Cowleys Pest Services Before & After Photos

A commercial client of ours in Butler, NJ called us because of a massive bird issue. A flock of dirty pigeons were resting, loafing, nesting, and messing up their roof with droppings. The customer was surprised they were having trouble because another bird control service had installed a shock track system that was not doing a great job of deterring these birds from taking over their roof.

Upon arrival, we inspected the old shock track. It was completely falling apart and had seen better days. We first removed the old non-functioning track and solar box. We then installed a brand new shock track system, and we improved the layout of the tracks, putting them all the way around the entire edges of their ac unit, which was a pigeon “hot spot.” We then installed a brand new solar box to power all of the tracks. Shock tracks use low voltage to give the birds an unpleasant shock. Bird control is all about behavior modification, using deterrents to encourage certain behavior — specifically, encouraging them to find another more hospital place besides your roof as a resting spot. 

After finishing the installation, we reported back to the property manager. She was extremely pleased that she no longer had a messy bird issue. Property managers are busy juggling a hundred different emergencies. Cowleys is always happy to at least take care of any bird, wildlife, or insect infestation that is wrecking havoc on their property!

I arrived at a home in Fords, NJ to inspect for possible rodent activity in the attic. The homeowner, who was hearing light “pitter-patter” noises in the wall voids and attic at night, suspected a mouse infestation. 

I’m often asked why attics such a popular location for mice to live and breed. Well, from their perspective, this “penthouse” location offers everything that a mouse could ask for in a home — it’s warm, dry, small, dark, safe, and out-of-the-way. Also, there is little human traffic up there. Other than using the attic to store clothing and other household items, a home’s occupants rarely venture up there, so mice have the place all too themselves. Attics also offer mice a ready supply of comfy insulation that they use for nests, and there are a virtually infinite number of nooks and crannies to explore and hide in. 

Once mice infest the attic, they not only destroy expensive insulation with their droppings and urine, but they can also chew on electrical wires, creating a potential fire hazard. Mice in the attic are a health hazard for the entire home. While mice may live in the attic, they are scavengers that venture throughout the entire home in search for food. And they inevitably find their way into the kitchen where they bore through cereal boxes and other cardboard containers, contaminating food and spreading disease. Mice are especially attracted to homes where pet food is left out all day. For a mouse, there is nothing better than a continuous supply of food left out in the open for the taking. 

While in the attic, I observed several areas with the most obvious sign of a mouse infestation: distinctive pellet-shaped mouse droppings. A single house mouse can deposit up to seventy-five pellets daily. Multiply that by a dozen or more mice and it doesn’t take long for these filthy droppings to accumulate. I also observed rodent burrows, those little tunnels and runways, in the insulation. Finally, during my inspection, I look for potential access points. In this attic, there were gaps and open voids around electrical lines and pipelines, giving them easy potential entry points.

I started my treatment by setting a tracking powder inside all rodent burrows, pathways and entry points. Mice may hide in the attic, but they have to leave in order to feed. Mice come into contact with the tracking powder because these creatures of habit use the same runways and entry points over and over. This potent powder, which adheres to a rodent’s fur and paws, is ingested when the rodent grooms, killing them soon thereafter. I also sealed and patched the rodent entry points with copper mesh. Finally, I set up rodent bait and snap traps in the attic. After finishing my interior service, I moved to the outside of the home, inspecting for possible entry points. I found a large potential rodent access point around the A/C unit lines going into the home. I sealed that opening and treated around the area. Finally, as an extra precaution, I set up some exterior rodent bait stations.

I explained my findings and treatment to the homeowner. He was pleased that he was well on his way toward having this troublesome mouse infestation permanently resolved. 

This Woodbridge, NJ homeowner had a mouse infestation in her basement. We set up a baiting system, and, fortunately, there was no indication that there was still an active infestation. However, mice and other rodents are messy home intruders, and they left behind a toxic mess of fecal pellets and urine stains. We completed a thorough clean-up of the basement, sanitizing and deodorizing the area. 

After completing the cleanup, we returned to remove unsightly stains left my the mice. Mice not only leave urine stains, but they also leave behind runway tracks (rub marks). Mice have poor eyesight, and they facilitate movement by hugging walls as the travel. The mice memorize these routes and rarely stray, enabling them to run rapidly along a path, even in the dark. Over time, they leave a faint, dark trail of body oil and dirt. 

We also replaced a rotted piece of fascia under the rear slider that was an entry point for the mice. For long-term rodent control, it is critical to exclude them by blocking all of the known entry points.

The homeowner could not have been more pleased. She was happy to have her basement back with no more “reminders” that there once was a rodent infestation down below.

During a regular treatment service of this customers home in Colonia, NJ, we spotted the beginning of a wasp nest on the soffit, right next to the back door. As we closely inspected these stinging insects, we were able to identify them as paper wasps. Paper wasps received their name from the paper-like material out of which they make their nests. They are semi-social stinging insects that usually have brown bodies with yellow or reddish markings. A sting from a paper wasp can be extremely painful and can cause allergic reactions in some people.

For treatment, we grabbed our extendable pole, attached an aerosol product to it, and liberally treated the nest. This product rapidly neutralizes the paper wasps. Moments later, we removed the nest, disposed of it, and then applied a liquid residual application to the soffit. This will prevent the paper wasps, as well as other stinging insects, from returning to this area and build another nest.

A homeowner in Keasbey contacted Cowleys after hearing strange wildlife scratching and scurrying noises in her basement and inside her wall voids. Mice use wall voids to travel unseen inside a home when foraging for food. Even though mice inevitably find their way into the kitchen for food, they may be nesting anywhere. Rodents have a “gift” for staying out of sight since these nocturnal creatures do their foraging at night. Often, you’ll see signs of rodent activity well before spotting a live rodent, and it is important to keep your eyes, ears, and nose open. Mice populations increase rapidly, and you want to address these infestations as early as possible.

This homeowner was quite happy to see me when I arrived, and was thankful that I was sent out immediately to deal with the infestation. For a homeowner, those unfamiliar squeaks and scratches can be quite disturbing, and she wanted whatever trespassers were hiding in her home to be gone.

All indications were that this home has a mouse infestation. I inspected both the home’s interior and exterior for rodent activity. Although the mice themselves may be hard to spot, they are messy creatures that leave behind plenty of signs, including clusters of their tiny, dark pellet-like droppings, smelly urine, chewed wires, and clumps of insulation, paper, cardboard, or other nesting materials. Sometimes you’ll see mouse markings on walls, which are stains left from the dirt and oily residue in their hair.

Also, during a rodent inspection, I am always on the lookout for potential access points. Entry points need to be identified, so an exclusion can be performed. Exclusions prevent more animals from finding their way inside your home using the exact same routes. In this home, I found several gaps around pipes and other areas, as well as a small basement window that had been left open for some time giving the rodents an open invitation for entry.  

I closed the window and spoke with the homeowner about making sure that all ground-level windows stay shut. After setting a rodent tracking powder inside the gaps and voids, I sealed them with copper mesh. Copper mesh effectively blocks out mice. Mice can chew through wood and a lot of other material, but not this stuff. After treating burrows and patching the holes and gaps, I set up rodent bait stations around the exterior of the home and inside the basement in order to trap any mice still lurking in and around the home.