Local Pest Control& Wildlife Removal in Manalapan, NJ

A client in Manalapan, NJ contacted Cowleys after hearing noises in his attic late at night. I suspected it was raccoons since raccoons are nocturnal and are notorious for invading attics, but still needed to conduct a thorough inspection.  

I began my inspection in the attic and immediately came across a pile of bat guano. After completing my inspection I determined that it wasn’t raccoons, but bats that invaded the attic. This is why a detailed inspection is necessary. Bats in the attic can be catastrophic for homeowners. Bat guano carries the fungus Histoplasma capsulatum. If the bat guano dries up, becomes air born and is inhaled, it will give you a lung infection called histoplasmosis. If histoplasmosis spreads beyond the lungs and into the whole body, it can be fatal. Bats are also the second largest rabies exposure threat to humans and their pets. The virus is transmitted through the bite of an infected bat, however, you can also be exposed to rabies through contact with bat fur, guano, blood, or urine. Although bat bites in humans are exceedingly rare, if you suspect you have a bat issue, don’t take any chances.

The main entry point ended up being where the soffit meets the roof. There was a tiny gap that was the perfect size for a bat to enter. I set-up a bat cone connected to a one-way exclusion device. A one-way exclusion device is a device designed to safely allow the bats to leave the home but prevent them from re-entering. A bat cone is an extension of the device that safely guides the bat out of the attic. Because of their length and cylindrical shape, once bats exit they can’t get back in. They can’t get back in because there is no way for them to land and scoot up through the tube. They will fly towards the rear end of the tube where their former access was and be blocked.  

Once all the bats were safely removed from the attic, I placed hardware cloth over the main access point to seal up the gap as a temporary solution as the homeowner was replacing his roof anyway and hired a contractor to do so. Next, I equipped my personal protective equipment and removed and sanitized the bat guano. Now the homeowner can rest easy knowing that his home is free from bats!

I went out on a service call for a new residential client in Manalapan, NJ who was having an issue with hornets circling around her pool shed. When I arrived and began inspecting her backyard, I came across a bald-faced hornet nest dangling on the side of the pool shed.

Bald-faced hornets have a black colored body with white markings on their face. They are primarily active during the day and build aerial nests made of paper-like material. They are very protective of their nests and will aggressively attack and sting people and animals they deem a threat. Bald-faced hornets often attack in large numbers and, due to their smooth stinger, can attack a target repeatedly without harming itself.

I equipped my bee suit and applied a foaming knockdown application directly to the nest. This application is designed to immediately eliminate the bald-faced hornets. I attached the application to my B-pole in order to treat the nest safely from a distance. Once the hornets were eliminated I removed the nest and applied a residual application to the entire soffit area of the pool shed to prevent any future bald-faced hornets infestations. 

While performing a routine service for a Home Protection Plan client in Manalapan, NJ I found pavement ants trailing along the side of the home. Pavement ants are tiny ants, only about 1/16 of an inch in size and are light brown to black in color. They nest in cracks in driveways and sidewalks and will pile dirt in a mound on top of the pavement — which is how they got their name. Their colony includes multiple queens and numerous workers. A queen establishes a new colony of pavement ants by laying eggs and the worker ants then tend the queen’s brood until they develop into adults. During their development, broods are transferred from location to location to protect them from fluctuations in moisture and temperature. 

For treatment, I’m going to apply a liquid non-repellant directly on the ant trail and along the entire exterior perimeter of the home. This non-repellent is undetectable to the ants, so when they come in contact with it, they return to the colony and share it with other ants, including the reproductive queen. The application works quickly, and soon the ant population is completely eliminated. 

A homeowner in Manalapan, NJ contacted Cowleys and wanted to add blown-in cellulose insulation to his attic space. Once we arrived, before beginning any job, we conducted a thorough inspection to determine any severe issues in his attic. This inspection not only helps us identify any issues in the attic but also helps us determine how we can SOLVE those issues.

After our inspection, we determined that the attic was under-insulated. Having an under-insulated attic can lead to a number of problems, the most popular is mold and mildew growth in the attic. If the home doesn’t have an adequate vapor barrier and there are leaks, then that water absorbs into traditional forms of insulation. Then mold and mildew begin to grow, which can be a health hazard for everyone in the home, including pets.

To address this issue, we added 12 inches of Tru-soft cellulose insulation to cap off this attics existing insulation. Cellulose insulation is used to fill the attic to the recommended insulation levels. The blanket of insulation will create a thermal barrier and will dramatically increase the home's efficiency.

Recently, we treated a home in Manalapan, NJ for termites. When we began our inspection, we found hundreds of termite swarmers in the laundry room! Termite swarmers are winged termites that fly away to form their own colonies. They don't cause any structural damage to the home, but it is an indication that there is an active termite nest nearby. 

