Pests We Treat Before & After Photos

A new customer in Gladstone, NJ spotted some yellow jackets flying around his master bathroom one morning and immediately called Cowleys for help. When we inspected the bathroom, we noticed a few yellow jackets hovering around the jacuzzi vent. So we opened it and a bunch of angry yellow jackets came flying out! We discovered that they were coming from a small space near the vent duct, so we treated that area with a knockdown aerosol application. We then went outside to check the exhaust vent to the jacuzzi, removed the vent cover, and found an active yellow jackets nest inside!

We treated that area with a knockdown dusting product, which will rapidly exterminate the yellow jackets. After several moments, we removed the nest and disposed of it. We then went back inside and treated the void around the vent duct with the knockdown dusting application.

Recently, I was sent to a homeowner in Princeton, NJ who was having a problem with yellow jackets. It’s bad enough when you see these nasty stinging insects flying around outside your home, but here, it was even worse. They had made their way inside one of the downstairs rooms.  

I needed to determine how they were gaining access inside the home, and start with an exterior perimeter inspection. I observed yellow jackets flying in and out of an opening in the siding. Yellow jackets are ground-nesters. They usually build nests inside cavities. Often, we find them in hidden locations such as rodent burrows, behind bark, or in hollowed-out  stumps. They also make use of man-made structures and will build their nests attached to eaves, or like here, behind siding. Yellow jackets are strong, hardy insects that are powerful enough to chew through drywall and even plaster, so they can make their way from wall voids into the living areas of home, a frightening experience for any homeowner, to say the least. These yellow jackets were likely nesting up in a ceiling or in a wall void, and a mature nest can grow to be quite large with several thousand members.  The little bit of good news was that, according to the homeowner, no one in the household was allergic to wasp stings. Nevertheless, yellow jackets are aggressive, territorial wasps. They often sting without provocation, and their stings pack a wallop. It was important to have this infestation resolved quickly.

I treated the opening with a highly effective dust that will be carried back by the foraging wasps to the nest, spreading throughout. The residual dust will continue to work for months, killing any emerging wasps. This hidden nest should be completely neutralized within a day, and this family will no longer have to worry about these stinging insects. 

We were sent out on a service call for a new Home Protection Plan customer in Princeton, NJ who found an a yellow jackets nest in his bathroom! The owner was in the process of renovating the bathroom and when he removed a portion of the drywall close to the ceiling, he was attacked by several angry yellow jackets! The problem with yellow jackets nesting in the wall is that they think they are in the ground and will try to expand their nest by chewing through the infrastructure of the home! 

For treatment, we injected a knockdown dusting application directly into the nest. This treatment exterminates the yellow jackets almost immediately. After several moments, we removed the nest, cleaned the area, and disposed of the nest. Now the owner can continue with his renovations without worrying about getting stung!

A business owner was experiencing a rat issue around his property in Bernardsville, NJ, so he called Cowleys for help and we were sent out. After inspecting the entire property, we found a number of rat burrows in the back of the building near the stairs to the basement. Rats create burrows to travel from their nest to a food source and to escape predators. Rat burrows usually contain a main entrance and 1 or 2 exit holes away from the main entrance.

We installed a number Ready-to-Use rodent bait stations near each of the burrows. After that, we then installed several snap traps that are inside temper-proof, child resistant boxes near the burrows. We also filled in a few of the burrows that were no longer in use by the rats. Lastly, we scheduled several follow-up visits to monitor the rat infestation, apply any additional treatments, and replenish the bait stations as needed.

As this customer in Bernardsville, NJ was mowing his lawn, he spotted a large hornet's nest in one of the trees in his front yard. He went inside his home and called Cowleys for help. Once we arrived, we equipped our protective bee suit and took a closer look at these stinging insects. When we did, we were able to identify them as bald-faced hornets. Bald-faced hornets are known to be extremely aggressive. They sense vibrations in the air and if anyone or anything comes remotely close to their nest, they will attack in full force!

Since the nest was about 10 feet up, we grabbed our extendable pole, attached a knockdown aerosol application to the pole, and began treated the nest with that product. After a few moments had passed, we then treated the nest with a knockdown liquid application. Both of these products will rapidly exterminate the bald-faced hornets. A short while after treating the nest, we removed it (and the branch it was attached it) and disposed of them properly.