Before & After Photos

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.

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.

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.

I was called to a community in Oakhurst, NJ where a homeowner was concerned about a huge hornets nest on a tree outside of a school bus stop. I arrived after all children were in school to treat the nest. I dusted the entrance/exit of the nest and then poked a hole in nest to eliminate the population trapped inside the nest. After allowing a few moments to pass, giving a chance for the treatment to take effect,  I cut the nest off the tree. It's quite interesting to see the inside of the nests.

This Oakhurst homeowner had some major fascia issues that allowed their attic to become a squirrel “motel.” A Cowleys wildlife technician had trapped and relocated numerous squirrels. Once he did a final sweep and determined that there were no more squirrels in the attic, the home improvement crew was called in to do some pretty involved exclusion work that involved a lot more than just plugging up a hole. Wildlife exclusion involves any type of repair work involved in order to seal potential entry points into a home to prevent any re-entry. Taking care of the existing infestation is the critical first step, but after that it is important to take steps to prevent a re-infestation.

Squirrels, raccoons, and other wildlife often seek refuge in attics. These animals are excellent climbers and generally have no problems reaching the roofline. Once there, they can do all sorts of mischief to gain access inside. One of the most common entry points into a home are water-damaged soffits and fascia boards. The fascia board is the vertical finishing edge that caps the end of the rafters. This is the usual spot where the home’s gutters are attached.  The soffit is the finished wood or vinyl horizontal underside beneath the overhanging section of the roof eave. Once these building materials become water-damaged and start to rot, they become targets for wildlife that can easily tear through these weakened materials to gain access to the attic. 

This particular house had some major problems along the roofline. The rear left side soffit and fascia had dropped about three inches. Fortunately, we were able to just push it back up and re-secure it.  However, the rear left corner of the home had roof and fascia damage that left in wide open for wildlife, not to mention water infiltration into the attic. Water seepage into the attic can lead to insect infestations, mold growth, and damage to building materials. 

The roof repair was straightforward. We patched the shingles to close up the opening. The rotten fascia had lost its structural integrity and had to go. We first had to detach the gutter in order to access and remove the rotten fascia boards.  We replaced the bad boards with AZTEC-brand trim, which is made of cellular PVC. Contractors love this material. It is highly durable and won’t rot, cup, split, warp, or twist like wood.  With this new trim, the homeowner will never have to worry about wood rot again. Finally, we reattached the gutters to complete the job.  

This job was a lesson to homeowners about keeping up with needed home repairs and simple annual home maintenance jobs like gutter cleaning. If homeowners are unable to clean their own gutters, Cowleys offers professional gutter cleaning services.  Also, most building materials degrade over time. Fascia and soffits are notorious trouble spots because they are near the roofline and are constantly surrounded by water. If the gutters are clogged, water will pool there and start saturating the surrounding wood. 

There is no question that this homeowner’s squirrel infestation was attributable to the needed repairs of his roof and soffit. Of course, homes kept in good repair can also suffer from wildlife infestations. A determined raccoon or squirrel can tear through visually anything. However, homes with preexisting exterior damage give wildlife an easy “bullseye” to aim for, and if they see a weak spot, you can rest assured that they will exploit it.