Pest Control in Rockaway Park, Queens
Rockaway Park sits on the western Rockaway Peninsula between Rockaway Beach and Belle Harbor, stretching roughly from Beach 108th to Beach 126th Street. Beach 116th Street is its commercial heart, with shops, delis, bars and restaurants running from the bay to the ocean, and the S shuttle and A trains end at the Rockaway Park-Beach 116th Street station. Tribute Park on Beach Channel Drive honors those lost on September 11, while the Flight 587 Memorial stands near the ocean end of Beach 116th Street. Housing includes older apartment buildings, oceanfront co-ops and single-family houses. The community is a mix of longtime Irish American families, retirees, first responders and newer residents.
About Rockaway Park
Rockaway Park developed in the early twentieth century as developers bought land on the western Rockaways and built summer houses, hotels and bungalows. The extension of rail service and the building of the Cross Bay Bridge made the area more accessible. Apartment buildings rose along Beach 116th Street and the oceanfront through the mid-twentieth century. Hurricane Sandy flooded much of the neighborhood in 2012, and many homes and businesses have since been repaired or rebuilt.
Common Pest Problems in Rockaway Park
The restaurants and shops of Beach 116th Street generate food waste that feeds rats, and these rodents move from commercial alleys into nearby apartment buildings and backyards. Older walk-ups and prewar buildings see mice and German cockroaches traveling through shared walls and plumbing. Pigeons and gulls roost on the train terminal and building ledges, and droppings pile up on awnings and fire escapes along the commercial strip. Older buildings with trash areas near the alleys behind Beach 116th Street are most affected.
Detached houses on the residential side streets often have wood framing and sit on sandy soil, conditions ideal for subterranean termites. Buildings that flooded during Sandy may still have hidden dampness behind walls and under floors, which encourages silverfish, especially in older bathrooms, closets and storage areas. Salty coastal air also weakens window screens and door sweeps over time, giving pests easier entry. Adult homes and multi-unit buildings benefit from regular, building-wide pest programs to keep problems from spreading.