Wildlife Removal Before & After Photos

The Cowleys nuisance wildlife crew was sent to this home in Atlantic Highlands, NJ to handle the exclusion work following a wildlife infestation in the attic. The wildlife access points were around the PVC roof vents caused by deterioration of the surrounding vent boots. We arrived to do the repair work to fix the problem.

Vent boots encase the PVC vent pipes that stick out of your roof. When doing repairs around vent pipe flashing after wildlife entry, homeowners sometimes ask us why their home even has these mysterious vent pipes since they seem like nothing but trouble.

These pipes are part of your plumbing system, or what plumbers call you drain-waste-vent (DWV) system, At the risk of oversimplification, this system has three major parts. The “D” stands for drainpipes, the pipes that collect water from sinks, showers, tubs, and your appliances like your dishwasher and washing machine. The “W” stands for waste pipes, the pipes that remove water and waste from your toilets. All of these pipes connect to the municipality’s sewer line or your septic system. The “V” stands for the vent pipes that stick out of your roof. Building codes require at least one of them.

Vent pipes have two important functions for your plumbing system. First, they equalize pressure in the pipes by allowing air to enter so that the liquid flows freely. (Just think what happens if you put your thumb over a straw immediately after you suck in liquid or if you try to pour liquid out of a can without a second air hole. Without air in the system, water doesn’t flow well.) Second, these vent pipes remove or exhaust sewer gases that are produced and collected from the decomposition of wastes in the sewage system. Sewer gas contains a number of nasty gases including hydrogen sulfide and ammonia that are flammable, poisonous, and just plain stink. These vents are put high up on your roof so that the sewer gas is not pulled back into the home through the windows or attic. 

So, if all that’s too much information, the short answer is that you need those vent pipes sticking out of your roof for your plumbing system to work. Unfortunately, even though these vent pipes are essential, they are also rank up there as one of the most common causes of roof leaks. In addition, the PVC vent areas are vulnerable to wildlife like raccoons that can tear through the vent flashing to gain access to the attic. 

To help prevent leaks and give some added protection against wildlife entry, vent boots seal the area where the pipes come out. Unfortunately, vent boots often don’t last the life of the roof. Because they’re usually made out of rubber, over time, the sun and the outdoor elements will cause them to rot. With this home, the vent boots had deteriorated to the point where they were gone completely, leaving entry points for water intrusions and for pests and wildlife to gain access inside the home.

These homeowners in Atlantic Highlands, NJ, were having problems with squirrels “squirreling” their way into their attic. They were tired of dealing with these periodic squirrel infestations into their home, and contacted Cowleys in the hopes of finding a long-term solution. We had the perfect answer for them! 

Our contractor division installed CritterProof, a critter protection product manufactured by Leaf Supreme, a leading designer of gutter protection systems. CritterProof is specifically designed to cover the fascia gap and exclude various wildlife that often makes their way onto the roof and into the attic. The most common “attic invaders” that we see time and time again here in New Jersey are squirrels, raccoons, and bats. Mice also find their way into the attic, but usually they first enter the home through the basement or crawl space. 

CritterProof is a protective system that stops wildlife from chewing and clawing their way through the delicate fascia boards to gain access to the soffit area and, ultimately, where the attic. For wildlife, attics are the perfect refuge to escape the harsh outdoor elements and they make for a wonderful nesting area to care for their young. After all, attics are warm, quiet, private, and free from the preying eyes of predators.  

A home’s soffit/fascia area is one of the more common routes we see for wildlife to gain entry. CritterProof’s unique adjustable design provides custom coverage of the fascia gap while still maintaining critical attic ventilation. CritterProof is available in black, white, and other colors by special order.

Squirrels were harboring in the attic of this home in Atlantic Highlands, NJ and we were sent out to safely remove them from the property. After inspecting the exterior of the home, we discovered that the squirrels were able to get inside by chewing through the exposed fascia.

In order to safely remove them, we installed a one-way device over the main access point and temporarily enclosed the area off with hardware cloth. We also set up a number of retrieval device close by. The one-way device will allow the squirrels to safely leave the attic, but prevent them from getting back in. In fact, a short while after setting up, we retrieved all of the squirrels and took them to a safer, humane location. 

We then removed all of the hardware cloth, disinfected the attic, and installed sturdy metal flashing over the entire fascia board. This will prevent the squirrels, and any other nuisance wildlife, from getting back into the attic through this area.

This Brielle, NJ homeowner had a raccoon enter the attic through the soffit. The soffit is the underside of the roof overhang. It is commonly made out of aluminum or vinyl and has passive vents providing much-needed ventilation and air circulation to the attic and expelling the rising heat, which causes all sorts of problems both during the summer and the winter. Unfortunately, soffits, especially if they are damaged, are a favorite access point for wildlife to enter your attic. Raccoons and squirrels are innately able to find and exploit the weak points into a home, and soffits are at the top of the list of favorite entry points. 

Cowleys wildlife technicians had already come in to trap the raccoon, and immediately afterwards installed a temporary patch to seal the area. However, the homeowner wanted a more aesthetically pleasing repair. Cowleys has a home improvement division that, among other things, has an experienced crew that repairs damages caused by wildlife, termites, and other insects. The homeowner was quite pleased with our repair of his home, and so were we! 

A homeowner who resides in a residential community that we service in Brielle, NJ, noticed mouse droppings in his utility room and contacted the property manager, who relayed the problem to us. I was immediately dispatched to resolve the rodent infestation. Mice are overwintering pests that look to invade our homes to escape the harsh outdoor elements as temperatures drop. 

Upon arrival, I grabbed my flashlight and started my inspection in the basement. Rodents often find their way first into a home’s basement or crawl space before finding their way to the living areas of the home, especially the kitchen where they forage for food. Suffice it to say, once your home has mice, they won’t hesitate to make themselves at home, depositing their droppings everywhere and crawling all over and under every counter and appliance in your kitchen. My primary concern during a rodent inspection is finding potential entry points. I conduct a thorough inspection of the sill plate where utility, water, and electric lines of through the sill to the outside. Often, I find gaps in these areas, and it doesn’t take much of an opening. A mouse only needs a gap of about 1/4”, or the size of a dime, for them to squeeze through. Cowleys technicians emphasize and proactive exclusion for the long-term elimination of rodents in a home. It’s all well and good to set bait traps to get rid of the mice in your home, but you also need to locate and seal all of the entry points to stop more mice from making themselves at home.

During my inspection, I located two utility lines from the AC unit where the caulking had deteriorated, leaving a gap for mice to enter the home. These problem gaps were a definite entry point for mice and they needed to be closed. I sealed these gaps around the utility lines with chew-proof copper mesh. After I was done, no more mice would enter this particular home. Going forward, if these mice want to stay warm in a home, they’ll need to bother someone else!