Cowleys Pest Services Before & After Photos

Recently, a was sent to a residence in Howell, NJ. The homeowner had contacted Cowleys after a surprise run-in with two mice in the kitchen the night before. Since mice are nocturnal, if these is a mouse sighting, it is usually at night when they are doing their foraging. Mice are experts at staying hidden and you’ll usually find signs of mouse activity like droppings, nesting materials, and relocated food well before observing the rodents themselves. Also, mice don’t travel far from their nest and they are not loners. Mice live in groups known as a horde or mischief of mice, so if you see one or two, it’s a safe bet that there are quite a few others hiding in the wall voids or behind your kitchen appliances. 

I first checked the basement. Often, mice first gain entry through gaps and cracks around the foundation. The perimeter of he home appeared well sealed with no obvious entry points. Asking the homeowner, where he saw the mice running to before he lost sight of them, and he said they had scampered from a closet to underneath the refrigerator. Mice commonly nest underneath refrigerators because the area is well hidden and warm from the motor. Here, I moved the fridge to look behind and there were no openings in the wall behind. Next, I checked out the closet, and found a hole in the wall along with mice droppings in the area. When these mice weren’t foraging for food in the kitchen their home was a wall void that they accessed in the closet. 

I temporarily sealed the hole with chew-proof copper mesh until the homeowner could permanently have the hole patched. I also placed rodent stations in the closet, and for good measure, also put two rodent stations in the basement. Upon a closer exterior perimeter inspection, I found one potential crack that could have ben used to gain entry into the home. I also sealed this opening with copper mesh and also set up another rodent station nearby.  With these internal and external holes closed, the mice infestation should resolve. I told the homeowner to contact us if he saw any new signs of mouse activity, and we would be out there again for a follow-up.

Previously, we conducted a thorough inspection of a homeowners attic in Howell, NJ and reached the conclusion that it was under-insulated. We brought this to the homeowner's attention and, after thinking about for a little while, wanted Cowleys to add cellulose blown-in insulation in his attic. 

Blown-in cellulose insulation is used to fill the attic to the recommended insulation levels. The blanket of insulation will create a thermal barrier and help keep the home more comfortable and efficient. Cellulose also has higher R-value than other insulation and instantly improves home energy performance. Our cellulose insulation is treated with non-toxic borate, giving it the highest Class-1 fire safety rating and creating incredible resistance to mold and pests. Not only does cellulose insulation efficiently optimize energy-usage, but it is made primarily from recycled newspaper, making it the perfect choice for environmentally conscious property owners.

Once we arrived, we re-inspected the attic and then began adding approximately 10 inches of blown-in cellulose insulation. Now the home has an extra layer of insulation to prevent against heat loss. 

We were sent out on a service call for a new Home Protection Plan customer in Howell, NJ to treat for hornets . When we arrived, we inspected the back deck, which is where the owner saw them, and found that the hornets nest was located right above an outlet! For treatment, we injected a knockdown dusting application directly into the nest. This application rapidly eliminates the hornets. A short while later, we removed the nest, disposed of it, and applied a residual application to the area to neutralize any returning hornets and prevent them from building a new nest.

After hearing some odd noises in his attic in the late hours of the night, this customer in Howell, NJ called Little Rascals for some assistance and we were sent out. We had a sneaky suspicion that it was a raccoon that was walking around the attic and, after a thorough interior and exterior inspection, it was! How exactly did it get in the attic? Through the gable vent that was already damaged! Nuisance wildlife gaining access into a home through the gable vent isn't uncommon. Gable vents, over time, get weathered and start to become brittle and crack. Nuisance wildlife then take full advantage of this opportunity and make their way right into your home!

To safely retrieve the raccoon, we installed a positive set directly over the gable vent and then temporarily enclosed the area with hardware cloth. Additionally, we set up several baited devices nearby. A positive set is comprised of a nose cone that is attached to a two-gaited, heavy-duty device. The nose cone will safely guide the raccoon into the device. It's called a positive set, because we are positive that the raccoon will enter the device. As a matter of fact, a short while later, we safely retrieved the raccoon and relocated it to new humane environment.

Next, we disinfected the area and went back to our trucks to fashion a louvered 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! Once it was fashioned properly and to the right size, we then installed it over the gable vent. Now the gable vent is properly protected from raccoons as well as all nuisance wildlife!

April showers bring May flowers, including heavy rains into crawl spaces! Recently, we received a call from a homeowner in Farmingdale, NJ who had an issue with their crawl space. During heavy rainfall, their crawl space kept getting flooded and the sump pump wasn’t working properly. Not having a clean crawl space can have a major impact on your family’s health in so many ways. In fact, 40% of the air in your home comes up through the crawl space. This means that moisture, mold, dust, and pathogens can seep into your home, where you're breathing it in. Asthma or allergy symptoms could be a response to this. Once we arrived at the property, we put on our Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), full-face respirator masks and began our inspection. After thoroughly inspecting the crawl space, we discussed with the homeowners what they needed. A crawl space encapsulation. 

Crawl space encapsulation eliminates moisture, prevents damage from moisture, keeps unwanted critters out, and saves you money on your utility bill. First, we removed all the debris out of the crawl space. Then we laid down drainage matting which will allow any water to work its way over to the sump pump. Once that was done we dug a hole to remove the old sump pump and installed the new sump pump. Then we filled the outside of the hole with stones to allow water to make its way into the sump pump. Finally, we lined the entire crawl space with a vapor barrier liner. The vapor barrier is a 20-mil 7-ply sandwich of high and low-density polyethylene with a polyester-cord reinforcement. It's also treated with an antimicrobial finish that protects against mold and mildew growth. This vapor barrier is made-to-take-a-beating and is puncture and tear-resistant. Now the homeowner will no longer worry about their crawl space getting flooded.