Pest Control Company in Monroe Township, NJ

These new homeowners recently bought a home in Monroe Township, NJ. As it often turns out, not everything is uncovered during the home inspection. It didn’t take them long to realize that they had a moisture problem in the basement.  

Hoping to take care of the problem themselves, they purchased a generic “big box” store dehumidifier. They soon found out that these humidifiers aren’t strong enough for use in basements and crawl spaces. For these below-grade areas, you need a dehumidifier powerful enough to keep down relative humidity below 55% so that mold can’t grow. Also, most generic dehumidifiers are only rated for about 500 square feet, and they are limited in how much water they can extract. Also, there is a water pan to keep an eye on and empty. Who wants to be taking constant trips to their basement or crawl space to check the pan in the dehumidifier?  

This homeowner saw that Cowleys has a division that specializes in basement and crawl space moisture and water issues. After contacting us, arrangements were made for a two-man crew to install a commercial-grade Sani-Dry Sedona dehumidifier. We installed the dehumidifier so that it drained directly into the sump pump — no water pan to deal with! The Sedona is maintenance-free and turns on and off automatically with a built-in hygrometer. These machines are rated to cover spaces as large as 3000 square feet, far more than is needed for most homes. 

High indoor humidity is one of the most frequent causes of mold formation in our humid Jersey Shore climate. Proper dehumidification is the only long-term solution. The Sedona offers other benefits as well. It filters the air and removes dust mites, dramatically helping those with respiratory sensitivities and allergies. Also these dehumidifiers improve a home’s indoor air quality. They help get rid of those pungent musty smells from down below that rise up into the living areas of the home.

Damage from termites cause, by far, more property damage than any other insects. These subterranean worm-like insects feed on any materials containing cellulose, so any building materials in your home that’s made of wood or paper is fair game. Some insects like carpenter ants and carpenter bees bore through wood to make galleries to lay their eggs. Termites are different. They actually eat the wood, and their damage is slow and steady. Because they eat wood from the inside out, turning beams and boards into hollow shells, it is often not discovered until there is extensive damage such as sagging floors. 

Because they are silent and stay hidden, it is difficult to know if you have an active termite infestation. One common signs are mud tubes that termites construct over foundations used to travel to and from the underground nest to reach the wood in your home. Another visible sign is discarded piled up wings from reproductive swarmers left on widow sills and other locations nearby light when a termite colony swarms and thousands of winged flying termites are released to mate and start new colonies.

Fortunately, homeowners are not helpless when it comes to termites. They can take preventative measures against termite damage through having a professional pest control service install a Sentricon termite elimination system around the home’s perimeter. With this system, bait stations are installed about every ten feet around the home, effectively blocking termites from reaching the home. To me, these bait stations are like an underground protective moat that create a barrier to block termites. These bait stations contain a cellulose matrix treated with an insect growth regular that prevents molting. The worker termites bring the bait back to share with the colony. The affected termites die as they are unable to molt and  and the colony is eliminated.

This homeowner in Monroe Township, NJ had a Sentricon system installed. And it’s a good thing he did. I was out there recently to perform an inspection to check the bait. I opened a station and found a slew of live termites devouring the bait. A good portion of the bait was consumed, and I replaced it. The workers will carry this back to the colony to share it with everyone else. The nest will soon be eliminated without the termites even getting close to the home. This is proactive preventative termite treatment at its best.

Although I’m not a herpetologist, this snake wasn’t anything exotic. It appears to be an Eastern garter snake, the most common snake found in the state and around residences. Their color varies from olive to brown to black and typically have three stripes. Garter snakes are often confused with the Eastern Ribbon snake which is a skinny, high-contrast version of the Garden Snake with a long tail and narrower heads. If you get close enough, ribbon snakes have a white spot int he front of the eye and garter snakes don’t. However, if you have no interest in snake identification and just prefer to avoid them, the most important fact is that both of these species are completely harmless. In fact, of the 22 species of snakes recognized in New Jersey, only two are venomous: the timber rattlesnake and the northern copperhead.

There are many myths and misconceptions that drive fear of these legless reptiles, and like bats, their reputation as a symbol for evil and danger is undeserved. Very few people have ever been bitten by a venomous snake and there has never been a reported snake-related death in New Jersey. Unless you handle venomous snakes as part of a religious service, you are more likely to be struck by lightening. Venomous snakes tend to stay in the most remote areas of New Jersey, and those unfortunate few who have been bitten were most likely attempting to handle them. Each year many nonvenomous snakes are misidentified as venomous and needlessly killed. All New Jersey snakes are protected under the New Jersey Endangered and Nongame Species Act.