Best Pest Control Company in Rumson, NJ

During a home protection plan (HPP) inspection, I found potential flying squirrel activity in Borough of Rumson, NJ. With our home protection plan service, in addition to preventative treatments, we conduct periodic inspections throughout the year and, often, we find pest and wildlife infestations in their early stages before even the homeowner realizes that there is a problem. Of course, a homeowner can call us at any time for a covered pest under the plan — and we’re on it at no additional charge. HPPs offers homeowners great peace of mind and they are a good budget tool as well. 

Here, the homeowner had informed me that he was hearing loud activity in his attic during the night. Mice simply aren’t big enough to make loud noises and the the bait in the RTU bait stations were all intact. There was no indication on any mouse activity in the attic. However, I did find burrowing tunnels in the insulation and droppings that were too small to come from a grey squirrel. Based on my observations, there is likely a flying squirrel infestation. These squirrels are nocturnal and are rarely seen. Homeowners may notice them if they hear strange noises coming from the attic, and quickly go up to take a peak. The flying squirrel is much smaller than tree-dwelling squirrels, and has a broad flattened tail.  Since they are smaller than grey squirrels, their droppings are smaller. They look like little pellets that resemble rat droppings, and are typically black or brown. Flying squirrel droppings are linked to causing typhus, so they should be treated as very hazardous material. (By the way, flying squirrels can’t actually fly. The only true flying mammal are bats. Instead, these squirrels are able to propel themselves through the air with a membrane of loose skin that allows them to glide.) 

I made immediate arrangements for one of our wildlife removal specialists to inspect the attic to confirm the type of wildlife activity and institute the appropriate exclusion and trapping necessary to remove the infestation.

Recently, a homeowner in Rumson, NJ, contacted Cowleys to take advantage of our mosquito reduction program. This treatment is tailor-made for homeowners who find themselves with an unacceptable level of mosquito activity on their property. 

 Upon arrival, I started conducting a thorough inspection of the property in order to locate potential mosquito harborage and breeding grounds. Female mosquitoes require stagnant or standing water to lay their eggs. The females deposit their eggs in broods containing hundreds of eggs in standing water. The eggs float to the surface where they remain for about 48 hours before hatching into larvae. the larvae live for about 10 days and then changes into pupae for a short period of time before emerging as adult mosquitos. Suffice it to say, the mosquito lifecycle from egg to adult is amazingly short, and given the number of eggs a mosquito can lay, their populations can grow to astronomical numbers in the blink of an eye. With mosquito infestations, it happens to be the females that are the source of all our misery. They bite us, not for their own nutrition, but because they need the protein and other components in our blood to produce their eggs. Male mosquitoes may annoy us with all their buzzing, but at least they don’t bite us. 

You can go a long way in reducing mosquito populations by eliminating standing water on your property. The trouble is that standing water can collect anywhere and in anything that can hold and store water — unused flower pots, children’s toys, wheelbarrows, and less obvious places like clogged gutters and depressions in your driveway. Sometimes, we put standing water on our property on purpose. Some homeowners enjoy decorative ponds and birdbaths. Also, mosquitoes can lay eggs in extremely small amounts of water — an overturned bottle cap holding a spoonful of water is enough for some types of mosquitoes. So, while you can’t eliminate every potential mosquito breeding spot, you can at least substantially reduce them. And that’s what I did here. I reviewed the conditions on his property conducive to mosquitoes. Some I could eliminate immediately while others will take more time. 

After my inspection, I used a self-contained power mister to apply a highly effective residual product to all of the harborage areas, shaded areas on the property (which tend to stay moist and insect-friendly), as well as shrubbery and trees. This product contains an insect growth regulator (IGR) that inhibits the ability of the mosquitoes to grow and mature normally. This type of product works exceptionally well for mosquitoes since it targets not only the adult mosquitoes but the larvae as well. 

By reducing standing water followed by the mosquito treatment, this Rumson homeowner will soon see a substantial reduction of mosquito populations on his property.

I was dispatched to a home in Rumson, NJ to resolve a wildlife infestation, specifically, squirrels that were accessing the attic. This squirrel entry point was on a high, steep-pitched roof in the “pac-man” of one of the dormers. When a house has dormers, the projection creates an area where the roof meets the soffit and forms a sideways "V" shape that looks just that the greater than inequality symbol (”>”) from middle-school math.  Some wildlife technicians call this roof design the "Pac-man" because it is shaped just like the hungry figure in the video game that eats everything in its path.  These roof areas are a challenge for wildlife techs when trying to trap animals like squirrels and raccoons that have advanced climbing skills. For these animals, these tight spaces are much easier to reach than for people since we are not blessed with the natural climbing skills of these nimble sharp-clawed animals.

Based on my evaluation, I was dealing with a pregnant squirrel looking for a safe spot to nurse her young. I needed to act quickly before she gave birth. I decided to wire a “one-way” right into a multi-catch trap (see photo). A “one-way” is a device that allows an animal to leave the attic or other space in a home that it is inhabiting, but, just like a one-way valve, prevents its return. I was able to secure the “one-way” over the access nice and snug so it couldn't be moved. I also placed a trap next to this setup just in case the squirrel was not in the house when I set the “one-way.” Because of the roof structure, I felt that I could use the help of another wildlife technician, and Cowleys as a “safety first’ company immediately dispatched another technician to help. In the interim, the mother squirrel was successfully trapped before she gave birth. The squirrel was released far enough away from this house to not cause this homeowner any further problems.