Brick, NJ Local Pest, Wildlife, Bird Control Company

Finally fed up with nuisance birds roosting and defecating all over his boat lift, this customer in Brick, NJ, contacted our Nuisance Wildlife division for help. The first thing we did was carefully remove all of the nuisance birds' nesting materials and disinfected the area with a solution that targets bird mites. Bird mites are parasites that feed on the blood of birds. Bird mites are the main reason why extreme care is needed when removing a birds nest.

After that was completed, we installed optical gel along the beams throughout the boat lift. The optical gel is a multi-sensory bird repellant that deters birds using sight, smell, and touch. As a visual deterrent, the birds see a UV spectrum that, to them, looks like fire or smoke (although there isn't any). As a smell deterrent, the optical gel gives off a cayenne pepper or peppermint odor that the birds hate; and as a touch deterrent, the optical gel has a tacky feel to it that the birds dislike.

I went out on a service call for a homeowner in Brick, NJ who was having an issue with camel crickets in their crawl space. Camel crickets received their name from their humpbacked appearance, which is similar to that of a camel. They’re commonly known as cave crickets or sprickets and are found in caves, damp, cool areas underneath wet leaves, stones and rotting logs. Camel crickets use their long legs to leap in the air when they are frightened to scare off predators.

When I began inspecting the crawl space I found an abundance of camel crickets all of the block walls. I took care of the problem by applying both a liquid application and granular bait treatment in the crawl space. I also sprayed the block wall and sill plate to stop the crickets from entering the home through any small gaps around the wire and pipe chases, and I placed more granular bait around the base of the foundation wall. 

After I finished treating the crawl space I explained to the homeowner what I found, how I treated the infestation, and, that in a couple of days, the cave crickets will be eliminated. The homeowner was relieved that his home will be free of these nightmare-inducing pests. 

An office manager in Brick, NJ contacted Cowleys complaining of birds noises in the attic of his building. Once I arrived and inspected the exterior of the building I found a wide opening on the roof. As I got closer I could hear the sounds of birds chirping and saw nesting "debris" protruding out from the opening. 

Birds invading a home is a serious health risk. First, birds will bring a huge amount of debris to their intended nesting area that can carry parasites such as lice, ticks, and fleas. Additionally, if there are birds, naturally, there will be bird droppings. This is not only an unsightly mess that can be difficult to remove, but it also harbors diseases such as histoplasmosis and encephalitis.

First, I needed to safely remove the birds from the attic before cleaning. To do this I set-up a one-way exclusion cone, which is a device that will allow a bird to safely exit the attic but, due to the design, prevent the bird from returning. I set-up a night vision camera to monitor the bird activity and make sure that all the birds were gone. After a short while, I returned to the office building, fully inspected the attic, and found no more bird activity.

Next, I carefully removed the nest and then sanitized and deodorized the opening and the attic with a solution that targets bird mites. Bird mites are parasites that feed on blood. When birds leave their nests, the mites are left behind without a suitable host for their next blood meal. If disturbed while removing they will make their way into a building and once inside they will take over, climbing all over the walls, and ceilings. 

After removing all remnants of bird activity I then sealed up the opening with plywood to prevent any additional bird infestations. The office manager was pleased that not only did I remove the birds from the attic, but sealed up the opening as well. 

This homeowner was being bitten at night and was understandibly frantic. We came out and after a thorough inspection, found a single bed bug which had a full meal in it. This bed bug was just perched on the floor molding. We found it after throughly inspecting all her bedroom furniture, the usual places that bed bugs hide. This one was hiding right out in the open!  We will treat this home for bed bugs and then follow up two weeks later with a thorough reinspection.

The Cowleys home improvement team recently installed a dehumidifier for a homeowner in Brick, NJ 

Dehumidification is critical for long-term control of moisture and high indoor humidity levels (especially in basements and crawl spaces). When areas of a home are kept dry and the moisture content in the air is kept below certain levels, mold cannot grow. Without proper dehumidification, homeowners run the risk of mold formation. Cowleys installs and services commercial grade Sanidry dehumidifiers. They are built specifically to work in basements and crawl spaces. They stand apart from the store-bought dehumidifiers we are familiar with, both in their functionality and reliability. Here’s a quick comparison: 

Store-bought dehumidifiers cover, at most, no more than 500 square feet, which is often far less than the needed coverage area. Also, they have a pan to empty, which makes it practically unworkable for non-living areas like crawl spaces. If you don’t get to the pan in time, and it overflows, you have a big mess — a water intrusion problem that can, by itself, trigger mold growth. Also, dehumidifiers from the big box stores just aren’t meant for heavy-duty applications. for instance, they pull in, at most, 70 pints/day from the air. During those hot Jersey Shore summer months, that just isn’t enough to bring down moisture and humidity to acceptable levels. 

