Wildlife Removal Before & After Photos

This homeowner in Belford, NJ, had an infestation of squirrels in her attic. How did they get in? They ripped a portion of the gable vent off and entered that way. Nuisance wildlife infesting a home through the gable vents is very common. Over time, the gable vents get weathered so nuisance wildlife like raccoons, squirrels, birds, and bats have no problem ripping away these vents to find shelter inside a home.

A short while ago, we successfully retrieved all the squirrels and relocated them to a new, humane location. All that's left is exclude the main access in order to prevent future intrusions! First, we disinfected the attic area, went back to our trucks to fashion a louvered gable vent, and then installed it over the gable vent. This material is made out of heavy-duty Galvannealed steel (which means it won't rust) and is customized to accommodate vents of all shapes and sizes! Now the gable vent is properly protected from squirrels as well as all nuisance wildlife!

A homeowner in Seaside Park, NJ, contacted Cowleys after hearing strange “thumping and scratching” wildlife noises coming from the attic. Something was up there, but she wasn’t interested in investigating to find out what type of wildlife had taken up residence in her attic. Common “attic invaders” that we deal with are squirrels, raccoons, bats, and birds. Here, it turned out that the culprits infesting the attic were squirrels. 

Upon arrival, for the start of my inspection, I want to determine how the animals are gaining access into the attic in the first place. Unless it is a flying animal, the animal must first find a way to gain access to the roof (usually, it’s an overhanging tree branch or utility wires coming into the roofline area) and then, once on the roof, they look for some weakness in the roof structure to exploit. Often, with large wildlife, it’s not a mystery. There is an obvious entry hole in the roof or around the roofline. Here, however, at first glance, I did not see any visible damage indicating where the wildlife was finding its way inside. Upon closer inspection, I found the answer. All four of the plastic static roof vents had large holes chewed through them. Squirrels are in the rodent family and they have razor-sharp teeth that can eat through many types of building materials.

As you can see from the photo, the hole was underneath the plastic cap so it was not causing any water leakage. Nevertheless, the hole was more than enough for squirrels to gain easy access to this homeowner’s attic. Unfortunately, manufacturers do not usually design vents to be pest-proof. Contractors are looking to save money on their projects and price considerations affect the quality of “manufacturer’s standard” building materials. 

To resolve this problem, I covered three of the four roof vents with a tough galvanized steel mesh cover that fits over the entire vent. This cover is strong and durable enough to stop any wildlife from even thinking about using the vent to gain access to the attic. Why didn’t I cover all four vents? I wanted to allow any squirrels hiding in the attic a route to leave. With three of the four access points closed, the squirrels had no choice but to exit through the remaining opening. On this fourth vent, I installed a makeshift temporary cover attached to a one-way door. The door allows animals to leave, but it’s a one-way trip. They are unable to regain access into the attic. Once any animals are trapped and relocated and we are certain that there is no more wildlife activity inside the house, the fourth and final vent cover will be installed. And this wildlife job is complete — all wildlife is safely and humanely removed from the home and all entry points are sealed to prevent a re-infestation.

This Brielle, NJ homeowner had a raccoon enter the attic through the soffit. The soffit is the underside of the roof overhang. It is commonly made out of aluminum or vinyl and has passive vents providing much-needed ventilation and air circulation to the attic and expelling the rising heat, which causes all sorts of problems both during the summer and the winter. Unfortunately, soffits, especially if they are damaged, are a favorite access point for wildlife to enter your attic. Raccoons and squirrels are innately able to find and exploit the weak points into a home, and soffits are at the top of the list of favorite entry points. 

Cowleys wildlife technicians had already come in to trap the raccoon, and immediately afterwards installed a temporary patch to seal the area. However, the homeowner wanted a more aesthetically pleasing repair. Cowleys has a home improvement division that, among other things, has an experienced crew that repairs damages caused by wildlife, termites, and other insects. The homeowner was quite pleased with our repair of his home, and so were we! 

A homeowner who resides in a residential community that we service in Brielle, NJ, noticed mouse droppings in his utility room and contacted the property manager, who relayed the problem to us. I was immediately dispatched to resolve the rodent infestation. Mice are overwintering pests that look to invade our homes to escape the harsh outdoor elements as temperatures drop. 

Upon arrival, I grabbed my flashlight and started my inspection in the basement. Rodents often find their way first into a home’s basement or crawl space before finding their way to the living areas of the home, especially the kitchen where they forage for food. Suffice it to say, once your home has mice, they won’t hesitate to make themselves at home, depositing their droppings everywhere and crawling all over and under every counter and appliance in your kitchen. My primary concern during a rodent inspection is finding potential entry points. I conduct a thorough inspection of the sill plate where utility, water, and electric lines of through the sill to the outside. Often, I find gaps in these areas, and it doesn’t take much of an opening. A mouse only needs a gap of about 1/4”, or the size of a dime, for them to squeeze through. Cowleys technicians emphasize and proactive exclusion for the long-term elimination of rodents in a home. It’s all well and good to set bait traps to get rid of the mice in your home, but you also need to locate and seal all of the entry points to stop more mice from making themselves at home.

During my inspection, I located two utility lines from the AC unit where the caulking had deteriorated, leaving a gap for mice to enter the home. These problem gaps were a definite entry point for mice and they needed to be closed. I sealed these gaps around the utility lines with chew-proof copper mesh. After I was done, no more mice would enter this particular home. Going forward, if these mice want to stay warm in a home, they’ll need to bother someone else!

Two members of Cowleys home improvement crew were dispatched to a home in Point Pleasant Beach, NJ, to help a homeowner who had a few pieces of aluminum trim blow off during a recent storm. Your home’s siding and trim are an essential barrier to protect the underlying fascia from the harsh outdoor elements (wind, rain, and snow). If not repaired, fascia damage could lead to wood rot and a weakening of the underlying structures eventually causing the soffit to collapse. Exposing your home’s underlying building materials can also lead to other problems such as mold formation and wildlife entry. Wildlife like squirrels and raccoons often take advantage of structural weaknesses in a home to gain entry. Homes kept in good repair are less prone to wildlife infestations. 

We replaced the missing aluminum trim with new white high performance exterior cellular PVC trim that we custom bent to fit her home. This material is tough stuff! It won’t rot, cup, split, twist, or warp and pests like carpenter bees (not to mention woodpeckers that peck away looking for carpenter bee larvae) can’t bore holes into it.  As you can see by the photos, our installed trim blended in perfectly with the house. You could not even tell that any repairs had been made after we were done. The homeowner was relieved that the trim was replaced, it looked great, and most importantly, her home was protected from the outdoor elements as we head into the harsh days of winter.