Squirrels extensively damage fascia in Oakhurst home

Before	After

This Oakhurst homeowner had some major fascia issues that allowed their attic to become a squirrel “motel.” A Cowleys wildlife technician had trapped and relocated numerous squirrels. Once he did a final sweep and determined that there were no more squirrels in the attic, the home improvement crew was called in to do some pretty involved exclusion work that involved a lot more than just plugging up a hole. Wildlife exclusion involves any type of repair work involved in order to seal potential entry points into a home to prevent any re-entry. Taking care of the existing infestation is the critical first step, but after that it is important to take steps to prevent a re-infestation.

Squirrels, raccoons, and other wildlife often seek refuge in attics. These animals are excellent climbers and generally have no problems reaching the roofline. Once there, they can do all sorts of mischief to gain access inside. One of the most common entry points into a home are water-damaged soffits and fascia boards. The fascia board is the vertical finishing edge that caps the end of the rafters. This is the usual spot where the home’s gutters are attached.  The soffit is the finished wood or vinyl horizontal underside beneath the overhanging section of the roof eave. Once these building materials become water-damaged and start to rot, they become targets for wildlife that can easily tear through these weakened materials to gain access to the attic. 

This particular house had some major problems along the roofline. The rear left side soffit and fascia had dropped about three inches. Fortunately, we were able to just push it back up and re-secure it.  However, the rear left corner of the home had roof and fascia damage that left in wide open for wildlife, not to mention water infiltration into the attic. Water seepage into the attic can lead to insect infestations, mold growth, and damage to building materials. 

The roof repair was straightforward. We patched the shingles to close up the opening. The rotten fascia had lost its structural integrity and had to go. We first had to detach the gutter in order to access and remove the rotten fascia boards.  We replaced the bad boards with AZTEC-brand trim, which is made of cellular PVC. Contractors love this material. It is highly durable and won’t rot, cup, split, warp, or twist like wood.  With this new trim, the homeowner will never have to worry about wood rot again. Finally, we reattached the gutters to complete the job.  

This job was a lesson to homeowners about keeping up with needed home repairs and simple annual home maintenance jobs like gutter cleaning. If homeowners are unable to clean their own gutters, Cowleys offers professional gutter cleaning services.  Also, most building materials degrade over time. Fascia and soffits are notorious trouble spots because they are near the roofline and are constantly surrounded by water. If the gutters are clogged, water will pool there and start saturating the surrounding wood. 

There is no question that this homeowner’s squirrel infestation was attributable to the needed repairs of his roof and soffit. Of course, homes kept in good repair can also suffer from wildlife infestations. A determined raccoon or squirrel can tear through visually anything. However, homes with preexisting exterior damage give wildlife an easy “bullseye” to aim for, and if they see a weak spot, you can rest assured that they will exploit it.

Huge hornets nest a danger to students in Oakhurst, NJ

Before	After

I was called to a community in Oakhurst, NJ where a homeowner was concerned about a huge hornets nest on a tree outside of a school bus stop. I arrived after all children were in school to treat the nest. I dusted the entrance/exit of the nest and then poked a hole in nest to eliminate the population trapped inside the nest. After allowing a few moments to pass, giving a chance for the treatment to take effect,  I cut the nest off the tree. It's quite interesting to see the inside of the nests.

Wasps Frighten Oakhurst, NJ Family

Before	After

Recently, I was sent to treat and remove a paper wasp nest for a homeowner in Oakhurst, NJ.  

Paper wasps have that typical appearance we associate with wasps — a slender waist and long legs. They are called “paper” wasps because of how they build their nests. These wasps gather fibers from plant material and mix it with their saliva to make a brown or grey papery material for nest-building. They will build a small paper nest with a single tier of open cells to lay their eggs and rear their young. The nest has no external covering and looks like an umbrella, (that’s why paper wasps are sometimes called umbrella wasps). These nests are commonly attached to the underside of some structure by a short stalk.  

Paper wasps, like any social insect, live in large colonies with a queen and the supporting workers that keep the colony thriving. Other social wasps that we regularly receive calls for are hornets, and yellow jackets. Although paper wasps are considered less aggressive than these other wasps that’s of little consolidation to anyone stung by one of these guys! Any wasp will aggressively defend its nest if it perceives someone as a threat, so a wasp nest that’s in an area where people are regularly walking to and from is a potential hazard that must be removed. If a nest is located somewhere on the property where it’s out of the way and not likely to be disturbed, I recommend to just leave it alone. Wasps can be beneficial insects by reducing other insect populations on the property.

For this nest, I used a quick knock-down aerosol and then removed the nest. These stinging insect jobs are particularly rewarding to me because I know that I likely prevented some awfully painful stings.