Pests and pest control in New York City, NY

Pests to know in New York City

• Subterranean termites
• Spotted Lanternfly
• Rats and mice

Why each one matters here is cited in the sections below.

Termites in New York City

Cornell Cooperative Extension in Nassau County says many homes on Long Island have termite colonies. Brooklyn and Queens sit on Long Island too.^[1]

Invasive species reported here

The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets reports spotted lanternfly in all New York City boroughs.^[5]

Climate

Central New York City (ZIP 10007) is in USDA plant hardiness zone 7b, where the average coldest winter night is 5 to 10°F.^[7]

Public agencies that handle pests

• NYC Health runs Rat Mitigation Zones, which are high-rat areas where City agencies focus resources on rats and the conditions that support them.^[2]
• The NYC Health Department uses larvicides to kill young mosquitoes before they become adults, and it monitors mosquitoes that carry West Nile virus.^[3]

Local rules and responsibilities

• NYC Health says property owners are legally required to keep rats out of homes.^[2]
• New York State law requires property owners to tell new tenants about the past year's bed bug history using the Bedbug Disclosure Form.^[6]

Hiring a licensed company

The state pesticide regulatory agency for New York is the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (Division of Materials Management, Bureau of Pest Management), which oversees pesticide applicator certification and licensing.^[8]

Licensing agency: New York State Department of Environmental Conservation — Division of Materials Management, Bureau of Pest Management^[8].

See also how to check a pest control license.

Free local help

Cornell University Cooperative Extension-NYC has offices in Manhattan, Queens and the Bronx and a training center in Brooklyn, and it offers hands-on learning programs to NYC communities.^[4]

Through the year

Spring to Summer

Cornell Cooperative Extension says eastern subterranean termite swarms happen from March through June, when thousands of winged termites may be seen.^[1]

Summer

NYC Health's first aerial larviciding of the 2025 season covered marshes and wetlands in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island on June 2–4.^[3]

Sources

1. Cornell Cooperative Extension in Nassau County, “Homeowner's Guide to Eastern Subterranean Termites.” ccenassau.org/resources/-termites (accessed 2026-10-06)
2. NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, “Rats - NYC Health.” www.nyc.gov/site/doh/health/health-topics/rats.page (accessed 2026-10-06)
3. NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, “NYC Health first aerial larviciding of mosquito season 2025.” www.nyc.gov/site/doh/about/press/pr2025/nyc-health-first-aerial-larviciding-mosquito-season-2025.page (accessed 2026-10-06)
4. Cornell University Cooperative Extension-NYC, “Our Offices.” nyc.cce.cornell.edu/nyc-offices/ (accessed 2026-10-06)
5. New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, “Spotted Lanternfly.” agriculture.ny.gov/spottedlanternfly (accessed 2026-10-06)
6. NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development, “Bedbugs - HPD.” www.nyc.gov/site/hpd/services-and-information/bedbugs.page (accessed 2026-10-06)
7. USDA ARS and PRISM, via phzmapi.org, “Plant hardiness zone for ZIP 10007 (2023 USDA map data).” phzmapi.org/10007.json (accessed 2026-10-06)
8. National Pesticide Information Center, “State Pesticide Regulatory Agencies.” npic.orst.edu/reg/state_agencies.html (accessed 2026-10-06)