Pests We Treat Before & After Photos

After setting up our rodent bait stations to get a handle on the mouse infestation at this home in Sea Girt, NJ, we're returning for a follow up visit. After we replenished the bait in all the stations, we stuffed all the access points with chew-proof metal mesh. Rodents typically don't like chewing through metal because it's extremely uncomfortable for their teeth and gums. Next, we sealed all the openings with a premium, waterproof adhesive. The combination of the two materials makes for a great deterrent. We'll return for a few more follow-up visits to monitor the mice infestation and replenish the bait stations as needed.

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.

This customer in Fair Haven, NJ was cleaning out his attic one day, when all of a sudden he was attacked and stung by several yellow jackets! Since he was a Home Protection Plan customer, he immediately called our office and we were sent out to inspect and treat.

After equipping our protective bee suit, we thoroughly inspected the attic. A few moments into our inspection, we found a HUGE yellow jackets nest underneath the attic insulation in the corner of the attic! First, we injected a knockdown dusting application into the nest. A few moments later, we injected a knockdown aerosol product. Both of these treatments will rapidly exterminate the yellow jackets. A short while later, we removed the nest & any contaminated insulation, and properly disposed of them.

This homeowner in Spring Lake, NJ had ants all over her kitchen counter, so she called our office and we were sent out to inspect and treat. When we inspected the interior, we found some ant activity on the kitchen counter, but nothing too large. It wasn't until we went outside and found ants trailing from her garbage cans into the kitchen. The homeowner immediately started to clean out hr garbage cans and move them away from her home.

In the meantime, we applied a gel bait to the ant trails on the kitchen counter and treated the baseboards, cracks, and crevices in the kitchen and the two adjacent rooms with a liquid non-repellent. Afterward, we went outside and applied a granular bait to the grassy areas and then treated the entire exterior with a liquid residual. The ants will bring any of these treatments back to their nest and share them throughout their colony.  A short while later, the ants are extreminated.

Recently, a homeowner in Spring Lake, NJ, contacted Cowleys because a hornet nest had formed on the soffit of her home. It was built fairly high up, so it wasn’t a major threat. Hornets can be aggressive and territorial and will attack if their nest is threatened. Here, there wasn’t much traffic around the nest and everyone was a safe distance away. The homeowner’s concern was that the hornets would gain access inside the home through the attic. To avoid this and any other issue with these stinging insects, I proceeded to remove the nest.

Hornet nests have an entry hole where the foraging wasps enter and exit. I watched their flight pattern in and out of the nest and set up my extension ladder on the opposite side of their activity. I had no interest in meeting these wasps head-on! I climbed the ladder and treated the nest with an aerosol that quickly knocks down the population. I then waited until the wasp activity dramatically slowed down. I reached by nest with the bee pole and gave it a good wack to knock it to the ground so that I could bag it and take it with me off the property. The homeowner was relieved that this nest was removed off her property. There are some people that have no tolerance for stinging insects, and this homeowner was one of them! I was glad to help.