Pests to know in Manchester
Termites in Manchester
FHA exempts only Grafton, Carroll and Coos counties in New Hampshire from termite-treatment paperwork, so it is still required in Manchester's Hillsborough County.[1]
Invasive species reported here
New Hampshire's state forest-pest program lists Manchester among towns with known emerald ash borer infestations, with the infestation year recorded as 2016.[8]
Pests local experts flag
Manchester's health department advises against residents spreading their own pesticides for rodents; Planning and Community Development makes sure owners with active infestations use a licensed operator.[4]
Climate
Central Manchester (ZIP 03101) is in USDA plant hardiness zone 6a, where the average coldest winter night is -10 to -5°F.[9]
Public agencies that handle pests
- West Nile virus was first identified in Manchester in 2000, and the city health department has run arbovirus surveillance and control ever since.[2]
- Manchester tests mosquitoes for the three arboviruses of concern in New Hampshire: West Nile, Eastern Equine Encephalitis and Jamestown Canyon virus.[2]
- When data show elevated risk, the Manchester Health Department can spray city-owned properties under a special New Hampshire Department of Agriculture permit, with public notice first.[2]
- NH DHHS lists five tickborne illnesses in the state, all carried by the black-legged tick: Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, babesiosis, Powassan virus and Borrelia miyamotoi.[6]
Local rules and responsibilities
- Manchester ordinance 91.51, adopted in 2001, requires property owners to keep tires, barrels, pools and other containers free of mosquito breeding.[2]
- In Manchester buildings with two or more units, the owner is responsible for pest remediation throughout the premises unless the tenant caused the infestation.[3]
Hiring a licensed company
- Manchester's housing code requires structures to be kept free of insects, rodents and vermin, and infestations must be treated by a licensed commercial pest control applicator.[3]
- New Hampshire law requires licenses or permits for commercial and private pesticide applicators, and commercial licensees must pass an exam.[5]
Free local help
UNH Cooperative Extension notes that black-legged tick nymphs, the stage behind most bites, are most active from May through August.[7]
Through the year
- Summer to Fall
- From July to mid-October, Manchester sets mosquito traps around the city and sends the catch to the NH State Public Health Lab for virus testing.[2]
Sources
- U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (FHA), “Termite Treatment Exception Areas.” www.hud.gov/sites/dfiles/SFH/documents/SFH_POLI_TERMITE.pdf (accessed 2026-10-06)
- Manchester Health Department, “Arbovirus Surveillance and Control.” www.manchesternh.gov/Departments/Health/Environmental-Health/Arbovirus-Surveillance-and-Control (accessed 2026-10-06)
- City of Manchester, NH, “Housing Code Ordinance (Chapter 150).” www.manchesternh.gov/pcd/Regulations/HousingCodeOrdinance.pdf (accessed 2026-10-06)
- Manchester Health Department, “Pests at Home.” www.manchesternh.gov/Departments/Health/Environmental-Health/Housing-and-Healthy-Homes/Pests-at-Home (accessed 2026-10-06)
- NH Department of Agriculture, Markets & Food, Division of Pesticide Control, “Pesticide Licensing.” www.agriculture.nh.gov/divisions/pesticide-control/licensing.htm (accessed 2026-10-06)
- New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, “Tickborne Diseases.” www.dhhs.nh.gov/programs-services/disease-prevention/infectious-disease-control/tickborne-diseases (accessed 2026-10-06)
- UNH Cooperative Extension, “Preventing Tickborne Diseases.” extension.unh.edu/resource/preventing-tickborne-diseases (accessed 2026-10-06)
- NH Bugs (UNH Cooperative Extension and NH Division of Forests and Lands), “NH Towns With EAB Infestations.” www.nhbugs.org/damaging-insects-diseases/emerald-ash-borer/nh-towns-eab-infestations (accessed 2026-10-06)
- USDA ARS and PRISM, via phzmapi.org, “Plant hardiness zone for ZIP 03101 (2023 USDA map data).” phzmapi.org/03101.json (accessed 2026-10-06)
- National Pesticide Information Center, “State Pesticide Regulatory Agencies.” npic.orst.edu/reg/state_agencies.html (accessed 2026-10-06)