Pest Control in Kingsbridge Heights, Bronx
Kingsbridge Heights rises on the ridge between Kingsbridge and Bedford Park in the northwest Bronx, roughly bounded by Kingsbridge Road, Sedgwick Avenue and Jerome Park Reservoir. The enormous Kingsbridge Armory, with its castle-like brick towers, dominates Kingsbridge Road, and the James J. Peters VA Medical Center sits nearby. Fort Independence Park and Harris Park provide green space. The 4 train stops at Kingsbridge Road on Jerome Avenue, and the B and D stop at Kingsbridge Road on the Concourse. The neighborhood is largely residential, with a mix of Dominican, Puerto Rican, Mexican and West African families, along with some longtime Irish and Jewish residents.
Also known as: Kingsbridge Armory area.
About Kingsbridge Heights
During the Revolutionary War, the area's high ground was fortified, and Fort Independence stood here to guard the approaches to Manhattan. After annexation to New York City, the Jerome Park racetrack occupied land that later became Jerome Park Reservoir. The Eighth Regiment Armory, known as the Kingsbridge Armory, was completed in 1917, and the arrival of the Jerome Avenue subway brought apartment construction in the 1920s and 1930s.
Common Pest Problems in Kingsbridge Heights
The large expanse of Jerome Park Reservoir, the slopes of Fort Independence Park and the trees along Sedgwick Avenue give squirrels and raccoons plenty of space, and residents of the neighborhood's detached houses sometimes find them in attics, chimneys or garages. Raccoons also scavenge the trash of apartment buildings that back onto the parks and reservoir grounds, especially if bags are left outside overnight. Gray squirrels that nest in the reservoir's perimeter trees are also known to chew through soffits and vent screens on nearby rooftops.
Apartment buildings along Kingsbridge Road, Webb Avenue and Reservoir Avenue are the main battleground for mice and German cockroaches. Many of these buildings are a century old, with plaster walls, shared plumbing risers and old dumbwaiter shafts that give pests hidden pathways. Rats forage around the commercial blocks of Kingsbridge Road and Jerome Avenue, and redevelopment around the Armory and nearby lots can stir up rodent activity as soil is excavated.