Pest Control in Howard Beach, Queens
Howard Beach is a waterfront neighborhood on the northern shore of Jamaica Bay, between Ozone Park to the north and the marshes of Gateway National Recreation Area to the south. It includes several distinct sections: Old Howard Beach and Hamilton Beach with their canals and bayside homes, Rockwood Park and the newer Howard Beach blocks of detached houses, and Lindenwood's co-op garden apartments. Cross Bay Boulevard serves as the main commercial strip, with Italian restaurants, bakeries and delis. The A train and the AirTrain connect at Howard Beach station, and JFK Airport lies just to the east. The community has long been largely Italian American, with growing numbers of other families.
Also known as: Old Howard Beach, Hamilton Beach, Lindenwood, Rockwood Park.
About Howard Beach
William J. Howard, a Brooklyn businessman, bought land here in the 1890s and developed a resort with a hotel and bungalows along the bay. The community became Howard Beach in the early twentieth century, and Hamilton Beach grew as a fishing and summer colony. Much of the neighborhood was built on filled marshland during a major postwar boom in the 1950s and 1960s. Hurricane Sandy in 2012 flooded most of Howard Beach, and many homes were elevated or rebuilt in its aftermath.
Common Pest Problems in Howard Beach
Surrounded on several sides by water and marsh, Howard Beach sees rodents that follow the shorelines of Shellbank Basin, Hawtree Basin and the canals of Old Howard Beach and Hamilton Beach. Rats nest along bulkheads, in docks and around boat storage, then move into yards and garages. Raccoons and opossums use the wooded areas of Spring Creek Park and Frank M. Charles Memorial Park, and they often den in sheds, crawl spaces or attic spaces of bayside homes.
After Hurricane Sandy many homes were gutted, elevated or rebuilt, and hidden moisture in crawl spaces and wall cavities remains a concern. Damp wood is an invitation for subterranean termites, which are active in both older and newly rebuilt houses on this filled land. Humid basements also host house centipedes, and when cold weather arrives, mice seek shelter in garages and ground-level storage areas beneath raised homes. Lindenwood's co-op buildings deal more with mice and roaches moving through shared basements.