Old Bridge, NJ Pest, Bird, & Wildlife Control

We received a call from a new customer in Old Bridge, NJ, complaining of yellow jackets in her laundry room and, since her son is allergic to bee stings, needed someone to remove them ASAP. So we were sent out to inspect and treat!

Once we arrived, we equipped our protective bee suits and examined the laundry room. A few moments into our inspection, we spotted a small, but deadly, yellow jackets nest behind the water tank! For treatment, we treated the nest with a knockdown aerosol application, which will exterminate the yellow jackets almost immediately. A short while, we removed the nest and cleaned the area.

When this homeowner in Old Bridge, NJ, was outside mowing his yard, he suddenly got attacked by several angry hornets! Fortunately, he wasn't allergic. He then went inside, called Cowleys for help, and we were sent out to inspect and treat. After inspecting the area where the homeowner was stung, we spotted a basketball sized bald-faced hornets nest about 20 feet up in the tree. 

These stinging insects are aggressive, territorial, and will sting anything that comes close to their nest. They can even remember an intruders face and sense vibrations in the air (like the vibrations from a lawnmower). For treatment, we grabbed our extendable pole, attached a knockdown dusting application to it, and then injected the product into the nest. This application will exterminate the bald-faced hornets almost immediately. Once they were gone we removed the nest, as well as the branch it was attached to, and properly disposed of them.

As we were inspecting this apartment in Old Bridge, NJ, we discovered that the unit had a massive infestation of oriental cockroaches. Also known as “waterbugs” since they are known to crawl out of drains and plumbing, the Oriental cockroach is about an inch long, is all one color, and darker than other cockroaches. These roaches are known for their unpleasant stench. Oriental cockroaches can survive for long periods of time outdoors, even in freezing temperatures. When inside of a home, they are commonly found in basements or crawl spaces.

For treatment, with the landlords permission, we first carefully disposed of all the contaminated items throughout the apartment. Afterward, we treated all the harborage areas with an EPA registered insect growth regulator that is combined with a residual product. This treatment affects the oriental cockroaches' reproductive system and prevents them from reaching adulthood. Next, we applied a knockdown aerosol product to every single crack, crevice, appliance, and baseboard throughout the apartment. This product flushes the cockroaches out of hiding, into the growth regulator, and rapidly exterminates them.

Lastly, we placed several monitoring devices throughout the apartment and scheduled several follow-up visits to monitor the infestation and, if needed, apply any additional treatments.

As this homeowner in Old Bridge, NJ was pruning her garden, she noticed a long trail of ants marching from her mulch bed all the way up the side of her home. Since she is a Home Protection Plan client, she was covered for these annoying pests and called Cowleys for assistance. 

After a thorough inspection of the inside and outside of the property, we only found the ants on the exterior of the home. For treatment, we applied a non-repellent liquid residual around the entire exterior of the property. Afterward, we placed an ant gel bait next to each of the ant trails. Once the worker ants come in contact with either of these products they'll return to their nest and share the treatments with their queen and the other ants in the colony. They'll do this either by feeding one another, grooming one another, or eating their own dead. In a short amount of time, the ants will be exterminated. 

During the first initial visit of a new Home Protection Plan client in Old Bridge, NJ, we spotted some rat droppings in the crawl space. As we investigated the area, we discovered that a majority of the insulation was saturated with rat urine and their droppings. How did the mice get in? The crawl space door was badly damaged and falling off the hinges! We informed the owner who had no idea her crawl space was in such disarray. We also told her that, once the rats are gone, our Crawl Space Division can come out, disinfect the area, remove & dispose of all the contaminated insulation, replace the crawl space door, and install new & improved insulation. After discussing it with her husband, they both agreed and scheduled an appointment.

In the meantime, we carefully cleaned up all the droppings throughout the area and install several rodent bait stations throughout the crawl space and along the exterior of the home. Lastly, we scheduled several follow up visits to replenish the bait in the bait stations and monitor the activity until the rats are no longer infesting the home. 

As we checking on our termite monitors for this Gold Home Protection Plan customer in Old Bridge, NJ, we found one area that was loaded with ants! Apparently, there was a nest nearby and once we removed the ground stake, they panicked and went crazy. For treatment, we're going to treat the area, as well as the entire exterior of the home, with a liquid non-repellant. Afterward, we'll treat the landscape areas and mulch beds with a granular bait.

Once the ants come in contact with either of these products, they'll return to their nest, and unknowingly transfer the treatments to each other and their queen. They'll do this by feeding one another, grooming one another, or eating their own dead. A short while later, the ant colony is exterminated. 

