites for many years to come.

As this customer in Toms River, NJ, was renovating his bathroom, he discovered something that made his heart stop - a piece of lumber from the wooden beams that appeared to be damaged by termites. He immediately called Cowleys for help and we were sent to inspect and treat. As we took a look at the wooden beam that was removed, as well as the entire wooden frame of the bathroom, we realized that the homeowner didn't have a termite problem, but an infestation of powderpost beetles! "Powderpost beetle" is a term used to describe several species of small (1/8-3/4 inch long) wood-destroying insects that reduce wood to a flour-like powder. Powderpost beetles lay their eggs in cracks of wood and the larvae tunnel into the surface. The larvae is what causes the damage to wooden structures.

To treat the infestation, we drilled into the wooden beams of the bathroom and injected a foaming termiticide application. Next, we drilled in the concrete surrounding the home and injected a liquid version of the termiticide under the stoops, the brick pavers, and into the soil abutting the foundations. Both of these applications create a protective zone that the powderpost beetles can't detect. Once they come in contact with either of these treatments and bring them back to their nest to share, they are exterminated. Now the home is properly protected from powderpost beetles, as well as from termites, for many years to come!

After spotting a few bats flying around her attic, this customer in Forked River, NJ, immediately contacted our Wildlife division for help. Once we arrived and inspected the attic, we found an abundance of bat guano throughout the area. Continuing our inspection on the exterior of the home, we noticed several gaps along the soffit on the right side of the home. As we took a closer look, we quickly realized that was how the bats were getting into the home.

In order to safely remove the bats from the home, we temporarily sealed off the entry points with hardware cloth and installed several bat cones. The bat cones will allow the bats to safely exit the attic but prevent them from getting back in. Once all the bats are gone we're going to disinfect the entire attic and install sturdy metal flashing over the access points.

Finally fed up with nuisance birds roosting and defecating all over his boat lift, this customer in Brick, NJ, contacted our Nuisance Wildlife division for help. The first thing we did was carefully remove all of the nuisance birds' nesting materials and disinfected the area with a solution that targets bird mites. Bird mites are parasites that feed on the blood of birds. Bird mites are the main reason why extreme care is needed when removing a birds nest.

After that was completed, we installed optical gel along the beams throughout the boat lift. The optical gel is a multi-sensory bird repellant that deters birds using sight, smell, and touch. As a visual deterrent, the birds see a UV spectrum that, to them, looks like fire or smoke (although there isn't any). As a smell deterrent, the optical gel gives off a cayenne pepper or peppermint odor that the birds hate; and as a touch deterrent, the optical gel has a tacky feel to it that the birds dislike.

After purchasing a old restaurant in Beachwood, NJ, this new entrepreneur had plans to completely revamp the restaurant and have a grand opening in the spring. The only thing stopping him was the massive fruit fly infestation throughout the building. Since the owner uses Cowleys for his home, he gave our office a call and we were sent out. As we inspected the building, we found several sanitation issues that contributed to the fruit fly infestation, such as buckets of dirty rags filled with food debris and sugary liquids that were piled up in the corner and food storage containers that weren't sealed correctly. 

Fruit flies are attracted to ripened fruits and vegetables in the kitchen or wherever food is allowed to rot and ferment. Although these pests can't bite or transmit any diseases, they can carry around bacteria from one place to another and contaminate food. We mentioned a few simple cleaning protocols that the new owner can enforce in order to prevent any future issues with fruit flies, as well as any other pests.

As the owner started disposing of all the contaminated items, we applied a liquid application in all the floor drains and then scrubbed them out with our heavy-duty scrubbing brush. Next, we applied a bio-foam solution that removes the organic build-up, odors, and scum in the drains. Lastly, we treated the infestation areas with a fly traps to control the adult fruit flies. The attractant in the traps draws the fruit flies close and the bait inside the traps exterminates them within moments of contact. In a short amount of time, the fruit flies will be eliminated and the owner can continue with his renovations. 

A property manager of an apartment complex in West Creek, NJ, contacted our office after one of his tenants found several cockroaches in her kitchen. Once we arrived and inspected the apartment, we found a large infestation of cockroaches in the kitchen and in the dining room. Cockroaches are primarily nocturnal, and the fact that we spotted a large number of them during the day means that there is a massive infestation!

We advised the tenant that every single contaminated perishable item must be disposed of carefully. Additionally, anything that isn't nailed down must be removed for an intensive treatment. The tenant did just that and, once she was finished, we treated every single nook and cranny in the pantries, the entire kitchen, and the dining room with a residual application that is combined with an EPA registered insect growth regulator. This treatment affects the cockroaches' reproductive system and prevents them from reaching adulthood.

