Pest Control in Midwood, Brooklyn
Midwood is a large residential neighborhood in south-central Brooklyn, bounded roughly by the Bay Ridge freight line near Avenue H to the north, Kings Highway to the south, Ocean Parkway to the west and Nostrand Avenue to the east. It is home to one of the largest Orthodox Jewish communities in New York, along with Syrian Jewish, Pakistani, Russian and Caribbean residents. Housing ranges from grand detached homes on leafy blocks to row houses and apartment buildings. Kings Highway and Avenue J are busy shopping streets with kosher restaurants and bakeries. Brooklyn College sits at its northeastern edge. The B and Q trains serve the neighborhood at Avenue H, Avenue J, Avenue M and Kings Highway.
Also known as: Fiske Terrace, South Midwood.
About Midwood
The name Midwood comes from the Dutch Midwout, meaning middle woods, the original name of the town of Flatbush. The area remained mostly farmland until the early 1900s, when the Brighton Line and trolley service brought developers who built detached homes and row houses. Vitagraph Studios operated here in the early days of film. After World War II, many Jewish families settled in Midwood, and the neighborhood's Orthodox community grew significantly over the following decades.
Common Pest Problems in Midwood
Midwood has many detached and semi-detached homes with wooden porches, decks and garages, which make subterranean termites a real concern compared with denser parts of Brooklyn. Leafy streets with mature trees support plenty of squirrels, and raccoons occasionally nest in attics, chimneys and under porches. Mice are a frequent cold-weather issue in both houses and apartment buildings. Large yards and garden beds also attract ants and occasionally rats. Wood piles, sheds and fallen branches can provide nesting sites for rodents and insects near foundations.
Along the commercial strips of Kings Highway, Avenue J and Coney Island Avenue, restaurants and bakeries attract rats, and cockroaches can move between the prewar apartment buildings and ground-floor stores. Families preparing for holidays often do deep kitchen cleanings, which is also a good time to spot signs of roach or rodent activity. Ground-floor shops along these corridors can also spread pests to apartments above them. Homes with basement apartments or finished lower levels should also watch for mice and roaches moving along pipe chases between floors. Regular inspections are useful here.