Pest Control in Marble Hill, Manhattan
Marble Hill is a small neighborhood that is legally part of Manhattan but sits on the North American mainland, bordering the Bronx. Once on the northern tip of Manhattan Island, it was separated when the Harlem River Ship Canal was dug in 1895, and the old creek bed was later filled in, connecting it to the Bronx. The neighborhood includes the Marble Hill Houses public housing complex, prewar apartment buildings and a handful of older homes on winding streets. Residents shop along Broadway and 225th Street, near large retail stores. The 1 train at 225th Street and the Marble Hill Metro-North station provide transit, and the Broadway Bridge connects to Inwood.
Also known as: Marble Hill Houses.
About Marble Hill
The area was named for marble deposits quarried here, which contributed stone for some city buildings. The Harlem River Ship Canal, completed in 1895, cut Marble Hill off from Manhattan Island, and in 1914 the old channel of Spuyten Duyvil Creek was filled, attaching it to the Bronx. It remained part of Manhattan legally. Public housing towers were built in the 1950s, and several older homes remain.
Common Pest Problems in Marble Hill
Marble Hill's public housing campus has lawns, trees and trash areas that support rats, while waterfront areas along the Harlem River and Spuyten Duyvil Creek add shelter. Raccoons and squirrels move in from nearby parks and the wooded edges of the Bronx, sometimes getting into trash bins and building roofs. Mice and German cockroaches spread through older apartment buildings with shared plumbing and walls. Rail tracks along the river add more cover.
The few older wood-frame homes in the neighborhood are more susceptible to subterranean termites than typical Manhattan masonry buildings, especially where wood touches soil or moisture collects near foundations. Retail stores along Broadway and 225th Street generate trash that draws rats to the neighborhood's main corridor. The Metro-North tracks along the Harlem River and the elevated 1 train structure near 225th Street provide cover for rats and roosting spots for pigeons, and the neighborhood's position between Inwood and the Bronx means wildlife can travel in from several directions.