Next, we applied a knockdown aerosol product to every single crack, crevice, appliance, and baseboard throughout the apartment. This product flushes the cockroaches out of hiding, into the growth regulator, and rapidly exterminates them. Lastly, we placed several monitoring devices throughout the kitchen and dinning room and then scheduled several follow-up visits to apply any additional treatments, if needed, and to monitor the cockroach infestation.

A customer in Toms River, NJ, was mowing her lawn one afternoon when she noticed a burrow on the side of her shed and that her flowers appeared to be "chewed up." As she shut off the mower and went to take a closer look at the burrow, a groundhog ran across her yard and went underneath her shed! She immediately went inside and called Little Rascals by Cowleys for help. 

Since the groundhog was harboring underneath the shed, that's where we set-up our retrieval devices. First, we installed a positive set over the main access point in order to safely retrieve the groundhog. A positive set is comprised of a nose cone that safely guides the groundhog into the two-gaited, heavy-duty device that is attached. It's called a positive set, because we are positive that the groundhog will enter our device.

Afterward, we installed Dig Defense® around the entire perimeter of the shed, except for that one area. Dig Defense® is a below-ground fence system that is 15 inches deep, 4 feet across, and protects structures against invasive nuisance wildlife and feral animals. Once we safely retrieve the groundhog, we will relocate it to a new, humane location, fill in the burrows, and install another portion of Dig Defense® over the access point.

After the staff of this restaurant in Warren, NJ, noticed an unusual high number of fruit flies in the kitchen, they immediately contacted Cowleys for help and we were sent out. Once we started inspecting the kitchen, we immediately identified why there were so many fruit flies. There was a buildup of bacteria about knee high behind the sink and other appliances as well as several floor drains that were loaded with discarded food and other liquids.

We brought these sanitation issues to the owners and the staffs attention and told them that these areas need to be cleaned and kept clean in order prevent any issues with fruit flies and other pests, from infesting the business. Once we showed them, they immediately began cleaning. Once they finished, we applied a liquid application in all the floor drains and then scrubbed them out with our heavy-duty scrubbing brush.

Next, we applied a bio-foam solution that removes the organic build-up, odors, and scum in the drains. Afterward, we treated the high infestation areas with a fly bait to control the adult fruit flies and installed several fruit fly traps. The attractant in the traps draws the fruit flies close and the bait inside the traps exterminates them within moments of contact. Lastly, we scheduled several follow-up visits to monitor the fruit fly activity and, if needed, apply any additional treatments.

Previously, our Wildlife Removal team had safely removed several squirrels from the attic of this customer in Seaside Park, NJ. Unfortunately, the squirrels were residing in the attic for quite some time and caused quite a mess. Almost every single piece of insulation was soaked with their urine and feces! So our Attic Systems team is here to clean up the attic and add new blown-in cellulose insulation. 

First, we carefully removed all of the contaminated insulation, disposed of it, and then disinfected the entire attic. Afterward, we installed Tight Shell Can Light Covers over the recessed lights in the attic. These are made out of a fire resistant material and is specifically designed to stop unwanted air leakage through the recessed lights. Next, we added over 10 inches of TruSoft blown-in cellulose insulation. TruSoft blown-in cellulose insulation maximizes home comfort, has the highest Class-1 fire safety rating & is resistant to mold and pests. Lastly, we installed several SilverGlo™ borders. This will prevent the insulation from overflowing onto the attic floor and makes the attic look more organized.

Recently, we treated an apartment in Manchester, NJ for fruit flies. Once we arrived, we found them all over the kitchen. During our inspection, we found several dirty dishes in the sink and a pan on the stove that was loaded with grease. These sanitation issues is what caused the fruit fly infestation. 

Turns out that the tenant of this apartment just up and left one day, leaving behind a big mess. We brought up these sanitation issues to the landlord and she immediately removed all the dirty dishes and started cleaning the apartment from top to bottom. While she was doing that, we treated each one of the drains in the kitchen and, as a precaution, the bathroom drains with a liquid application and then scrubbed them out with our heavy-duty scrubbing brush.

Once we finished with that, we applied a bio-foam solution in all the drains. The bio-foam application is going to remove all the organic build-up, odors, and scum in the drains. Next, we installed several fruit fly traps in the high infestation areas. The attractant in the traps draws the fruit flies close and the bait inside the traps exterminates them within moments of contact. Lastly, we scheduled several follow-up visits to monitor the fruit fly activity and, if needed, apply any additional treatments.

