Before & After Photos

This homeowner in Spring Lake, NJ was getting her roof repaired and as the roofer was moving to one side of the home, he got attacked by several angry bald-faced hornets! The roofer ran inside and the homeowner called us for help.

When we inspected the home, we found the hornets nest tucked underneath the soffit. No wonder the roofer never saw it!  Bald-faced hornets have white markings on their face and have smooth stingers, which means they can sting an unsuspecting victim over and over again. We grabbed our extendable pole, attached a knockdown aerosol product to it, and then injected it into the nest. We then waited several moments and treated the nest with a knockdown liquid application. Both of these treatments rapidly exterminate the bald-faced hornets.

After a short amount of time we removed the nest, disposed of it, and then treated the area with a residual application to eliminate any returning hornets as well as prevent them from building another nest. 

After safely and successfully removing squirrels from this home in Oakhurst, NJ, we began to repair the severely damaged fascia board and soffit area.

First, we removed the old, damaged fascia board and replaced it with new water-resistant pressure-treated lumber. Next, we capped the newly installed fascia board with metal flashing in order to cover and protect it from pests and nuisance wildlife. Lastly, we closed up the access point in the soffit area made by the squirrels with metal flashing.

Recently, I was sent to treat and remove a paper wasp nest for a homeowner in Oakhurst, NJ.  

Paper wasps have that typical appearance we associate with wasps — a slender waist and long legs. They are called “paper” wasps because of how they build their nests. These wasps gather fibers from plant material and mix it with their saliva to make a brown or grey papery material for nest-building. They will build a small paper nest with a single tier of open cells to lay their eggs and rear their young. The nest has no external covering and looks like an umbrella, (that’s why paper wasps are sometimes called umbrella wasps). These nests are commonly attached to the underside of some structure by a short stalk.  

Paper wasps, like any social insect, live in large colonies with a queen and the supporting workers that keep the colony thriving. Other social wasps that we regularly receive calls for are hornets, and yellow jackets. Although paper wasps are considered less aggressive than these other wasps that’s of little consolidation to anyone stung by one of these guys! Any wasp will aggressively defend its nest if it perceives someone as a threat, so a wasp nest that’s in an area where people are regularly walking to and from is a potential hazard that must be removed. If a nest is located somewhere on the property where it’s out of the way and not likely to be disturbed, I recommend to just leave it alone. Wasps can be beneficial insects by reducing other insect populations on the property.

For this nest, I used a quick knock-down aerosol and then removed the nest. These stinging insect jobs are particularly rewarding to me because I know that I likely prevented some awfully painful stings. 

This homeowner in West Long Branch, NJ installed a store-bought dehumidifier for his basement. As most homeowners soon realize, these humidifiers simply aren’t enough for the damp, challenging environment of crawl spaces. In these areas of the home, dehumidifiers must work overtime to keep down humidity to acceptable levels where mold can’t grow. Also, generic dehumidifiers aren’t very powerful. At most, they can cover 500 square feet. This crawl space was almost triple that size. This homeowner realized that he would need to buy something else that actually works. These types of machines aren’t generally available in the big box stores, and after doing the research, he contacted Cowleys. A two-person team came out to install a commercial-grade SaniDry Sedona dehumidifier. We set it up to drain directly into the sump pump. This fully automatic dehumidifier is specifically designed to work in crawl spaces and basements. It, is maintenance-free with no water pan to empty or worry about overflowing. Also, these machines work in spaces as large as 3000 square feet, far more than the footprint of most homes.

Proper dehumidification is essential to prevent mold growth in basements and crawl spaces. Mold will thrive if the moisture content in the air is too high. You don’t need a major water intrusion like a leaky pipe for mold to form. High indoor humidity can trigger dangerous mold growth, and humidity levels are probably the most frequent causes of mold formation that we come across with Jersey Shore homes.

This dehumidifier keeps basements and crawl space below 55% relative humidity. At low humidity levels, mold can’t grow. As an added benefit, dust mites die off. Perhaps the only thing worse than mold spores floating around in your home is dust mite fecal matter. No wonder indoor allergies are so common! We have gotten great homeowner feedback from these Sedonas. They noticeably improve a home’s indoor air quality and help get rid of those stinky musty smells from crawl spaces and basements that waft into the living areas of the home.

A raccoon decided to turn this customers attic in West Long Branch, NJ into it's new home, without the consent of the homeowner! So she called Little Rascals and we were sent out. Once we arrived and started inspecting the home, we knew exactly where the raccoon had entered, through the gable vent! It practically ripped it right off! So we installed a one-way device over the opening and temporarily installed hardware cloth over the entire gable vent. We also placed several baited devices nearby.

The one-way will allow the raccoon to safely leave the attic, but prevent it from getting back in. A short while later, we successfully and safely retrieved the raccoon and then took it to a new, humane location. We then disinfected the entire attic, installed a new gable vent, and then installed a louvered vent guard over the newly installed gable vent. The louvered vent guard is made out of heavy-duty Galvannealed steel. It won't rust, is customized to accommodate vents of all shapes and sizes, and properly secures the gable vents from not just raccoons, but birds, bats, and all nuisance wildlife!