We were sent out to a home in Old Bridge, NJ after the homeowner spotted termites in his family room. When we arrived and started inspecting, we identified them as subterranean termite workers. Termite workers are about 1/4 inch or less in length and have cream-colored bodies. They have small jaws that help them chew away at wood and move materials. 

Continuing our inspection, we noticed that one of the walls in the family room showed evident damage and needed to be removed. We had offered to remove it for the homeowner, but he decided to remove it himself. For treatment, we drilled into the concrete surrounding the home and injected a liquid termiticide. We also injected a foaming version of the termiticide into the wall. Both of these applications create a protective zone that the termites can't detect. Once they come in contact with either of these treatments and bring them back to their nest to share, they are exterminated. Now the home is protected from termites for years to come. 

A restaurant in Old Bridge, NJ was having ongoing pest problems and decided to use Cowleys for their periodic servicing. Soon thereafter, I was dispatched with another pest control technician to do a thorough roach clean out. As soon as we started, we realized that there was an even more serious infestation that needed to be resolved — mice!

It is imperative for restaurants to have sanitation and hygiene protocols established and followed for the kitchen staff. It’s only a matter of time before a dirty kitchen finds itself with pest problems. Apparently, the other pest control service did not convey the importance of sanitation. Pest control in restaurants must be a cooperative effort with the pest control service.

As shown in the photos, the grill has not been adequately cleaned. Even worse, underneath in the grill’s catch basin there were mouse droppings. While we were doing our clean out, no more than an hour after the grill was turned off, a mouse popped his head up to see what all the commotion in the kitchen was all about. It was painfully obvious to us that this kitchen had major sanitation deficiencies. The photos underneath the deep fryers speak for themselves. It was no surprise that rodents had made this kitchen their home. Fortunately, my partner and i were there to start eviction proceedings against these trespassers!

A rodent infestation in a restaurant or other food preparation business spells big trouble, and we knew that we had to act fast to get things under control. We started out by placing glue boards in strategic places throughout the kitchen. Glue boards not only catch rodents. We use them as monitoring devices between service calls to gives us a reliable indicator of what pests are active and the level of infestation. We also set up outdoor rodent bait stations. With rodents, a major part of the inspection is locating potential entry points. Unfortunately, because of their size, mice are able to access buildings through quite small gaps and cracks around the building’s foundation. We thoroughly inspected the basement and sealed all of the access points that we could find. 

An infestation this severe cannot be completely resolved in one visit. It will require constant follow-ups until we can get the situation under control. We informed the manager that the staff needs to do a more thorough job with kitchen sanitation and there must be accountability of cleaning tasks so everyone knows what is required of them. We look forward to working with this new customer and get them on track for a clean, healthy kitchen. 

Well, here we are. It’s mid-September and getting toward the end of bee and wasp season. I expect that, given the time of year, this nest will probably be one of the last active hornets nests that I’ll remove this year, and I’ll bid these insects a not-so-fond farewell. As the colder weather approaches, the insects will abandon their nest. The fertilized queen will find a secure private location to overwinter while the other colony members end of their brief lifecycle.

I was sent out to treat and remove a hornets nest in a condominium community in Old Bridge, NJ serviced by Cowleys. Hornets are very productive workers that can build these nests in a relatively short time. Hornets nests can become quite large, even as big as a basketball. A single nest can house hundreds of worker wasps. These wasps are aggressive and highly territorial, stinging any potential intruder (or more often, someone who mistakenly enters the vicinity of their nest). This particular nest is pretty big and it likely took about three weeks for the hornets to construct. These wasps remove bark from trees and chew it with their mandibles and secrete saliva making a paper-like pasty material that they use to form their nests. If you have a chance to see one of these nests up close-up (preferably, one that is dormant!), they are really quite beautiful structures of nature. These nests even have different shadings because of the variation of different barks used.

Many of these nests can be left alone. However, unfortunately, these insects decide to build their nests close to human habitats. That’s when a pest control professional needs to be called in. Wasp stings can be quite painful and a single wasp is able to sting multiple times. If you find yourself in the wrong place at the wrong time, you can find yourself in the midst of a wasp attack with multiple stings. At best, these stings are quite painful, and for someone allergic to wasp venom, a wasp attack is a serious medical emergency.

Although their are different ways to treat the nest, one effective way is to use a product that is not a quick knock-down. A slow-acting residual product ensures the treatment affects not only the hornets in the nest, but also the foraging wasps that are returning. This way, the entire colony is destroyed. After a few says when the nest is removed, there will not be any “homeless” hornets flying around looking to build a new nest on the same site.