Pest Control in Ocean Hill, Brooklyn
Ocean Hill sits between Bedford-Stuyvesant and Brownsville, roughly bounded by Broadway on the north, Ralph Avenue on the west and the Broadway Junction area on the east, with Brownsville to the south. It is often considered an extension of Bed-Stuy, with similar blocks of brownstones and row houses, especially around Saratoga Park and Macon Street. The neighborhood is predominantly African American and Caribbean, with many longtime homeowners. Fulton Street and Atlantic Avenue are the main corridors, and Broadway Junction, one of the city's busiest transit hubs, connects the A, C, J, Z and L trains, with the LIRR at nearby East New York.
Also known as: Ocean Hill-Brownsville.
About Ocean Hill
Ocean Hill was developed in the late 1800s and early 1900s, with row houses built for middle-class residents. The name reportedly came from the elevated land with a view toward the ocean. In 1968 the neighborhood drew national attention during the Ocean Hill-Brownsville teachers' strike, a dispute over community control of local schools. The area experienced disinvestment in the following decades, but many of its historic row houses survived, and recent years have brought renewed interest from homebuyers.
Common Pest Problems in Ocean Hill
Ocean Hill's brownstones and row houses share walls, rear yards and old sewer lines, allowing rats and mice to move easily between properties. The busy transit hub at Broadway Junction, elevated tracks along Broadway and nearby vacant lots provide food and shelter for rodents. Mice slip into older homes through gaps in foundations, around gas lines and through old coal chutes. Rear yards with overgrown weeds give them even more cover.
German cockroaches spread readily through the neighborhood's walk-ups and public housing. Pigeons roost heavily around Broadway Junction and under the elevated J and Z tracks on Broadway. Residents of older brownstones with stored wool clothing, rugs and furnishings also sometimes find clothes moths. Pigeon droppings can stain stoops and clog gutters over time. Older homes with finished basements that have been rented out as separate apartments may see mice moving between floors through gaps around pipes and wiring, especially during the colder months of the year.