Hear from Our Customers
You stop finding droppings behind the stove. You stop hearing scratching in the walls when the house goes quiet at night. You stop wondering if that swarm you saw near the foundation was something serious. When pest control is done right, you just stop thinking about it and that’s the point.
Holliswood’s housing stock is mostly mid-century construction homes built between 1940 and 1969, sitting on large wooded lots with mature landscaping, aging foundations, and decades of small gaps that have never been properly sealed. That combination is exactly what rodents, termites, and carpenter ants look for. A mouse doesn’t need much a gap the size of a dime is enough. In a home that’s been standing for 60 or 70 years, those gaps exist.
Living near Cunningham Park adds another layer. The deer, raccoons, and squirrels that move through that 360-acre green space don’t stop at your property line. Deer ticks come with them and if you have kids or dogs spending time in the yard, that’s not a small thing. Effective residential pest control in Holliswood means addressing what’s inside the house and what’s coming in from the outside. Both matter.
We founded Kingsway Exterminating in 1971. That’s not a detail we drop to sound impressive it’s relevant because we’ve been treating homes in Holliswood and the surrounding Queens area longer than most of our current residents have lived here. We know what a mid-century colonial on a wooded Holliswood lot looks like from a pest control standpoint. We’ve seen it thousands of times.
We’re family-owned, NYSDEC-licensed, and we operate in the NYC metro area including southeastern Queens neighborhoods like Holliswood, Jamaica Estates, and Hollis Hills. There’s no franchise model here, no rotating cast of technicians, and no call center reading from a script. When you call, you get someone who actually knows this area and can tell you what you’re likely dealing with before we even walk through the door.
Every job starts with a free inspection. No pressure, no upsell before we’ve seen the problem. Just a straight answer about what’s there and what it takes to fix it.
It starts with the inspection. We come out, walk the property, and look at the things that actually matter foundation gaps, attic access points, moisture areas near the roofline, soil contact with structural wood, signs of termite activity, rodent entry points. In Holliswood specifically, we pay close attention to the perimeter of the property, especially on lots that back up toward Cunningham Park or have heavy tree canopy overhead. These are the conditions that drive most of the calls we get from this neighborhood.
Once we know what we’re dealing with, we walk you through it. What pest, how it’s getting in, where it’s nesting or feeding, and what treatment makes sense. We don’t recommend a full-house fumigation when a targeted treatment will handle it. We use EPA-registered materials and integrated pest management principles meaning we use the right amount of the right product in the right place, not a blanket application that treats your home like a commercial warehouse.
After treatment, we tell you what to expect and when. If the problem requires a follow-up and some do we come back. That’s part of the job, not an add-on charge. For Holliswood homeowners dealing with termites, wildlife exclusion, or bed bugs in a co-op unit at Hilltop Village, the process may involve multiple visits and a more detailed action plan, and we’ll be upfront about that from the start.
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The pest pressure in Holliswood isn’t one-size-fits-all. Termites are a real concern in homes built before 1970 the Eastern subterranean termite enters through foundation contact with soil, builds mud tubes to reach structural wood, and causes damage that’s often invisible until it’s significant. If you’re buying or selling a home in Holliswood, most lenders require a Wood-Destroying Insect (WDI) inspection report before closing. We’re NYSDEC-licensed to issue those reports, and we know how much a delayed closing costs so we move quickly.
Rodents are the other major call we get from Holliswood, especially in the fall when mice start looking for warmth. Older homes on wooded lots have no shortage of entry points, and a mouse problem that starts in October can become a full colony by January. We locate the entry points, eliminate the existing population, and seal the gaps not just trap and leave.
Beyond termites and rodents, we handle carpenter ants, bed bugs, cockroaches, stinging insects, and wildlife removal including squirrels and raccoons. For homeowners near Cunningham Park or on heavily wooded lots in Holliswood, we also offer seasonal tick and mosquito treatments for the yard barrier applications that target the perimeter and harborage zones where ticks wait and mosquitoes breed. If you’re in the Hilltop Village co-op and dealing with a shared-wall pest issue, we’re experienced with multi-unit treatment protocols and know how to coordinate that kind of job properly.
