Living in New York City is expensive. The average monthly rent for a two bedroom apartment within the city limits is more than double the national median. But the high price point doesn’t stop at rent… it includes the damage done by rats, bed bugs, pigeons, and stored product pests.

New York City is one of the world’s most expensive cities to live in. The repair costs for pest damage follows suit. Pest problems that go unchecked can wreak havoc on the homes, cars, and businesses that help bring this city to life. Not all pests are created equal… These are some of the priciest pests to walk the streets of NYC:

Rats

Rats and New York City go way back, they even have their own Wikipedia page. So, it’s no surprise that rats are at the top of this list. There are approximately two million rats in the city alone and just a few years ago, the mayor of New York City spent $32 million on a direct attack against rats in Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn. That number doesn’t even take into account the amount of money spent by businesses who actively make an effort to battle and prevent rats from infesting their properties.

Bed Bugs

NYC has  more hotel rooms than any other city in the United States, which, of course, attracts a lot of travelers. In 2018, the city was able to welcome a record number of visitors at 65.2 million people. This booming hospitality business makes bed bugs one of New York’s biggest banes. If these pests go unchecked, it can cost New York businesses thousands, if not millions, of dollars. Regular bed bug inspections and preventative measures are integral to any business wanting to keep their reputation and bottom line safe

Pigeons

Pigeons love New York. The city offers a lot of the bird’s favorite things: roofs, leaves, and a lot of manmade structures to perch on… and that’s the problem. Pigeons cause millions of dollars of damage to New York storefronts every year. This is due to their incredibly acidic waste. If shops or other businesses don’t make efforts to prevent pigeons from perching, they’ll ruin their building facades. Having to constantly replace, repair, and repaint these details can really add up.

Stored Product Pests

Stored product pests aren’t the most common New York pest, but they are guilty of causing the most expensive damage. How? Because a single stored product pest like a weevil, beetle, or moth can destroy an entire shipment of product. One palette of infested flour can lose a business thousands of dollars. If stored product pests aren’t stopped, they easily spread. Especially in warehouses where they can jump from product to product as they’re processed.

Not all pest infestations are the same. Some are small and solvable. Some are big and solvable… but not after causing a lot of expensive damage first. Make sure you’re protecting your commercial property from these pricey pests by keeping up with the latest Assured Environments pest prevention tips. When your best prevention efforts don’t work, then all you have to do is give us a call. We’ve got you covered.