Pest control changes based on location. It’s why there is no such thing as a one size fits all approach to pest control on Staten Island. The pests we have here differ from those of, say, Albany, which differ from other areas of the country – sometimes by a considerable amount.
Termites are a great example of this. There’s no denying that Staten Island has a problem with pests. We have house centipedes, rats, mosquitoes, and much more. But there is actually one place where New York is actually lucky: We do not have that many species of aggressive termite.
Termites of Staten Island vs. Florida
I spoke with a friend of mine that works in pest control in Jacksonville, FL. We were talking about termites – specifically, the fear that New Yorkers have of termite invasions compared to Jacksonville.
“We have multiple termite species, including some of the fastest eating and expensive termites in the nation,” said L, who works with Bug-Man Pest Service. “We have Formosan termites, which are especially aggressive eaters, and we have drywood termites, which eat slowly but are hard to spot without an inspection. Those two can cause a lot of damage.“
We do have termites in Staten Island, of course. Termites live all over the world. We have eastern subterranean termites, which are also in Jacksonville and can cause a lot of damage. But that tends to be the only termite that causes any problems for us here.
No one can say that we’re lucky when it comes to pests in New York. But at least we do not have to struggle with the same termites as places in Jacksonville, where these aggressive eaters cause thousands upon thousands of dollars in damage to homes all over the city.