Before & After Photos

As this homeowner in Adelphia, NJ went outside to tend to his yard, he spotted a large hornet nest in one of his trees. Since he's highly allergic he immediately contacted Cowleys and we were sent out. When we arrived we equipped our protective bee suit and examined the nest. That's when we identified these stinging insects as bald-faced hornets!

Bald-faced hornets are social stinging insects that are a close relative to yellow jackets. The surface of their upper midsection almost looks triangular from the side, and they have white markings on their face. They are EXTREMELY aggressive and will not hesitate to sting anything that invades their space. Their stings carry venom that makes the stings hurt, itch, and swell for about 24 hours. Humans are at the same risk of allergic reactions from bald-faced hornet stings as with other insect stings.

We treated the nest with a knockdown aerosol and a knockdown dusting application. These two treatments will quickly neutralize these aggressive stinging insects. A short while after applying our treatments, we removed and dispose of both the nest and the branch it was attached to.

This customer in West Creek, NJ had a big problem. A squirrel had completely destroyed their gable vent and infested the attic. Once we had safely removed the squirrel and took it to a humane location, we disinfected the attic. We then installed a new gable vent and also installed a louvered vent guard over the new gable vent to strengthen it. 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! Now the area is protected from squirrels, raccoons, bats, & birds!

One warm afternoon in Manahawkin, NJ, this homeowner and his teenage son were getting some much needed yard work done. As the teen was mowing the lawn, he was suddenly attacked and stung by several hornets! He quickly stopped what he was doing, told his Dad who then called Cowleys for help and we were sent out to investigate and treat. 

As we inspected the area where the teen was stung, we took a look at the large tree and spotted the hornets nest. Upon closer inspection, we were able to identify them as bald-faced hornets. Bald-faced hornets are social stinging insects that are a close relative to yellow jackets. The surface of their upper midsection almost looks triangular from the side, and they have white markings on their face. Aside from being short-tempered and extremely aggressive is they have smooth stingers, which means they can sting over and over again, can actually sense vibrations in the air, and remember their invader's face!

To eliminate them, we injected a knockdown dusting application directly into the opening of their nest. After several moments, we also injected a knockdown liquid application. These treatments will exterminate the bald-faced hornets almost immediately. A short while after neutralizing the bald-faced hornets, we removed the nest (and the branch it was attached to) and disposed of them.

Recently, homeowners in Hazlet Township, NJ, contacted Cowleys after finding mouse droppings in their oven. Mice usually enter a home through gaps, cracks, or openings around the foundation and enter the basement or crawl space. From there, they travel through wall voids throughout the home, eventually making their way to the kitchen to forage for food. Even the cleanest kitchens can have hidden food debris under and behind kitchen appliances. Mice are attracted to not only food, but also heat sources like ovens, dryers, and motors underneath refrigerators. 

Upon arrival, I started my inspection with the oven since that’s where the droppings were found. Mice are nocturnal and do a good job staying out of sight. Homeowners will usually see signs of a mouse infestation, such as droppings, nesting materials, and hordes of relocated food, well before spotting a live mouse scurrying about. Here, I removed the storage drawer on the bottom of the oven and found even more distinctive mouse pellets. After cleaning around of the base of the oven, I found a good sized hole behind the oven where the electrical wires came up from the crawl space. No doubt, this is how the mice were gaining access to the kitchen. With mice, a good inspection strategy is following pipes and wires. often, there are gaps around them allowing the mice to gain entry into the home and then move about inside the home undetected. I sealed the hole with a chew-proof copper mesh and also placed a RTU (“ready-to-use”) bait station in the area. I also inspected the crawl space and placed other bait stations in strategic locations where there was mouse activity.

After we finished installing chimney caps on this homeowner's property, we couldn't help but notice that the chimney was in bad shape. The cracked bricks on the chimney can let moisture in, which will lead to mold problems and even a pest infestation.

After bringing this to the owner's attention, we used a crown seal on the chimney to prevent these issues. Crown seal is a proprietary elastomeric coating that is specifically formulated to repair and protect chimney crowns from water intrusion. Now the chimney is protected from any type of moisture or pest issue.