Wildlife Removal Before & After Photos

A homeowner in Jackson, NJ contacted Cowleys because of a problem with burrowing groundhogs (woodchucks) digging away at his home’s foundation around the inside corners of the house. For homeowners, these ground squirrels are one of the most damaging pests that can invade your yard. They not only wreak havoc on your lawn from their burrowing activity, as this homeowner found out the hard way, they can damage your home’s foundation if their burrowing activity is adjacent to your home. 

As you can see in the photo, the foundation has a brick overhang. Often, we are able to deal with groundhog infestations with  “Dig Defence,” an underground fencing system made of heavy galvanized steel. We frequently recommend this product since it does not degrade underground. Also, because Dig Defence is a trenchless system, it is relatively easy to install for experienced installers. However, in the wildlife control business, we must deal with the situation we are given, and find those solutions that will work for those situations. When it comes to wildlife, it’s never one size fits all. Here, because of the overhang, we could not install this type of fencing. So, we had to do this the old-fashioned way.

For this groundhog problem, I first wanted to do a trapping set-up. I was able to trap and relocate two groundhogs. While removing these two problem animals will help, I suspected that there were others, and trying to catch all of them would have been an exercise in futility. First, with all of the increased activities, these rodents are skittish and will shift their movement to avoid the traps. Also, this neighborhood was highly conducive to groundhog activity and I could see them thriving here. The entire neighborhood had strep banks with heavy cover, which is ideal for their burrowing activity. Also, there was plenty of food. Many of the neighboring homes had bird feeders and flowers providing them with virtually unlimited food sources.

After completing the trapping, it was time to do the heavy lifting. We pulled back off the rocks around the foundation where the animals were burrowing. Next, we had to dig out the dirt. With a trench dug out, we put in hardware cloth and secured it with masonry screws. This groundhog exclusion will not only work well, it matched up with the house and was aesthetically appealing. No doubt, there was one of our tougher groundhog exclusion jobs, but the end result was well worth it. 

A homeowner in Jackson, NJ had an unsuspecting visitor take up residency in her home — a raccoon! She called our office for help and we were sent out to find out how the raccoon got into the attic and safely remove it.

Moments into our inspection, we noticed that a portion of the soffit was ripped open and there was raccoon hair stuck in the opening. This was the main access point. We temporarily enclosed the area with hardware cloth and installed a one-way device over the access point. The one-way device allows the raccoon to safely leave the attic but prevents it from getting back in. We also placed several baited devices nearby.

A short while later, we safely retrieved the raccoon, relocated it to a new, humane environment, and disinfected the attic area. Lastly, we sealed up the access point with sturdy metal flashing to prevent reinfestation. 

This homeowner in Sayreville contacted Cowleys to resolve a raccoon infestation in their attic. The raccoons were nesting right above the dining room, and even chewed through the wiring connecting the chandelier. One of our wildlife technicians performed an exclusion, which is  locating, repairing, and sealing the wildlife entry points. He also cleaned up the droppings, which are a bio-hazard, containing disease-transmitting microorganisms. Homeowners should not come into contact or even breathe the air in a small enclosed space where there are droppings since they can contaminate the air. To safely clean wildlife droppings, you must wear a respirator and use proper protective equipment. 

Raccoons are large, aggressive animals that can easily weigh up to 20 pounds. Their clawing and waste materials, as these homeowners found out, can cause extensive attic damage, including destroyed insulation. After the wildlife was taken care of, a Cowleys installation crew arrived soon thereafter to repair the attic and make it as good as new. We first removed the contaminated insulation, then sanitized and deodorized the entire attic to remove all traces and smells of a raccoon infestation. it is important to thoroughly clean the attic not only to remove dangerous pathogens, but also to remove the smells and remnants of the infestation, which can be an attractant to other raccoons and wildlife.

Finally, we installed brand new R30 fiberglass batt insulation, the same type of insulation that the customer had prior to the infestation. Cowleys recommends blown-in cellulose insulation for a variety of reasons, and most customers ask us to install our TAP Pest Control Insulation. Its paper fibers are treated with a borate solution that is a barrier for many insects, including ants, beetles, and termites, stopping them dead in their tracks. Also, cellulose insulation has excellent thermal properties and, because it is blown in rather than cut to size, this type of insulation ensures that all areas of the attic are actually covered, even the smallest nooks and crannies. 

However, some homeowners still prefer traditional fiberglass batt insulation, and Cowleys is happy to install that type of insulation as well. This homeowner decided to go with what product he knew from his own experience. 

After we successfully retrieved all wild squirrels in this homeowner's attic and then relocated them to a new, humane location, we returned to repair the damage. 

Originally, the squirrels were gnawing on the fascia board, chewed a tiny hole, and entered the attic. We completely deodorized and sanitized the attic area and then turned our attention to the fascia board. We sealed the access point with metal flashing and secured it in place with a premium sealant made up of terpolymer technology. Next, we painted the metal flashing to blend in with the color of the home so that the repair work won't be an eyesore.

After we successfully removed and relocated a raccoon that invaded this home in Freehold, NJ, we needed to fix the damage it caused.

We replaced the broken soffit with water pressure lumber to provide structural integrity to the area. This is also treated with an application to prevent termites as well. Afterward, we enclosed the area with sturdy, metal flashing to prevent future intrusions from any nuisance wildlife.