Cowleys Pest Services Before & After Photos

This residential customer in Brielle, NJ, had used Cowleys to help him deal with crawl space flooding caused by Superstorm Sandy, the deadliest and most destructive hurricane of the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season. At that time. the homeowner contracted Cowleys to remove his moldy insulation and install an encapsulation system. Crawl space encapsulation transforms damp vented crawlspaces that are often fraught with mold and pest issues into clean, dry, attractive and energy efficient spaces.

This heart of our encapsulation system is a super durable 20 mil thick polyethylene vapor barrier that blocks moisture, outside air, and pests from getting into your crawl space. We also use other crawl space products as necessary, such as vent covers, drainage matting, and commercial-grade dehumidifiers.

Following this encapsulation, the homeowner no longer had water or moisture issues in his crawl space. According to him, his crawl space was now as dry as a bone. However, at the time, he elected to not replace the moldy water-damaged insulation that we removed. Not surprisingly, for a few winter seasons, he had cold floors above the crawl space. He decided this was no longer tolerable, and he called us back to install some good insulation.

We recommended JM ComfortTerm insulation, a Formaldehyde-free fiberglass insulation with R-values up to R-30 (12” thickness). Its batts and rolls are wrapped in plastic for less dust kick-up during installation and also has a vapor-retarder plastic facing. Now, with the crawl space insulation job completed, this home will be more comfortable, and this thermal envelope will help with the home’s indoor air quality and dramatically improve the home’s energy efficiency.

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!

A new homeowner in Brielle, NJ, was having an issue with birds roosting in her home. She had another company come out and try to exclude the birds, but it didn't work, so he called Little Rascals for help. 

During our inspection, we discovered that the birds were actually roosting in a small gap behind the shutters. The previous company installed chicken wiring, but it was extremely loose and not secure. We removed the company's exclusion bird, disposed of it, and then carefully removed all the nesting debris.

In order to properly exclude the birds, we took a piece of metal flashing and scribe shaped it to the shutters. This contours the metal flashing to the shutters almost perfect and will not only exclude birds from the home, but bats, wasps, bees, and hornets as well!

The customer in Brielle, NJ had some mice infesting his laundry room. After our Pest Control team was sent out, they determined that the mice was able to enter the home through an old exhaust vent on the side of the home. A short while after our pest control techs had removed all the mice from the property, we were sent out to properly exclude the exhaust vent.

In order to accomplish this, we installed a DryerWallVent® over the old exhaust vent. The DryerWallVent® is made out of heavy-duty galvanized steel and its large opening and angled damper provide maximum airflow efficiency for safe venting. Integrated magnets keep the damper closed when not in use, preventing pests, bats, birds, and all nuisance wildlife from infesting the home. 

While doing an inspection at a home in Asbury Park, NJ, we were approached by a frantic neighbor on the verge of tear. She said, "Please, sir, please. You have to help me. There is a giant bat on my back screen door, I've called 3 people to come and remove it. They all want several hundred dollars just to come out and remove the thing. I'm on a limited income and I don't know what to do. I just can't afford it." 

Without hesitation, we put on our protective gloves, went with her to her back door, removed the bat, and gingerly placed him in the nearest tree.  We can't vouch for the emotions of bats, but he seemed as happy to be out of the house as the poor lady was to have him taken out. It was a win-win situation for all.

She asked if she could pay us $50 because that's all she could afford. We didn't take a dime from her and told her that after that traumatic encounter, she deserves to use that money to go out for a nice, quiet dinner and calm her nerves.

Cowleys is a business, but we've been working here long enough to know that we're also about doing the right thing. Her gratitude was more than enough compensation for the few minutes that it took to remove the bat. She told me that I was her hero. Before that encounter, we never thought of my Cowleys uniform as a superhero outfit, but right then and there, we felt pretty good about ourselves and were proud to be a Cowleys technician.