Pests We Treat Before & After Photos

We were sent out to a home in Watchung, NJ to handle a wasp nest. The interesting thing about this situation was that the wasp nest was located inside an electrical box on the outside of the home. When we took a closer look at the nest, we identified them as paper wasps.

Also called umbrella wasps, paper wasps are semi-social stinging insects that usually have brown bodies with yellow or reddish markings. They range in size from five-eighths to three-quarters of an inch long and are known for the long legs that extend out from their oval bodies. Due to their coloration and body shape, they are often mistaken for yellow jackets but have a slimmer waist and a triangular side view. Paper wasps received their name from the paper-like material out of which they make their nests.

We treated the nest with a knockdown aerosol application, which quickly neutralizes the paper wasps. After some time had passed, we removed the nest and disposed of it carefully.

We're back at this warehouse in South Plainfield, NJ to check on our rodent bait stations to see if there was any mice activity. Sure enough, there was! The bait in several of the stations was devoured by the mice. Now we know what areas need the most attention! After completing our inspection, we replenished the bait in all of the bait stations and scheduled several additional follow up inspections until the mice are no longer infesting the warehouse. Before we left, we checked the exterior and sealed up any and all gaps and openings around the building. 

I arrived at a home in Helmet for their scheduled home protection plan (HPP) servicing.  Our residential service plans, which cover over twenty common household pests, include preventive perimeter treatments and indoor treatments as needed. Homeowners have unlimited service calls for any covered pest infestation throughout the plan period.  

Upon arrival, to my surprise, the homeowner has told me she has been having mice issues for six months, but did not contact us because she had been “getting used” to having mice! As a pest control technician, knowing the property damage and health hazards that mice can cause, I politely explained that a homeowner can never accept or allow an infestation to continue and worsen. Even though mice keep to themselves and avoid human interaction, these pests can cause a host of problems. I was especially surprised because this homeowner had a home protection plan and was fully covered. All she needed to do was pick up the phone and call us. A Cowleys pest control technician would have been immediately dispatched to happily resolve the problem. 

I started my treatment to get rid of this mouse infestation. This homeowner lived in a wooded area of Wall Township, and had mouse problems in the past. I replaced over twenty RTU mouse bait stations inside her home. These stations lock automatically when closed and require a special key to open, making them tamper-resistant to pets and children.  

However, something didn’t sit well with me. This homeowner was still having active mouse activity in her home despite the array of bait traps that were set. I was extra-thorough while inspecting for possible entry points in order to satisfy myself that there were no major openings. I crawled under her deck to check for possible exterior entry points that would match up where there was extensive mouse activity inside the home. My intuition and perseverance paid off. I successfully located a major rodent entry point. As shown in the attached picture, you’ll often see piles of droppings near entry points along with small hair follicles that have rubbed off. Here, the mice pulled out insulation, creating a tunnel for them to come and go as they please. I sealed up the hole with copper mesh to make sure that this entry point would be blocked for good.

The homeowner was pleased with my service. Before leaving I emphasized to her that she should never hesitate to take advantage of her home protection plan, and call us at the first sign of trouble. Pest infestations, whether rodent or insect, are unacceptable to live with. The sooner we come, the less entrenched the infestation, and the easier it is to resolve. Mice may appear to be small, harmless, and docile. But don’t be fooled by their appearance. Once they infest a home, these little creatures can cause significant property damage through their constant gnawing. Also, their toxic droppings can become airborne once they dry out, spreading disease. And mice invading kitchens can contaminate food. If you see mice or signs of a mouse infestation, it is a genuine emergency. For your family’s safety, contact a pest control service immediately. 

We're returning to this restaurant in Millstone Township, NJ to check up on the fly activity. Previously we installed several UV fly lights in several rooms of the business. These devices use an insect-attracting lamp to lure insects to an adhesive trapping glue board. They lure and capture virtually any flying insects such as house flies, bottle flies, mosquitoes, gnats, and moths. When we checked up on them, sure enough, we found activity on all of the glue boards!

We changed out the glue boards, cleaned out the fly light, and disposed of all the flies. Next, as a precaution, we applied a fly bait around the recycling and garbage cans inside and outside the building. We then scheduled another follow-up visit to monitor the infestation, replace the glue boards, and, if needed, apply any additional treatments.

Here are some “before and after” exclusion pictures that I had taken as part of a job to resolve a mouse infestation for a homeowner in East Brunswick, NJ. When dealing with rodents, it is critical to determine how they are gaining access inside the home. You can go ahead and set up bait traps and apply applications to deal with the mice inside the home, but to permanently resolve the problem and prevent re-infestations, you need to locate the entry points used by the mice to gain access into the home. Sometimes you know they are actual entry points because of nearby rodent activity near the gap or crack. For example, if you find tiny, dark pellet-like droppings or smelly urine near the gap or crack, you are pretty much guaranteed that some mice availed themselves of the opening to gain access into the home. Other times during the inspection, the technician may find potential entry points that need to be sealed. 

Finding the gaps and cracks can sometimes be a challenge. Mice are tiny creatures and they can fit through a hole the size of a dime. A good inspection requires a thorough visual of the home’s entire foundation. Often, mice enter into the crawl space or attic and then use wall voids to maneuver their way around the home, eventually making their way to the kitchen to forager for food. Sometimes, the gaps are small and it takes a lot of detective work to find them. However, there are occasions where you’ll find a huge gap that for a mouse would be the equivalent of the Holland tunnel! That was the case here. With this home, there was a huge gap around a utility pipe entering the home. The gaps around pipes and wiring entering the home are always treated as one of the “usual suspects” to check when looking for rodent entry points. Here, you can see the large gap around the pipe.

To seal this gap, I filled it with chew-proof copper mesh. Rodents are persistent creatures that can tear and chew there way through many materials. For example, using caulk to close gaps is never enough. With the copper mesh firmly in place, this access point for mice has been permanently blocked.