Pest Control in Broad Channel, Queens
Broad Channel is a small, close-knit community on Ruler's Bar Hassock, the only inhabited island in Jamaica Bay. Cross Bay Boulevard runs down its spine, connecting Howard Beach to the north with the Rockaway Peninsula to the south. Houses line short numbered streets that end at the water, and many have docks, decks and boats in the back. The Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, managed by the National Park Service, surrounds the northern part of the island and draws birdwatchers from around the region. The A and S trains stop at Broad Channel station. The community is small, predominantly Irish American and known for its strong volunteer fire department and civic groups.
About Broad Channel
Broad Channel began in the late nineteenth century as a fishing station and summer bungalow colony. For decades residents built homes on land they leased from the city, until they were finally allowed to buy their lots in 1982. The wildlife refuge that surrounds the island was created by the city in the 1950s and became part of Gateway National Recreation Area in 1972. Hurricane Sandy in 2012 flooded nearly every house, and much of the community has since been raised, repaired or rebuilt, with the city also elevating several streets.
Common Pest Problems in Broad Channel
Surrounded by salt marsh and open water, Broad Channel has pest pressures quite different from those of the rest of Queens. Norway rats live along bulkheads, beneath docks and in marsh edges, and they easily move into sheds, boat storage and the spaces under raised homes. Raccoons from the wildlife refuge are frequent visitors and are known for raiding garbage cans and getting into crawl spaces and attics of the island's small bungalows.
Most houses are wooden, built close together, and many were rebuilt after 2012 with raised foundations on pilings. Wood pilings, wet crawl spaces and deck framing are all prime territory for subterranean termites. Mice enter as temperatures drop, and damp areas under decks and beneath raised homes support earwigs and spiders, which then wander into living spaces through gaps around doors and utility lines. Salt spray corrodes screens and vent covers, so these gaps open up faster here than inland.