Here they are:the worst of the worst. Since our founding in 1934 we’ve seen these baddies break businesses, shutter storefronts, frustrate founders, and overcome offices! It is no exaggeration to say that any business in New York, no matter your trade, size, or location, must be wary of pests. These pests, in particular.

By learning about the worst pests for New York businesses, you’ll be taking your first step in the never-ending struggle to overcome nature and truly claim your business space as your own. That struggle starts here!

Rats

The Norway rat. Rattus norvegicus. Public enemy #1. This is the rat that’s become ubiquitous with New York. They may not be the most upsetting or dangerous pest, but they are among the most prevalent, and they can certainly do damage. Rats will happily sneak into any building looking for food and a place to stay warm. They can squeeze through holes the size of a dime and are almost preternaturally good at finding cracks in window sills, foundations, and utility lines.

Once inside, rats gnaw on whatever they can get. They’ll eat food, but also go after cardboard, paper, plastic, styrofoam, and fiberglass. A single rat also “produces” more waste than you could imagine. They make themselves right at home, too. The brown rat loves to make nests in businesses and start a nice rat family. That family grows and grows, until your entire stock of merchandise is ruined. Rats also spread disease, flies, and ticks.

Keeping the rattus norvegicus out of your business means vigilance. Here’s how to find out if you have rats already and here’s how to keep them out if you don’t. If you find out you have rats, let us know right away. Our experts are ready for whatever the little brown baddie can throw at them.

Birds

Pigeons are nearly as ubiquitous to New York as rats are. They’re also almost as invasive. You wouldn’t think it to look at them, but pigeons and other birds can really put the hurt on your business. As you might expect (or fear), it all comes back to the famous bird droppings. Did you know pigeon guano is basically acid? Excessive droppings have been known to damage cars, planes, windows, and even buildings. By eating through them like acid. Nasty AND terrifying.

Birds are also notorious transmitters of disease. No doubt you remember the bird flu, but that’s just one: pigeons and other pests like them can carry over 60 human-transmittable diseases. They can spread these diseases to the areas they perch on, the areas their feathers drop to, and the areas their… other droppings touch. Maybe even worse than all this , birds also attract other pests who are interested in living in their feathers, nests, and droppings.

A heavy pigeon concentration near your building will attract other pests, damage your property, and give you a lot more cleaning to do. If you need a way to deal with birds carefully and without disrupting your business, let us know. Over the years we’ve developed a highly-effective approach to dealing with New York’s avian atrocities, and we’d love to share it with you.

Bed Bugs

Obviously, bed bugs are just about the worst thing that can happen to hotels, but they’re a problem for other businesses too. Contrary to their name, bed bugs aren’t only found in beds. The nasty nippers are attracted to beds because they’re looking for somewhere hidden, dark, warm, and contained. They like to be squished into a small area where they can move around while they get up to their dark business.

Any business that can provide a bed bug’s preferred habitat is at-risk of taking on these unwanted tenets. Bed bugs bring dirt, droppings, eggs, saliva, and even human blood with them, making them one of the most unhygienic pests on this list. Because of their predilection for feeding on sleeping bodies, they’re particularly upsetting to customers and health inspectors. Evidence of a bed bug infestation is pretty much game over for your business unless you commit to an expensive and time-consuming mandatory cleaning.

Assured’s experts have designed the most effective bed bug detection and treatment program in North America. Our strategy ensures both that current bed bugs are eradicated and that no new bed bugs arrive to take their place. If you suspect an issue with bed bugs, call right away, before eggs hatch and you’re back to square one.

Fleas

After all the fire and brimstone, you might think this is a letdown, but fleas can be the most insidious pests of all. First, any food and basically any fabric product a flea infests is ruined. You can’t sell a shirt with bug eggs in it, and you certainly can’t sell a half-eaten banana! A single fly carries an average of two million bacteria, and flies on just about everything it can. If you have any sensitive preparation areas, like the kind used in food, scientific, or medical preparations, a single flea can ruin the cleanliness of an entire facility.

The other problem with fleas is it’s hard to know where they’re coming from. Maybe fleas flutter over your garbage every night but you don’t think they’re anywhere else. Unfortunately, that’s not true–if you see fleas in one place, it usually means they’re everywhere. Their eggs are so tiny they’re next to impossible to find. They subsist on virtually any sustenance, make waste like crazy, make babies like crazy, and contaminate everything they touch.

You probably get the routine by now, but Assured has an answer for these fiendish flying foes, too. Give us a call and we’ll take care of that flea problem tout de suite!

Seeing the might of our foes might be intimidating to you, but never despair! Assured Environment always has your business’ back. We’ve been fighting New York’s pests longer than anyone, we know how to do it better than anyone, and we’ve seen worse than whatever you’ve got for us. Bring it on.