Bradley Beach, NJ Experienced & Trustworthy Pest Services

Recently, we were sent out to a home in Bradley Beach, NJ to handle a carpenter ant infestation. The customer had reported seeing them by his back door, so that's where we inspected. As we did we noticed that the door frame was badly damaged. As we took a closer look several carpenter ants came pouring out of the frame! Carpenter ants are known to cause the most damage out of all the different species of ants that commonly infest structures. Typically black in color, these relentless insects will threaten the structural stability of buildings by excavating into the wood to build their nests.

For treatment, with the owner's permission, we treated the door frame and the entire exterior of the home with a liquid non-repellent. Next, we injection a knock down aerosol application into the door frame. This application rapidly exterminates the carpenter ants as well as flush them out of hiding and into the liquid residual. When the carpenter ants come in contact with that application, they're going to return to their colony and transfer the treatment to their queen and the other ants in their nest by grooming and feeding one another and eating their own dead.

In a short amount of time, the carpenter ants will be exterminated and the homeowner can then repair his door frame.

We were sent out to the property of a new customer in Bradley Beach, NJ to handle a bed bug infestation in the master bedroom. The unique thing about this situation was that the majority of the bed bug infestation wasn't in the bed, but actually in the desk! Recently, the owner purchased the desk from a second hand thrift store, unaware that it was infested with bed bugs. She then brought it into her room and a short while later, an infestation had happened! When purchasing furniture or appliances from a second hand store ALWAYS inspect the items thoroughly for bed bugs, cockroaches, or other pests. 

For treatment, the first thing we did was vacuum up all the bed bugs eggs and the live bed bugs. Afterward, we treated every single infected area of the master bedroom with a fungicide application. This product creates a barrier that infects and exterminates the bed bugs over a short period of time. Next, we treated every outlet throughout the home with a residual dusting product. This treatment will eradicate bed bugs of all life stages, sex, and feeding status within a short amount of time. Lastly, we scheduled several follow-up visits to monitor the infestation and apply any additional treatments if needed.

One warm October afternoon, this homeowner in Bradley Beach, NJ, was putting away his outdoor furniture and noticed a wasp nest underneath the table. Since he's highly allergic, he quickly ran inside and called Cowleys for help. Once we arrived and took a closer look at these stinging insects, we were able to identify them as a smiling mason wasp.

Smiling mason wasp displays unique behavior by nesting in cavities or pre-existing holes, often in wood, and using mud or small stones for construction. It feeds primarily on caterpillars and paralyzes them in order to feed their larva. Despite being a wasp, smiling mason wasp poses no significant health risk to humans as it's relatively non-aggressive unless provoked. They have a special defense behavior that can trigger an allergic reaction in humans. 

To safely eliminate these wasps, we injected their nest with a knockdown dusting application. A few moments afterward, we injected a knockdown aerosol application. Both of these treatments will rapidly exterminate the smiling mason wasps. Lastly, we carefully removed the nest and disposed of it properly. 

After her pet cat caught a mouse in her kitchen, this homeowner in Bradley Beach, NJ, immediately contacted Cowleys for help, as she was concerned that there might be more inside her home! Once we arrived, the first thing we did was thoroughly inspect the exterior of the home to find any access points that the mice, or any other pest, were or can utilizing to infest the home. Sure enough, we found several utility pipes leading into the property that had wide gaps around them. Since mice don't have collarbones and their ribs have a greater capacity to flex, they can fit through openings the width of a pencil!

Continuing our inspection inside the home, with the owners permission, we check behind the stove and found mice droppings as well as another wide gap around the utility pipe. For treatment, the first thing we did was carefully clean up all the mice droppings on the inside and outside of the home. Next, we strategically installed several tamper-proof rodent bait stations throughout the inaccessible areas in the kitchen, the garage, and around the exterior of the home.

Once that was finished, we stuffed every single gap around the utility pipes on the exterior and interior of the home with Xcluder™ Fill Fabric and then sealed them with a premium, waterproof adhesive. Xcluder™ Fill Fabric is made from a blend of coarse stainless steel and poly fibers to form a highly resilient and impenetrable barrier against rodents and pests. Lastly, we scheduled several follow up inspections to replenish the bait in the bait stations and monitor the mice activity throughout and around the home. 

Recently, there was quite a number of Jersey Shore homeowners were dealing with storm damage to their properties. Oftentimes, the building materials in and around the roof get hit the hardest. We dealt with quite a few homes that had shingles blown off, and for this homeowner in Bradley Beach, NJ had part of their soffit blown apart. The soffit is the underside “ceiling” that bridges the gap between a home’s siding and the roofline (eaves). Often, soffits are vented to allow air exchange into the attic, and are usually made of vinyl. They are more than decorative — your exterior soffits help keep wildlife like squirrels, birds, and bats from taking over your attic as a nesting area.