The Sedona Sanidry covers up to 3000 square feet - 6X the area of a regular dehumidifier. Also, with the installation of a condensate pump (which usually leads right to the sump pump), these machines are maintenance-free with no pan to empty. Also, these machines are workhorses, able to pull in 100 pints/day from the air, if necessary. You’ll appreciate how hard these machines can work during those unbelievably humid days of summer when you are drenched just from standing outside. Finally, these are serious machines that are built to last — they come with a 5-year manufacturer’s warranty. 

I was conducting an exterior inspection of a home in Brick, NJ as part of our home servicing plan. I came across holes in the paver stones. The homeowner thought that ants were responsible for the “vandalism.” However,  based on the type of damage, I knew otherwise.  

These multiple entranceways were the home of the aptly named digger bee. These bees make their nests below ground so that they can later lay their eggs without them being disturbed. They are quite a nuisance because, as you can see, swarms of these bees can dig holes are everywhere. In severe cases, they can even cause paving stones to collapse. 

To get rid of these insects, I applied a dust to each hole individually. While this is a time-consuming pain-staking process to go hole-by-hole, it is the most effective way to resolve a digger bee infestation.

A restaurant in Brick contacted Cowleys to resolve an ant infestation. While insect or rodent infestations are a problem for any business, for restaurants, these infestations are potentially devastating. There are few things worse than restaurant patrons spotting an insect or two roaming around the table that is eyeing the same food.  Talk about quick way to lose your appetite.

A dirty kitchen with food remnants on counters and on the floor is an open invitation for ants and worse, like roaches and rodents. This restaurant had a smorgasbord of food under their fryer (see picture).

While this restaurant had to implement procedures to keep ants out of the kitchen in the future, the first order of business was to quickly resolve the current infestation. Ants are social insects that live in colonies. For long-term results, the colony must be eliminated. Killing isolated foraging ants with a over-the-counter spray is ineffective, and the fumes are potentially harmful. A pest control technician has the chemical applications to resolve the problem quickly. Also, with food establishments the proper applications are critical because it is unsafe to use certain chemicals in food preparation areas. 

I applied the proper treatment to destroy the infestation, and the kitchen staff was ready to clean and sanitize this area. When it comes to insects, restaurants must have a zero tolerance policy. No restaurant should have allowed such food and filth to accumulate on a restaurant floor. This restaurant was fortunate that I observed this issue before a health inspector. After the treatment, the restaurant would be instituting a periodic pest control treatment plan to stay on top of any potential problems. While it is difficult to keep all spills and crumbs cleaned up all the time, it is an essential task in order to keep pests out. Insects are constantly on the prowl for food and water sources, and a commercial kitchen that is not kept in tip-top shape is kitchen will inevitably face an infestation problem.

I reviewed standard cleaning protocols with the kitchen staff and reviewed the potential entry points for foraging ants to find their way into the kitchen. The smallest gaps or cracks have to be immediately sealed, and any screens on windows or doors, as well as any weather stripping, must be kept in good repair. Well-run commercial kitchens work in conjunction with a pest control professional to make sure that insects are one item that’s not on the menu.

By the time I left, the ant infestation was resolved and the restaurant was ready to put preventative measures in place. All in all, it was a good productive day — for me, for the restaurant, and, for those who were planning on eating here for lunch or dinner. 

I received a call for a raccoon in a sail boat  at a marina in Brick. The boat was docked at its slip. When I performed my inspection I found the raccoon asleep on a shelf inside the boat. I was able to grab the raccoon with my snare pole and put it in a trap. I relocated the raccoon to a more proper area. In addition, I advised the boat owner to keep the doors to his boat closed. He had left them open.

Funny thing is they went for a boat ride and didn't know the raccoon was inside the boat. He later found that the raccoon raided the cabinets and gorged on pretzels and bottles of water.