Cowleys Pest Services Before & After Photos

During a startup treatment service for a new Home Protection Plan customer in Martinsville, NJ, we found a small but active paper wasps nest attached to the gable vent in the attic. Paper wasps are semi-social stinging insects that usually have brown bodies with yellow or reddish markings and received their name from the paper-like material out of which they make their nests. A sting from a paper wasp can be extremely painful and can cause allergic reactions in some people.

As we took a closer look, we noticed that there was a hole in the gable vent. Over time the gable vents get weathered and pests, as well as nuisance wildlife, take advantage of these openings and infest homes. For treatment, we grabbed our extendable pole, attached an aerosol product to it, and injected it into the nest. This treatment rapidly neutralizes the paper wasps. Moments later, we removed the nest, disposed of it, and applied a residual application to the area to prevent the paper wasps from returning and rebuilding their nest.

Although we offered to replace the gable vent for the homeowner, she mentioned that she will install it on her own at a later date. 

We were sent out to a home in Martinsville, NJ to encapsulate the owner's crawl space. As we began inspecting the area, we noticed that the crawl space was extremely humid and had a dirt floor. The major issue with floor crawl spaces is that they attract and absorb moisture. Once the dirt dries it causes humidity levels to rise dramatically and can cause mold growth.

First, we removed all the debris in the crawl space, leveled the ground for proper draining, and installed a drainage matting. A drainage matting is a dimpled plastic mat that allows all excess moisture to work its way over to the newly installed SmartSump™ Crawl Space Sump Pump. The SmartSump™ Crawl Space Sump Pump combines an intelligent WaterWatch® alarm system with a sump pump that's specifically designed for crawl spaces. The lid and floor drain are specially designed to prevent collected water from evaporating back out into the crawl space. The WaterWatch® alarm will make the owner aware of crawl space water issues as soon as they begin. Any water from a plumbing leak or sump failure must first pass by the alarm and will then drain down into the sump.

Once that was finished we installed a vapor barrier, which is a heavy-duty, 20-mil 7-ply sandwich of high and low-density polyethylene with a polyester-cord reinforcement. Installing the vapor barrier over the foundation walls and floor will create a continuous air and moisture barrier. Also, the vapor barrier is extremely durable and is treated with an antimicrobial to prevent mold.

Lastly, to control the extremely high humidity levels, we installed a Sedona dehumidifier. This is a powerful, energy-efficient, commercial-grade dehumidifier that outperforms standard household dehumidifiers by as much as 10 times while using the same amount of energy to run.

Now that we safely removed all the squirrels from this home in South Bound Brook, NJ and relocated them to a new, humane environment, we're going to prevent them from getting back in. The squirrels were able to infest the home through the builders gap. A builders gap is the gap between the fascia board, where the gutter is hung, and the roof decking. It's caused when roof decking is stopped too short and isn't flush with the fascia. The gap is meant to help with airflow throughout the attic, but also presents an opportunity for squirrels, as well as raccoons, birds, and bats, to infest the attic.

To exclude the squirrels, as well as any other nuisance wildlife or nuisance birds, we installed Pest-Blok over the builders gap. Pest-Blok doesn't restrict airflow, undergoes a silicone-protected polyester coating process that makes it last longer, and guards the home against squirrels, pests, birds, and all other nuisance wildlife.

This customer in South Brunswick, NJ had an infestation of starlings in her attic and wanted Birds Solutions by Cowleys to safely remove them. As we inspected the exterior of her home, we immediately located the access point - a giant opening below the soffit on the right side of the home! This was how the starlings were able to gain access into the attic.

The first thing we did was carefully remove all of the nesting debris out of the attic. Once we finished with that, we then disinfected the entire attic with a application that targets and exterminates bird mites. Bird mites are parasites that feed on the blood of birds and are one of the main reasons why extreme care is needed when removing a birds nest.

Lastly, in order to successfully exclude the starlings, as well as all nuisance birds, from the home, we installed Pest-Blok over the giant opening. Pest-Blok doesn't restrict the airflow to the attic, undergoes a silicone-protected polyester coating process that makes it last longer, and guards the home against nuisance birds, bats, and all nuisance wildlife.

For years this homeowner in Dayton, NJ has been dealing with carpenter bees drilling into her fascia board and never paid much attention to them. It wasn't until her youngest son noticed some extensive damage to the area and informed her about it. After seeing us treat her neighbors home, she decided to give us a call and we were sent out to inspect and treat. As we inspected the area, we noticed that the fascia board wasn't just damaged, it was almost destroyed by the carpenter bees! There were multiple gaps across the fascia board and, if they aren't repaired or treated ASAP, this will lead to a potential squirrel problem!

Like carpenter ants, carpenter bees can cause significant property damage, as the female bees drill perfectly circular ½-inch diameter holes into fascia boards, porches, decks, siding, sheds, and other wooden structures. While the female creates a tunnel to nest, the male acts as a sentry protecting the female and nest. Those are the ones that dive bomb at you, but can't really do anything since they have no stinger. The females can sting but only does so if threatened. 

For treatment, we injected a residual dusting product into each gallery. This treatment rapidly exterminates the carpenter bees and leaves behind a residual that will eliminate any eggs inside their gallery as well as any returning carpenter bees. Once all the carpenter bees were eliminated, we returned and installed sturdy, metal flashing over the fascia board to prevent squirrels, bats, or any type of wildlife infesting the home.