Pests We Treat Before & After Photos

Tennis, anyone? Recently, I was sent to a country club in Wall Township, NJ that was having a wasp issue near their tennis courts. Fortunately, none of the members had yet been stung, and I was glad that I could remove the nest before anyone had an encounter with these stinging insects.  

Upon inspection, I found that a baldfaced hornet nest had formed on a nearby tree. A mature nest can grow quite large and house hundreds of wasps. Baldfaced hornets are a close relative of yellow jackets, and they are just as aggressive and territorial. These wasps are readily identified by their white markings on their face and abdomen. They commonly build their nests off tree limbs, but we also find them attached to homes and other structures. 

Like all social wasps, they aggressively respond to their nest being threatened. Before starting treatment, I alerted a pair of players in the court that I would be treating the nest and they may want to consider a brief delay of their match. They wholeheartedly agreed! 

I treated the nest from a safe distance, first using an aerosol to knock down the population before removing the nest. Once I observed that there was no more wasp activity around the nest, I removed it from the tree, and bagged it so I could take the nest with me. I thanked the players for their delay of game, and with the nest removed, their match could continue without these stinging spectators nearby.

Recently, I went out on a service call for one of our commercial clients, an apartment complex in Belmar, NJ. The property manager had contacted us after a tenant in one of the lower-level apartments reported a mouse infestation. Mice are more than a nuisance. They pose a significant health hazard. Mice can contaminate food and counter surfaces with their urine and droppings, particles of which can become airborne.  Mice can transmit numerous diseases including Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS), a severe, sometimes fatal, respiratory disease and Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis (LCM) that affects the membranes of the brain and spinal cord. If that weren’t enough, they often carry in Lyme-carrying ticks or disease-ridden fleas with them as well.

Once I arrived, I began my inspection along the exterior perimeter of the apartment where mice were reported to locate potential entry points. I discovered many access points where the mice could easily enter the structure. There were spaces around piping entering the building, gaps around the windows and doors and a large space between the soil and the landing to the staircase leading upstairs. 

As I continued my inspection inside the garage and apartment, I came across a large number of mouse droppings. This unit had a heavy rodent infestation that required extensive treatment.

With rodents, it is essential to keep them out in the first place by excluding any areas where the rodents are gaining access. I stuffed chew-proof copper mesh material into small spaces around pipes and sealed the gaps around the larger holes with metal flashing. Mice hate the taste and feel of copper mesh, and once they come in contact with this material, they quickly decide to go elsewhere. 

After all the points of entry were sealed, I placed several rodent bait stations throughout the property. Typically, the number of rodent bait stations we use depends on the severity of the infestation. In this case, I set up twelve small rodent bait stations in the inside of the apartment and one larger station along the exterior perimeter. After placing all rodent bait stations, I carefully removed all of the hazardous mouse droppings.

Due to the severity of this infestation, it will take longer than usual to rid this apartment of mice. I scheduled periodic follow-ups to monitor the level of infestation and replenish the bait in the stations until this mouse problem is completely resolved.

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.