This homeowner found out the hard way what happens when parts of your soffit are missing. Squirrels and birds soon took advantage of the opening and made his attic their home. Our wildlife team trapped and relocated the trespassing squirrels, and afterwards, a two-person crew from Cowleys home improvement division were sent in to clean up the attic, remove the bird nesting material, and repair the soffit. As you can see, when we were done, everything was put back together and looked as good as new. You’d never even guess that this attic was once infested by wildlife. The homeowner was pleased with our repair work, and we went on to our next assignment.

I was sent to a home in Bradley Beach, NJ. I began my inspection to look for the nest. Although I saw wasps flying around, I could not immediately locate the nest. Following the activity of these pests, I was led toward a healthy tree with lush foliage. The tree cover made it difficult to find the nest, but with careful inspection, I found what I was looking for: a distinctive grey spherical nest about the size of a volleyball or small basketball.

Based on the structure of the nest, I knew exactly the type of stinging insect that invaded this homeowner’s property — baldfaced hornets. These hornets are a relative of the yellowjacket and are often called “aerial yellowjackets.” These insects get their name from their unique coloration. They are mostly black but have a white face. Although labeled as hornets, these stinging insects are actually wasps and not true hornets. They are called hornets because of their large size and because they build aerial nests. 

These social wasps build egg-shaped nests that are layered in hexagonal combs covered by a mottled grey paper envelope. And these nests can grow into huge sizes as the wasp colony continues to expand. Their nests can be as large as 14 inches in diameter and more than two feet in length! A single nest can house upwards of 400 insects at their peak, so its important for homeowners to have these nests removed as soon as possible because of the high risk of a family member inadvertently invading their territory and triggering multiple stings. For those allergic to stings, this can be life-threatening. 

Baldfaced hornets build nests at least three feet off the ground, and they build them anywhere and everywhere, both on “natural” structures like in trees and shrubs as well as on man-made structures like utility poles and home and sheds, especially under roof overhangs.  As mentioned, I located this particular nest in a tree. I observed the pattern of the hornets entering and exiting the nest: two would go in and one would go out. I carefully went behind the hive without being spotted by the hornets and treated the nest with an application that coats the entire hive all at once, trapping the wasps inside, preventing them from stinging me or anyone else.  

In addition to pest control and wildlife services, Cowleys has an experienced home improvement team that handles various projects including mold removal, crawl space encapsulation, and home insulation. Members of Cowleys home improvement team were sent to a residence in Bradley Beach, NJ. The homeowner asked Cowleys to cap or “bulk up” his existing insulation to increase its R-value (the insulation’s ability to resist heat traveling through it) by adding approximately 4 inches of our insulation on top of his existing insulation. 

Cowleys is a licensed installer of TAP Pest Control Insulation, a loose-fill cellulose insulation that is environmentally safe, ENERGY STAR designated, UL classified, and fire retardant. “TAP” stands for Thermal, Acoustical, and Pest Control. This insulation offers superior thermal, acoustical (sound-deadening), and pest control properties. Homeowners are often surprised when they first hear that we offer insulation that can help with pest control. Its paper fibers are treated with a borate solution, which is harmless to people, but lethal to many insects including ants, beetles, and termites. Because TAP insulation does not affect mammals, homeowners must still use traditional pest-control for mice, squirrels, and other wildlife. Because of this pest control component, TAP can only be installed by licensed pest control operators.  

Added insulation is a great home investment that yield many benefits. Perhaps most important, adding insulation increases the enjoyment of your home. It improves the temperature regulation in your home and increases the comfort of your living environment. Adding insulation also has health benefits. It acts as a barrier that helps to keep environmental pollutants and allergens out of your home. It is also a moisture barrier. By keeping out unwanted moisture, a good insulation layer helps avoid mold growth and other excess moisture problems. There are also substantial cost benefits. By keeping your home cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter, added insulation reduces both your environmental footprint and your economic footprint! Improved insulation pays for itself through by reducing your energy bills and lowering the use of your air conditioner and heating system.

We were able to cap the insulation for this homeowner because the existing insulation was still in good shape. Often, our team is called in for insulation jobs after the existing insulation has been ruined. Sometimes, it’s because of a wildlife infestation. Once wildlife have taken up residence in the attic, the insulation is often destroyed. The animals will shred the insulation to use as nesting material, and they’ll contaminate the insulation with their urine and droppings. Other times, there has been a roof leak and the insulation has become water-saturated and is starting to grow mold. With these jobs, when the insulation has lost its integrity and no longer serves its purpose, we have the tedious task of safely removing and disposing of these damaged materials. On the pother hand, cap insulation jobs like this one are more streamlined. We  only need to focus on installing the additional insulation since the existing insulation stays right where it is.  

This insulation job went exceptionally smoothly. This highly productive crew was in and out in less than a day. The final result: A beautiful new layer of great insulation that the homeowner will come to appreciate this summer and next winter. No matter what extreme temperatures are outside, this home will be nicely regulated inside.