Pest Control in Long Island City, Queens
Long Island City stretches along the East River directly across from Midtown Manhattan, from Newtown Creek in the south to Ravenswood and Queensbridge in the north. Over the past two decades it has changed faster than almost any part of the city, as dozens of high-rise apartment towers rose around Hunters Point, Court Square and Queens Plaza. Industrial buildings, film studios, bakeries and art spaces still share the blocks, giving the area a mixed character. Transit is excellent, with the 7, E, M, G, N and W lines converging here, plus the LIRR and East River ferries. Gantry Plaza State Park and Hunters Point South Park offer skyline views, and MoMA PS1 anchors a strong arts scene.
Also known as: LIC, Hunters Point, Court Square, Queensbridge, Dutch Kills, Ravenswood.
About Long Island City
Long Island City was incorporated as its own city in 1870, merging Hunters Point, Ravenswood, Astoria and other villages, before joining Greater New York in 1898. Its waterfront filled with factories, rail yards and warehouses after the Queensboro Bridge opened in 1909. Queensbridge Houses, the country's largest public housing development, opened in 1939. Rezoning in the early 2000s allowed the old industrial core to be redeveloped into the residential towers that now define the skyline.
Common Pest Problems in Long Island City
Constant construction is the defining pest factor in Long Island City. Every time an old warehouse is demolished or a lot is excavated for a new tower, resident rat colonies are forced to relocate, often into neighboring buildings, parks and the waterfront esplanades. Rail yards, Newtown Creek and the loading docks of food businesses keep populations high. In the newer towers, residents mostly encounter pests through trash rooms, loading areas and ground-floor restaurants, where German cockroaches can move through compactor chutes and plumbing risers to upper floors.
The older parts of the neighborhood tell a different story. Rowhouses in Hunters Point and walk-ups in Dutch Kills and Ravenswood have aging foundations that let in mice and rats, and the large public housing complexes face ongoing roach and rodent pressure. Pigeons roost on the elevated tracks at Queensboro Plaza and under bridge approaches, and flocks gather on rooftops and balconies of new buildings. Pavement ants also turn up in lower-floor units and townhouses with landscaped patios, following irrigation lines and planters indoors during the warmer months.