Before & After Photos

Cowleys handles all of the pest control needs of a community of homes in northern Howell, NJ. Recently, I was contacted by the property manager and asked to inspect and treat a resident’s home for ants, and did so. Whenever I am at a residence, I always perform an exterior perimeter inspection for pest activity. Often, we uncover a pest infestation that the homeowner had no idea was lurking right outside their door! 

Here, I came across an active bald-faced hornets nest. The homeowner was shocked that he missed their activity. These particular wasps are close relatives of yellow jackets and they are just as nasty and aggressive, singing anyone or anything that comes into the “danger zone” around their nest. These wasps, unlike bees, can sting repeatedly, so a swarm of them can pose quite a dangerous situation.

Bald-faced hornets often build their paper-like nests of chewed wood mixed with their saliva in shrubs, trees, and sheds, usually 3 to 4 feet off the ground. They also will attach their nests right onto homes. Here, the wasps built their nest in the overhang between the soffit and gutter. In late summer, insect activity is at a peak since they have been active for quite awhile and you’ll start seeing some large, mature colonies with potentially hundreds of workers. 

During the day, these nests are exceptionally active with workers hovering about the nest, flying in and out. It’s pretty much impossible to sneak up on them, so treating these nests must be done carefully. I did not want to take any chances and put on my protective bee suit. First, I sprayed the opening of the nest with a foam that kills the wasps almost instantly. It is important to quickly knock down the population as fast as you can once you rile them up. I waited a few minutes for the product to work. After I saw no more activity, I removed and bagged the nest, taking it with me off the property. It is important to remove all remnants of activity so that other insects are not attracted to the same area. 

The homeowner was thankful that I located and treated this wasp infestation before anyone was stung.

One warm afternoon in Manahawkin, NJ, this homeowner and his teenage son were getting some much needed yard work done. As the teen was mowing the lawn, he was suddenly attacked and stung by several hornets! He quickly stopped what he was doing, told his Dad who then called Cowleys for help and we were sent out to investigate and treat. 

As we inspected the area where the teen was stung, we took a look at the large tree and spotted the hornets nest. Upon closer inspection, we were able to identify them as bald-faced hornets. Bald-faced hornets are social stinging insects that are a close relative to yellow jackets. The surface of their upper midsection almost looks triangular from the side, and they have white markings on their face. Aside from being short-tempered and extremely aggressive is they have smooth stingers, which means they can sting over and over again, can actually sense vibrations in the air, and remember their invader's face!

To eliminate them, we injected a knockdown dusting application directly into the opening of their nest. After several moments, we also injected a knockdown liquid application. These treatments will exterminate the bald-faced hornets almost immediately. A short while after neutralizing the bald-faced hornets, we removed the nest (and the branch it was attached to) and disposed of them.

Recently, homeowners in Hazlet Township, NJ, contacted Cowleys after finding mouse droppings in their oven. Mice usually enter a home through gaps, cracks, or openings around the foundation and enter the basement or crawl space. From there, they travel through wall voids throughout the home, eventually making their way to the kitchen to forage for food. Even the cleanest kitchens can have hidden food debris under and behind kitchen appliances. Mice are attracted to not only food, but also heat sources like ovens, dryers, and motors underneath refrigerators. 

Upon arrival, I started my inspection with the oven since that’s where the droppings were found. Mice are nocturnal and do a good job staying out of sight. Homeowners will usually see signs of a mouse infestation, such as droppings, nesting materials, and hordes of relocated food, well before spotting a live mouse scurrying about. Here, I removed the storage drawer on the bottom of the oven and found even more distinctive mouse pellets. After cleaning around of the base of the oven, I found a good sized hole behind the oven where the electrical wires came up from the crawl space. No doubt, this is how the mice were gaining access to the kitchen. With mice, a good inspection strategy is following pipes and wires. often, there are gaps around them allowing the mice to gain entry into the home and then move about inside the home undetected. I sealed the hole with a chew-proof copper mesh and also placed a RTU (“ready-to-use”) bait station in the area. I also inspected the crawl space and placed other bait stations in strategic locations where there was mouse activity.

After we finished installing chimney caps on this homeowner's property, we couldn't help but notice that the chimney was in bad shape. The cracked bricks on the chimney can let moisture in, which will lead to mold problems and even a pest infestation.

After bringing this to the owner's attention, we used a crown seal on the chimney to prevent these issues. Crown seal is a proprietary elastomeric coating that is specifically formulated to repair and protect chimney crowns from water intrusion. Now the chimney is protected from any type of moisture or pest issue. 

Recently, a homeowner in Lincroft NJ, contacted Cowleys because of raccoon activity in the upper dormer area of the home. Raccoon weight can vary considerably with habitat, but they generally weigh around 20 pounds, making them one of the largest nuisance wildlife that we deal with on a regular basis. These nocturnal animals are extremely intelligent, resourceful, great climbers, and with their human-like five-finger forepaws, they are amazingly dexterous. A determined raccoon will find a way to get into your attic, especially when the female is looking for a quiet, private nesting area to give birth to her kits. Raccoons, especially protective moms, are territorial and can be vicious when confronted. They are also the major rabies vector in New Jersey. 

With nuisance wildlife infestations, we always determine how the critters are gaining access into the home. Because of the size of raccoons, their entry point is generally pretty obvious. Here, the raccoon was entering through the fascia area right below the roofline. Fascia boards are often exploited by wildlife because they are often weakened from water damage from the roof and gutters, and the outdoor elements. Raccoons can easily tear through these materials to gain access to the attic.

After ensuring that there were no pups inside the home, we set up traps and repaired the damaged fascia by framing in the hollowed-out area and then installing new fascia material. When we were done, the home looked as good as new!