Cowleys Pest Services Before & After Photos

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.

Little Silver, NJ homeowners found themselves with a family of raccoons (a mom and her two babies) that had taken up residence in their attic. The mom, looking for a quiet area to build a den for her kits, was able to gain entry through an opening in a boxed eave. These particular eave returns at the corner end of the roof fascia are informally referred to by builders as pork chops. “Porkchop” eaves are quite common. They are easy to build even though, aesthetically, they aren’t considered the most elegant design (hence the name). With these returns, the raking fascia is built flush with a triangular piece that covers up the end of the rafters and merges with the soffit below.  

With this opening in the soffit, the raccoon had free reign to come and go as she pleased to forage and care for her babies. To remove the raccoons, I made what wildlife techs like to call an “eviction ball,” and placed it into the soffit. The objective is to encourage the raccoon to vacate the premises and move on. ideally, we want them to enter a trap so we can relocate the animal to a safe area. My hand-made eviction ball happened to be a tennis ball. I drilled a hole into it and filled it with a raccoon eviction (repellant) fluid. This fluid, a thick, creamy paste, is a natural by-product of a male raccoon. The solution is a mixture of urine and other scents. The males are a predator to females during their birthing period,. To a mom raccoon, the smell of this fluid is a major warning sign that her young are in serious danger. A male (boar) raccoon will kill the baby kits in order to assert their genetic dominance. A sow that has lost her kits will go back in the heat and can then be re-impregnated by the male. Raccoons are one of a number of animal species that practice this type of infanticide. It’s one of the more gruesome scenes that a wildlife tech can come across, and one that I prefer to avoid. 

In addition to the eviction ball, I placed two baited traps on a lower roof. I put some tape over the roof opening to monitor raccoon activity. In this case, the mother wound up taking her kits and vacating the attic. She avoided entering the traps. After ensuring that there was no more wildlife in the attic, I framed out the end of the soffit and attached a new piece of metal flashing to cover up the hole. With the attic now sealed, this homeowner should not be visited by any more raccoons.

Homeowners in Red Bank, NJ, had a raccoon gain entry into their attic through the ceiling fan. Previously, our wildlife team successfully retrieved, removed, and safely relocated the trespassing raccoon, and also installed a tough galvanized steel mesh attic fan cover that would permanently block the entry point.

The homeowners however were concerned, and rightfully so, that there could still be unseen urine seepage or other hidden damage to their insulation. They did not want to take any chances. For their own peace of mind, the homeowners felt this was an opportune time to improve the quality of their attic insulation. 

We first removed the potentially contaminated insulation and flooring. Once that material was cleared out, we disinfected the entire attic to remove all traces and smells of a raccoon infestation.  Finally, after we replaced the flooring with new plywood, we “blew in” 12 inches of our TruSoft insulation. TruSoft blown-in cellulose insulation offers superior thermal properties as well as a pest control component. Now, with this top-quality insulation, these homeowners will enjoy a more comfortable energy-efficient home with reduced heating and cooling bills.

The homeowner in Red Bank, NJ, contacted Cowleys because he was concerned about his crawl space access, which was wide open. Cowleys has a contractor division that specializes, among other things, in crawl space improvements. Vented crawl spaces are often a source of many homeowner issues.

These chronically humid below-grade spaces often develop mold, and their environment attracts insects, mice, and wildlife. This homeowner was motivated to fix this opening because he has young kids who play around the house, especially now that spring is here and temperatures have warmed up. He was justifiably  concerned that their curiosity may get the best of them and they could accidentally fall in the entry hole. A dangerous situation, to be sure. Candidly, upon arrival, when we first saw the opening, we were surprised that nuisance wildlife had not yet exploited this opening. There was a high likelihood, even if the homeowner was not aware of it, that overwintering mice had vacationed in the crawl space. 

We had the perfect solution for this particular type of crawl space access — The Turtl. It’s not what you think. We didn’t block the crawl space entry hole with a giant snapping turtle!  This particular “turtl” is the brand name of a solid PVC vinyl weatherproof crawl space door and entry system that eliminates the need for a crawl space door and access pit in one fell swoop. 

Crawl space entry doors made of wood or steel can weaken over time through rot or rust leading to unwanted water intrusions, mold, and insect an wildlife infestations. The Turtl crawl space entry, with its locking lid, provides a tough attractive entry system that protects your crawl space from the harsh outdoor elements and keeps out insects, wildlife, and even little kids looking for trouble! The Turl crawl space access attaches directly to the foundation so it can’t shift or move. Also, it is manufactured using a rotational molding process, as are many chemical and fuel tanks, so it is seamless and can’t split. As you can see from the before and after photos, the Turtl turned an unattractive and potentially dangerous crawl space hole into a safe, protective crawl space entry system.

Recently Middletown Township, NJ homeowners contacted Cowleys after noticing some debris coming out from the drop ceiling in their finished basement. Upon arrival, I immediately went into the basement to inspect. I popped out the tile and immediately noticed that something had been chewing on the tile itself. I had a strong suspicion that this homeowner had a mouse infestation. After entering the home through gaps and cracks around the foundation, they will make their way through wall voids or travel on top of drop ceilings to forage for food and water. We see a substantial uptick of mouse infestations when temperatures drop and mice attempt to gain access inside our homes to overwinter to escape the harsh outdoor elements and forage for food and water. 

Mice, as all rodents, have incisor teeth that constantly grow. To keep them at a reasonable length, they will gnaw on almost anything they can get their teeth around as well as grind their teeth as a way of slowing their growth. While inspecting the sill plate, I found the tell-tale sign of mice — the rice-like droppings they leave behind.  Adjacent to this area, I noticed several wires going to the outside with a noticeable gap around them, allowing mice to enter. Gaps around pipes and wires entering the home are one of the more common entry points for rodents.  

I vacuumed up the toxic droppings and then placed a rodent bait station on the sill plate. Mice will follow the same trail, so placing bait stations in their pathway is highly effective to reduce their populations. I temporarily sealed the gap around the wires using chew-proof copper mesh. The homeowners informed me that they would have their contractor permanently seal the gap with stucco to prevent a re-infestation. With mouse infestations, to permanently resolve the issue and prevent re-infestations, it is essential to locate and seal all of the potential entry points around the home.