In most cases, yes. If the buyer is using an FHA, VA, or conventional mortgage, the lender will typically require a Wood-Destroying Insect (WDI) inspection report before approving the loan. This is a formal document not just a verbal clearance and it can only be issued by a NYSDEC-licensed pest control professional. Holliswood’s housing stock is predominantly mid-century construction, and homes in that age range are the most common candidates for subterranean termite activity. The Eastern subterranean termite is the species you’re most likely dealing with in Holliswood and Queens, and it often damages structural wood for years before any visible sign appears.
Getting the inspection done early in the listing process is the smart move. If there’s an issue, you want time to treat it and document the clearance before a buyer’s attorney is waiting on it to close. We turn these reports around quickly and can walk you through what the findings mean whether it’s active infestation, old damage, or a clean bill of health.
They’re easy to confuse, and the distinction matters because the treatment is completely different. Termites swarm in the spring typically on warm days after rain and leave behind small, uniform wings near windowsills or entry points. They eat wood from the inside out, so by the time you see surface damage or mud tubes along your foundation, the infestation is usually well established. Carpenter ants don’t eat wood they excavate it to nest. You’ll often find coarse sawdust-like material called frass near baseboards, window frames, or structural beams, and you may see large black ants moving in a trail.
In Holliswood, both are common. The combination of mature trees, large landscaped lots, and older wood-frame construction creates ideal conditions for both species. If you’re seeing swarmers in the spring or finding frass near a window frame, don’t wait on it. A free inspection will tell you exactly which pest you’re dealing with and what the right course of action is.
Yes when they’re done correctly and timed right. Deer ticks become active once temperatures consistently stay above about 35 to 40 degrees, which in Holliswood typically means late March or early April. If your property borders or is near Cunningham Park, you’re in a higher-risk zone because deer and other wildlife moving through that green space carry ticks directly into residential yards. A single deer can carry hundreds of ticks, and they drop off as the animal moves through your property.
Barrier spray treatments target the yard perimeter, leaf litter areas, and low shrub zones where ticks rest and wait for a host. A well-timed application in early spring, followed by a mid-season treatment, significantly reduces tick populations in treated areas. These treatments use EPA-registered materials and are safe for children and pets once dry typically within a few hours. If you have kids playing in the yard or a dog that spends time outside, this is one of the more practical investments you can make heading into spring and summer.
The best time depends on what you’re dealing with but there are a few windows that matter more than others for Holliswood specifically. Spring is termite swarm season and the start of tick and carpenter ant activity. If you haven’t had a termite inspection in a few years and your home was built before 1970, spring is the right time to schedule one. Fall is the critical window for rodents. As temperatures drop, mice start looking for entry points into heated spaces, and Holliswood’s older homes give them plenty of options. A fall inspection and exclusion treatment can prevent a winter infestation before it starts.
Bed bugs have no season they’re a year-round issue regardless of outdoor temperatures. And wildlife intrusion squirrels in the attic, raccoons under the deck tends to spike in late summer and fall as animals begin preparing for winter. If you’re not sure what you’re dealing with or when to call, a free inspection gives you a clear picture without committing to anything.
Yes when applied correctly by a licensed professional using EPA-registered materials, pest control treatments are safe for children and pets. Proper application means using the right product at the right concentration in the right location, not saturating surfaces or treating areas that don’t need it.
For most interior treatments, we recommend keeping children and pets out of treated areas until the application has dried typically a few hours. For outdoor yard treatments like tick and mosquito barrier sprays, the same general rule applies. We’ll always tell you the specific re-entry time for whatever product we’re using before we start, so there’s no guessing. If you have specific concerns a child with sensitivities, a pet that spends a lot of time on the floor tell us before the job starts and we’ll factor that into the treatment plan. There’s no reason to choose between effective pest control and a safe home environment.
It depends on the pest, the size of the home, and the severity of the infestation but here’s a general range so you’re not going in blind. A standard rodent control treatment for a single-family home typically runs between $200 and $400 for the initial service. General pest control for cockroaches, ants, or similar insects is usually in a similar range. Bed bug treatment varies more widely heat treatment for a single room can run $500 to $800, while a whole-home heat treatment for a larger Holliswood property can reach $1,500 to $2,500 depending on square footage. Termite treatment costs depend on the method and the extent of the infestation, but liquid barrier treatments for a typical Holliswood home generally range from $800 to $1,500.
Holliswood homes tend to be larger than average for Queens, which can affect pricing a 2,500-square-foot colonial on a wooded lot requires more product and more time than a small apartment. The free inspection gives you an accurate number before you commit to anything. No surprises, no pressure.
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