Before & After Photos

Recently, I was dispatched to a residence in South River, NJ. The homeowner was having a problem with yellow jackets. These wasps with their distinctive yellow-black coloration are one of the most territorial, aggressive stinging insects we come across. They seem almost anxious to sting at the slightest provocation.  

Although yellow jackets often nest outdoors in rodent burrows and other cavities, sometimes they decide to build nests inside homes. Decks, eaves, soffits, gutters, and even holes in brick are all potential yellow jacket nesting sites. Here, the wasps found an opening of a roof dormer soffit. The homeowner realized he had a problem because he was hearing buzzing and light scratching/clicking sounds in his upstairs ceiling. These wasps, as many wasp species, will chew on wood because cellulose makes for great nesting material. They are powerful enough to chew through drywall. These were some of the sounds that the homeowner was hearing. By the way, don’t knock on the drywall. It may be so paper thin that you’ll make a hole in it!

Upon arrival, I immediately inspected the exterior and observed yellow jackets entering and exiting the dormer soffit. I also saw a paper hood protruding out of the soffit that was clearly part of their nest. Yellow jackets build paper nests that are completely surrounded by a paper envelope. This paper-like pulp is a mixture of chewed wood fibers and their saliva. Inside, I inspected the upstair ceiling and found that the moisture from the nest had soften the sheetrock.

It was time to treat the nest. Because of the aggressive nature of these wasps, i don’t take any chances. I put on my protective suit with a hat and veil to protect me against any insect stings. When yellow jacket nests are first treated, you are often “greeted” by a swarm of angry, aggressive wasps. A individual yellow jacket can sting multiple times, so f a nest is disturbed you can be facing dozens of painful stings. For obvious reasons, active yellow jacket nests, especially those built in challenging locations, are not DIY homeowner projects. 

I climbed on the roof and used an extension pole sprayer so I could keep as safe a distance as possible from the nest, and injected a dust into the soffit opening. The dust will be shared with all of the members of the nest and it won’t take long for the queen and the rest of the colony to be eliminated.

A homeowner in Jackson, NJ had an unsuspecting visitor take up residency in her home — a raccoon! She called our office for help and we were sent out to find out how the raccoon got into the attic and safely remove it.

Moments into our inspection, we noticed that a portion of the soffit was ripped open and there was raccoon hair stuck in the opening. This was the main access point. We temporarily enclosed the area with hardware cloth and installed a one-way device over the access point. The one-way device allows the raccoon to safely leave the attic but prevents it from getting back in. We also placed several baited devices nearby.

A short while later, we safely retrieved the raccoon, relocated it to a new, humane environment, and disinfected the attic area. Lastly, we sealed up the access point with sturdy metal flashing to prevent reinfestation. 

A commercial facility in Egg Harbor Township, NJ, nearby Atlantic City, was having an on-going problem with birds gaining access to a tool storage area of the building. The manager contacted Bird Solutions By Cowleys to resolve this bird infestation once and for all.  

Our two-man crew inspected the area to determine how the birds were gaining access. It did not take us long to find the opening. The problem was a gap above an I-beam that gave the birds wide open access. To restrict the bird from further entry, we constructed a bird barrier by closing this space off with hardware cloth. With this access point permanently closed, birds will no longer be able to enter this space and make a mess of things.

After noticing a large number of fruit flies in his sink room, this customer in Metuchen, NJ called Cowleys for help. During our inspection, we noticed that the fruit flies were hovering around one of the floor drains. As we got closer we noticed that there was some food debris sticking out. With the owners permission, we unscrewed the covers and discovered that the floor drains were loaded with food & liquid debris and fruit flies! This was were the fruit flies were harboring. 

First, we applied a liquid application in the floor drains and scrubbed them out with our heavy-duty scrubbing brush. This product removes the bad bacteria from the drain, which is the breeding ground for the fruit flies. Next, we applied a bio-foam solution that removes the organic build-up, odors, and scum in the drains. As a precaution, we repeated this process to ever single floor drain in the area. Lastly, we applied a fly bait, which will exterminate the adult fruit flies.

A commercial client of ours in Butler, NJ called us because of a massive bird issue. A flock of dirty pigeons were resting, loafing, nesting, and messing up their roof with droppings. The customer was surprised they were having trouble because another bird control service had installed a shock track system that was not doing a great job of deterring these birds from taking over their roof.

Upon arrival, we inspected the old shock track. It was completely falling apart and had seen better days. We first removed the old non-functioning track and solar box. We then installed a brand new shock track system, and we improved the layout of the tracks, putting them all the way around the entire edges of their ac unit, which was a pigeon “hot spot.” We then installed a brand new solar box to power all of the tracks. Shock tracks use low voltage to give the birds an unpleasant shock. Bird control is all about behavior modification, using deterrents to encourage certain behavior — specifically, encouraging them to find another more hospital place besides your roof as a resting spot. 

After finishing the installation, we reported back to the property manager. She was extremely pleased that she no longer had a messy bird issue. Property managers are busy juggling a hundred different emergencies. Cowleys is always happy to at least take care of any bird, wildlife, or insect infestation that is wrecking havoc on their property!