Before & After Photos

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Starlings excluded from Spring Lake, NJ dryer vent.

This homeowner from Spring Lake, NJ had starlings roosting in her dryer vent. Starlings are one of the more common nuisance birds that we regularly deal with, right up there with pigeons, sparrows, seagulls, and Canada geese. While all of these birds are a nuisance, sparrows are one of the most destructive. They can form exceptionally large flocks that can number in the thousands, ravishing crops and spreading disease with their toxic droppings containing many dangerous pathogens. They also compete for nesting cavities, ousting and killing our original native birds, and destroying their eggs and young.

For homeowners, it is quite common to find birds building nests inside dryer vents because of the heat. Unfortunately, with the nesting materials building up inside the vent, it is a serious fire hazard. Before these birds could get established in the spring, we wanted to nip the problem in the bud by excluding them and making sure that they would be sealed out for good.

We opted to go with The Defender vent cover for the dryer vent. Constructed of thick-gauge zinc-coated powder-coated steel, these USA-made covers are built to last. Also, its vertical bars are tailor-made for dryers because they minimize lint buildup (another major dryer fire hazard) while, at the same time, keeping out critters, especially birds and squirrels. From our experience, these dryer vents require cleaning far less often than with other vent covers that tend to accumulate lint because of their design. we also cleaned and sanitized the dryer duct before sealing.

When this job was completed, there was no indication that there once was a bird infestation. This homeowner was left with an aesthetically pleasing vent cover that's will last indefinitely, but is still a snap to remove for periodic vent cleaning.

 

How Cowleys Removes and Excludes Raccoons in Spring Lake, NJ

Recently, we went out on a service call for a resident in Spring Lake, NJ who was having a problem with a raccoon in his attic. How'd he know it was a raccoon? As his son was cleaning the attic one evening he spotted the little fella running around!

As we inspected the rooftop we spotted raccoon hair and paw prints near an attic vent cover. This was how the raccoons were able to enter the attic.

We placed several baited traps near the main access point, installed an attic vent cover, and then attached a one-way to the attic vent cover. The vent cover prevents raccoon and other pesky, nuisance wildlife from entering your home through the roof vents. They are constructed out of heavy-duty 18 Gauge galvanized metal mesh that the wildlife are unable to chew through. 

The one-way is a device that allows the raccoons to safely leave the attic and prevents them from getting back in. By installing a vent cover over every single attic and static vent on the roof and placing a one-way over the main access point we are forcing the raccoon to exit through the one-way and into the baited traps. Once the raccoon is safely captured, we'll relocate it to a new, humane location and then sanitize the attic area.

Out with the Old Insulation, In with the New in Spring Lake, NJ

After our Wildlife Division had safely removed and humanely relocated a family of raccoons in this homeowner's attic in Spring Lake, NJ, we were sent out to remove all the contaminated insulation and reinsulate the attic.

Unfortunately, the family of raccoons had been present in the attic for quite some time and the insulation was badly damaged and soiled with urine and raccoon feces. When it comes to wildlife in the attic, removal, and exclusion only fix half the problem. Damaged insulation can lead to health concerns, wasted money in higher heating/cooling costs, and hazardous conditions such as damaged ductwork and potential fire hazards.

After equipping our personal protective equipment we carefully removed all the contaminated insulation. Next, we disinfected the entire attic and added approximately 12 inches of blown-in TruSoft cellulose insulation. TruSoft cellulose insulation not only creates a thermal barrier and helps keep the home more comfortable and energy-efficient, but has a higher R-value than standard fiberglass batts and is treated with non-toxic borate, giving it the highest Class-1 fire safety rating and creating an incredible resistance to mold and pests.

Crawl Space Encapsulation in Oceanport, NJ

This crawl space had almost every issue a crawl space could have, standing water, mold, hanging insulation, poor drainage, and moisture. Our crawl space encapsulation system solved them all. Crawl space humidity isn't just uncomfortable and smelly, it can cause structural damage to the woodwork of your home as well! Also, the mold it allows to grow is damaging to your health!

First, we removed all the contaminated insulation and debris, leveled the ground for proper draining, and installed a drainage matting, which is a dimpled plastic mat material, over the dirt-floor crawl space. This allows all excess moisture to work its way over to the new sump pump we installed. Next, we installed a vapor barrier which is a 20-mil 7-ply sandwich of high and low-density polyethylene that is treated with an antimicrobial finish that protects against mold and mildew growth. Next, we installed SilverGlo™ which is a waterproof foam insulation that seals the walls from outside moisture and humidity to the walls of the crawl space.

Beginning Stages of a Bald-Faced Hornets Nest in Oceanport, NJ

A property manager of an office building in Oceanport, NJ spotted an active hornet's nest along the roofline of his building and was terrified that his workers could get stung, so he called our office for help and I was sent out.

Once I found the nest, I took a closer look and several angry bald-faced hornets came flying out. Bald-faced hornets are social stinging insects with white markings on their face and are a close relative to yellowjackets  — which means that they are extremely aggressive. Their stings are extremely painful and, because their stinger isn't barbed, they can sting multiple times.

I grabbed my extendable pole, attached an aerosol knock-down application to it, and began treating the nest. This product will exterminate the bald-faced hornets almost immediately. A short while later, I removed the nest, disposed of it, and applied a residual along the entire roofline of the office building to prevent future stinging insects from infesting the area. 

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