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Pest Control at NYCHA
What residents will notice:
- We will spend more time in your apartment. We are looking for and sealing any holes that pests are using to get into your apartment.
- For roaches, we will be using less pesticide spray and more pesticide gel, which is better for everyone.
- We will use the word IPM (read more below!), which means integrated pest management. This means we are looking for the root cause of pests, like holes or food, not just treating with pesticides.
To prepare for an exterminator’s visit, please:
- Move furniture and clear clutter around areas where you've seen pests so exterminators can get to the problem spot.
- Empty all kitchen cabinets, closets, and areas under sinks.
- Cover all open pots and pans and seal all food containers.
- Remove all items from bathroom medicine cabinets.
- Pick up items from closet floors.
- Empty clothes from closets if pests were seen there.
- Inform the exterminator if you have any allergies or asthma prior to any pest treatment.
- Dispose of trash and recycling properly.
Integrated Pest Management
NYCHA is committed to providing residents with the healthy and safe homes they deserve. To fulfill this commitment, NYCHA is changing the way we address insects and rodents in our buildings and grounds.
We will use pesticides only when signs of pests are present, and instead focus on addressing the underlying causes of a pest problem, such as trash disposals, leaks and holes. This way of thinking about pests from a standpoint of where are they coming from and how can we stop that, is called Integrated Pest Management (IPM), and it’s an industry best practice.
NYCHA will take the following measures to comprehensively address pests:
- New Tools: As part of IPM, exterminators are vacuuming up roaches and their shells, caulking in crevices and using different funnels and types of gel pesticide to make sure treatments go only to the spots that need it.
- Enhanced Training: Starting the fall of 2019, development staff NYCHA-wide took online IPM training through StopPests, a HUD-funded program to reduce pests. All exterminators also took in-person IPM trainings to refocus on finding root causes of pests, not just pesticide application.
- Coordinated Plan: Through our special initiatives, we are working with all departments at NYCHA to clean grounds and address pests. This is done through sealing holes, power washing walkways, and treating pest infestations.
- Proactive Response: 103 of NYCHA’s developments in the most rat-problematic neighborhoods are getting extra treatments and IPM attention through the Neighborhood Rat Reduction program. We also have preventative work tickets where exterminators inspect buildings preventatively to identify any infestations ideally before they grow.
Resources for Residents
- How you can help keep your home pest free! English | Español | 中文 | Русский
- Frequently Asked Questions on Routine Extermination English | Español | 中文 | Русский
- Map of NRR locations
- IPM Fact Sheet
- IPM Webinar Training
- Pest Control Standard Procedure
- Watch more about the Neighborhood Rat Reduction program
- All labels of products we use in apartments
Residents with pests in their apartment or who see rats on their development grounds should enter a work order by calling the NYCHA Customer Contact Center at (718) 707-7771. Residents can also use the MyNYCHA app or website (www.nyc.gov/mynycha).