Termites live beneath the soil and enter your home below the ground level of the dirt.  For an effective treatment, we drill into the concrete and inject a termiticide, however, there was an issue. There was an electrical conduit under the floor and drilling would be risky and dangerous. Instead, we gravity fed the liquid termiticide and termiticide foam into the cracks of the slab under the tile. This application binds to the treated soil and creates a protective zone that the termites cannot detect. Once the termites come in contact with the application, they'll transfer it to other termites in the colony and, in a short amount of time, the termites are exterminated!

We also installed Sentricon termite bait stations in the ground around the entire building. The Sentricon® Termite Colony Elimination System provides continuous protection from termites, even against those that have not yet entered your property. When termites come in contact with the Sentricon® bait system, they eat the cellulose material, unknowingly consuming an insect growth inhibitor. The termites then go on to share this "food" with their colony members. The growth inhibitor then takes over and prevents the termites from being able to molt. If they cannot molt, then the colony is eliminated.

 As a result of a thorough treatment, the building will be termite-free and protected for many years to come.

A new customer in Manalapan, NJ recently contacted our office after finding a plethora of ants around her deck. After finding the ants on the deck, we did some detective work and followed their pheromone trail to a bush that was over 30 feet away from the home! We treated the deck and the entire exterior perimeter of the home with a liquid residual.

Afterward, we treated the landscape with a granular bait. The ants will come in contact with either of these applications, return to their nest, and transfer the treatments throughout their colony. A short while later, the ants will be exterminated. 

This homeowner in Manalapan, NJ had an issue with voles destroying her flower garden and her lawn. During our inspection, we found multiple burrows along the deck. To safely eliminate the voles, we installed a snap trap box and placed two rock snap traps on each side of it. Inside the snap trap box are 8 snap traps. In no time at all, the voles will be eliminated.

We were sent to a home in Manalapan, NJ to handle a mice issue in the homeowners garage. As we inspected the area, we found several gaps around multiple utility pipes throughout the garage. Additionally, we found huge gap underneath the garage door itself. For treatment, we stuffed every opening with stainless steel mesh and sealed them up with a waterproof, premium adhesive. Afterward, we placed several rodent bait stations in the garage and along the exterior of the garage.

Next, we placed Xcluder® Rodent Proof Door Sweeps underneath the garage door. Xcluder® door sweeps feature Xcluder® fill fabric, providing a barrier impenetrable to rodents and other pests, along with a durable weather seal that can pay for itself in energy savings. Lastly, we scheduled several follow-up visits to replenish the bait stations and monitor the mice activity.

We were sent out to a new customers home in Manalapan, NJ to treat for termites. The homeowner reported seeing activity in the crawl space, so that's where we began our inspection. Sure enough, we found active termites mud tubes throughout the wooden joists in the crawl space! For treatment, we drilled into the concrete in the crawl space, and around the entire exterior of the home, and injected a liquid termiticide. The termiciticde will bind to the treated area and create a protective zone that the termites can't detect. They will come in contact with the application as they go about their normal routines and transfer it throughout their colony. In a short amount of time, the termites are exterminated.

Afterward, we installed an in-ground termite baiting system called Sentricon® around the exterior of the home. When the termites come in contact with the Sentricon® bait system, they eat the cellulose material, unknowingly consuming an insect growth inhibitor. The termites then go on to share this "food" with their colony members. The growth inhibitor then takes over and prevents the termites from being able to molt. If they cannot molt, then the colony is eliminated. Now the home is protected from termites for many years to come!

After hearing a rustling noise in this attic during the early hours of the morning, this homeowner in Manalapan, NJ thought that she might have something living up their, so she contacted our Little Rascals Nuisance Wildlife Division for help. As we inspected the exterior of the home, we noticed a large, chewed out hole above the gutter. We took a closer look and found squirrel prints on the gutter and their hair in the opening. Looks the owner has squirrels living in her attic!

As a temporary solution, we set up a one-way device over the opening and enclosed it with hardware cloth. We also placed several baited devices nearby. The one-way device allows the squirrels to safely leave the area but is designed to prevent them from getting back in. Once all the squirrels are safely removed from the home, we will relocate them to a new, humane environment, disinfect the attic, and install sturdy metal flashing over the access point. 

As we were servicing a property in Manalapan, NJ, we noticed a stack of firewood in the corner of the backyard. Since storing firewood on the ground (and not on a platform 6 inches off the ground) is a bad idea, we decided to inspect it to make sure that there weren't any pests harboring inside them. Good thing we did, because as soon as we picked up one of the logs, it broke apart and revealed a massive termite colony inside it! We informed the homeowner and she immediately signed up for a termite treatment. 

First, at the owners request, we carefully removed and disposed of all the firewood. Afterward, we injected a liquid termiticide around the entire exterior home. This treatment binds to the treated areas and creates a protective zone that the termites can't detect. The termites will come in contact with the termiticide as they go about their normal routines and transfer it throughout their colony. The treatment then spreads like a virus throughout their colony. In a short amount of time, the termites are exterminated and the home is protected from termites for years to come.