Pest Control in East Elmhurst, Queens
East Elmhurst stretches along the south side of LaGuardia Airport and Flushing Bay, between Jackson Heights and Corona to the south and Ditmars-Steinway to the west. It is mostly made up of one- and two-family houses on quiet residential streets, many with yards and driveways. The neighborhood has a long history as a stable middle-class Black community and today also includes large Latin American, Caribbean and South Asian populations. Astoria Boulevard and Northern Boulevard hold much of the commercial activity, including hotels and airport-related businesses. There is no subway line through the neighborhood itself, so buses and the nearby 7 train serve commuters. Planes landing at LaGuardia pass low overhead throughout the day.
Also known as: North Beach, Landing Lights.
About East Elmhurst
The shoreline here was once home to Gala Amusement Park and the North Beach resort area in the early twentieth century. That land later became LaGuardia Airport, which opened in 1939. Residential development filled in the surrounding blocks in the 1920s through 1950s, and East Elmhurst became home to many prominent Black families, including jazz musicians and civil rights figures. The Grand Central Parkway and airport expansion shaped the neighborhood's northern edge.
Common Pest Problems in East Elmhurst
East Elmhurst's position beside Flushing Bay and a major airport creates heavy rat pressure. Waterfront edges, highway embankments along the Grand Central Parkway and the service areas around airport hotels and parking lots all provide cover for rats, which move easily into residential backyards, garages and garbage areas. Mice follow in fall, entering frame houses through gaps in siding and foundation cracks. German cockroaches appear mostly in multi-family houses and buildings near the Astoria Boulevard and Northern Boulevard commercial strips.
Because so much of the housing is detached and wood-frame, subterranean termites are a real concern here, especially in older homes with wooden porches, stoops or basement framing. The bayfront's humidity keeps basements damp, which favors house centipedes and the insects they feed on. Raccoons are occasionally spotted moving between the waterfront, highway margins and backyards, where they tip garbage cans and look for shelter under decks and in sheds.