Pest Control in Springfield Gardens, Queens
Springfield Gardens lies along the northeastern edge of JFK Airport, bordered by South Jamaica and Rochdale to the west, St. Albans to the north and Laurelton and Rosedale to the east. The neighborhood is mostly one- and two-family homes on modest lots, many with front yards and driveways, and it has a quieter, more spread-out feel than downtown Jamaica. Springfield Boulevard, Farmers Boulevard and Merrick Boulevard carry most traffic and neighborhood shopping. Springfield Park, with a small pond, and the marshy Idlewild Park near the airport offer open space. Jet traffic overhead is part of daily life. The community is predominantly African American and Caribbean American, with many longtime homeowners.
Also known as: Springfield.
About Springfield Gardens
Springfield was a small farming village in the old Town of Jamaica. The 'Gardens' came from the many commercial nurseries and greenhouses that grew flowers and vegetables here in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Suburban development spread after World War I, and building accelerated in the 1940s and 1950s. The expansion of Idlewild Airport, later renamed JFK, on the nearby marshes shaped the neighborhood's southern boundary and brought jobs to the area.
Common Pest Problems in Springfield Gardens
The combination of wood-frame houses, airport buffer land and marsh edges gives Springfield Gardens a varied pest picture. Rats nest along the highways, in wooded strips near the Belt Parkway and in overgrown lots, then forage into backyards where garbage, pet food or fallen fruit is available. Raccoons and opossums use the same corridors and often end up in garages, sheds and attic spaces of older homes. Homes that border Springfield Park or Idlewild Park tend to see the most wildlife traffic.
Most houses here were built in the first half of the twentieth century, and termite activity is common where wooden steps, fences or siding meet damp soil. Low-lying streets closer to the airport see higher groundwater, and basements there tend to stay humid, which draws house centipedes and gives mice a comfortable place to settle once they squeeze through gaps around pipes or cellar doors. The nursery-era lots, some still unusually deep, leave plenty of yard space where these pests can build up unnoticed.