Pest Control and Extermination in Toms River, NJ

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. 

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. 

Recently, I was sent to a home in Toms River, NJ to treat a pest infestation of invading ants and centipedes. Ants are an extremely common nuisance pest for homeowners, and centipedes less so. Often, a centipede infestation is an indicator of another pest infestation since they eat a variety of other insects including spiders, silverfish, and ants. Also, centipedes require wet, damp humid areas since they don’t hold in moisture and easily dry out. Inevitably, centipede infestations are concentrated in wet, damp, and humid areas of your home like crawl spaces, basements, kitchens, and bathrooms. Centipedes often stay hidden because they are nocturnal and with their dozens of delicate legs, these guys are fast — moving a foot and a half in a second — across floors, up walls, and along ceilings. And by the way, centipedes can and do bite.

During my exterior inspection of this home, I saw that there were ideal breeding grounds for ants and centipedes. There were a number of mulch and rock beds around the home. These underground coverings retain moisture and are ideal harborage for these insects. Also, ants commonly nest under decks and paver bricks. For preventative outdoor treatments, it is helpful to spot treat these areas away from the foundation. Treating ground cover like ivy, under bushes, and around the base of trees can also make a big difference. For this home, I strapped on a backpack sprayer with an effective residual application to treat these areas. Residual products remain effective and keep working where they are applied for some length of time. Depending on the formulation, and the type and condition of the surface, these products can continue working for days or even weeks.

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.