A new customer purchased his first home in Lanoka Harbor, NJ and the first thing we wanted to do, was encapsulate his dirt floor crawl space. So he called our Crawl Space Division for help and we were sent out. 

The issue with the crawl space was that the humidity levels were high, it was full of debris, and the flooring was dirt. Dirt floor crawl spaces attract and absorb moisture. Once the dirt dries, it causes humidity levels to rise and can lead to other serious issues, like mold. So the first thing we did, was carefully remove all of the debris out of the crawl space and then dispose of it.  Next, we added a drainage matting, which is a dimpled plastic mat that allows all excess moisture to work its way over to the brand new SmartSump™ Crawl Space Sump Pump we installed.

The SmartSump™ Crawl Space Sump Pump protects the crawl space by combining an intelligent WaterWatch® alarm system. It's specially designed to prevent collected water from evaporating back out into the crawl space. Any water from a plumbing leak or sump failure must first pass by the alarm and will then drain down into the sump.

We also installed an UltraSump® battery backup sump pump. In the event of loss of power, the UltraSump® battery backup will automatically kick in and begin removing water from the basement, preventing a flood. The battery backup also comes with an alarm to alert the homeowner in case of power failure, sounding when the backup pump is running and silencing when power is restored.

Next, we installed a vapor barrier, which is a heavy-duty, 20-mil 7-ply sandwich of high and low-density polyethylene with a polyester-cord reinforcement. By encapsulating the crawl space & installing the vapor barrier over the foundation walls and floor will create a continuous air and moisture barrier. The vapor barrier is extremely durable and is treated with an antimicrobial to prevent mold. Finally, we installed a Sedona dehumidifier to control the humidity levels in the crawl space. This is a powerful, energy-efficient, commercial-grade dehumidifier that outperforms standard household dehumidifiers by as much as 10 times while using the same amount of energy to run. Now the homeowners have a clean and healthy crawl space as well as an additional area in their home for storage!

During a routine service for a Home Protection Plan customer in Mantoloking, NJ, we noticed something interesting in the backyard - rat droppings! As we inspected the area we discovered that one of the exterior crawl space vents was broken. We took a look throughout the crawl space and found a ton of rat droppings. The rats were taken advantage of the broken vent and taking up residency in the homeowner's crawl space! We informed the owner who had no idea that the crawl space vent was even broken! We had mentioned that our Crawl Space team can replace the crawl space vent for her, but she wanted her husband to do it.

In the meantime, the first thing we did was carefully clean up all the rat droppings outside and inside the crawl space. Afterward, we installed several rodent bait stations throughout the crawl space and along the exterior of the home. The last thing we did was schedule several follow up visits to replenish the bait in the bait stations and to monitor the rat activity.

After hearing noises in his attic during the daytime, this customer in Barnegat, NJ was concerned that he might have something living in his attic. So he contacted Little Rascals by Cowleys and we were sent out. As we began inspecting the exterior of the roof, we discovered something interesting on the roof - the plumbing pipe had been chewed to pieces! The whole purpose of the plumbing pipe is to make sure that the plumbing works properly as well as keeps methane gas out of the home. As we took a closer look, we found squirrel fur in the pipe and squirrel paw prints on the roof. Looks like the homeowner has a squirrel living in his attic!

To safely retrieve it, we installed a one-way device over the plumbing pipe and temporarily enclosed it off with hardware cloth. We also set-up several baited devices nearby. A one-way device is designed to allow the squirrel to safely leave the area but prevent it from getting back in. A short while later, we successfully retrieved the squirrel and relocated it to a new, humane environment.

Next, we replaced the PVC portion of the plumbing pipe, installed a Perma-Boot, and sealed it in place with a premium, waterproof adhesive. The Perma-Boot is a gasket-less two piece pipe boot repair system that is designed to permanently repair any leak around the vent pipes.

This Home Protection Plan customer in Toms River, NJ, found a mouse underneath his kitchen sink and immediately called Cowleys for help! Once we arrived and inspected the interior of the home, we also found mice activity in the attic. In order to effectively eliminate the mice, we installed several rodent bait stations in the kitchen, the attic, and along the exterior of the home.

As we installed the bait stations, we found gaps around several utility pipes that the mice were using to infest the home. Once we finished installing the bait stations, we scheduled several follow up visits to replenish the bait and then properly seal up all the openings on the exterior of the home.