Hear from Our Customers
Termites don’t announce themselves. By the time you notice hollow-sounding wood, bubbling paint, or a swarm of winged insects near your windows, the colony has likely been feeding for years. In Arverne, that timeline matters more than almost anywhere else in Queens because the conditions here accelerate the problem in ways that most homeowners don’t realize until it’s too late.
The Rockaway Peninsula sits between Jamaica Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. That geography means your soil stays moisture-rich year-round, your water table is shallow, and subterranean termites the dominant species in New York City have everything they need to establish and grow a colony right beneath your foundation. If your home was impacted by Superstorm Sandy, even partially, there’s a real chance that water-saturated wood still exists somewhere in your structure, and termites are drawn to exactly that.
What changes after a proper termite treatment isn’t just the absence of insects. It’s the confidence that comes from knowing your home’s structure is intact, your investment is protected, and you won’t be facing a five-figure repair bill that your homeowner’s insurance won’t cover. In a neighborhood where the median home value has reached roughly $668,000, that kind of protection isn’t optional it’s responsible ownership.
We were founded in 1971 by Richard Kourbage Sr. His sons, Richard Jr. and Charles, have been part of the operation since the late 1980s and together, our team brings over 100 years of combined pest control experience to every job. This isn’t a franchise. There’s no rotating staff or distant call center. When you call Kingsway, you’re reaching a family that has built its reputation one job at a time across Brooklyn and Queens for more than five decades.
We hold BBB accreditation dating back to 1989, apply only New York State DEC-registered materials, and answer phones 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. For Arverne residents who commute over 50 minutes each way on the A train and don’t have time to chase down a contractor, that kind of reliability is the difference between a problem that gets handled and one that keeps growing.
The Rockaway Peninsula is not an easy service area to reach and we show up anyway, with the knowledge and experience to treat the specific conditions that coastal Arverne homes present.
It starts with a thorough inspection not a quick walkthrough, but a methodical assessment of the areas where subterranean termites actually operate: your foundation, sill plates, crawl spaces, subflooring, and any wood that has direct or near contact with soil. In Arverne specifically, our inspectors pay close attention to signs of post-flood moisture retention, since Sandy-era water damage created lasting conditions that termites actively seek out. If your home was rebuilt or repaired through a program like NYC Build It Back, that history matters during the inspection.
Once the inspection is complete, you’ll get a clear picture of what’s happening whether that’s an active infestation, evidence of prior damage, early warning signs, or a clean bill of health. If treatment is needed, our approach is matched to your specific situation. We offer termite baiting systems, subterranean termite eradication, and targeted treatments for related wood-destroying insects like carpenter ants and powder post beetles. Every material we use is registered by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation a non-negotiable standard that matters even more in a neighborhood bordering Jamaica Bay’s protected coastal ecosystem.
If you’re buying or selling a home in Arverne, we also provide Wood Destroying Organism (WDO) inspection reports the documentation that FHA and VA lenders require before loan approval. Same-day inspections are frequently available, and appointments are guaranteed within two business days.
Ready to get started?
Termite control in Arverne isn’t one-size-fits-all and it shouldn’t be. A 1920s wood-frame bungalow near Beach Channel Drive has a completely different risk profile than a newer unit in the Arverne by the Sea development or a building going up as part of Arverne East. Our inspection and treatment process accounts for the age of your structure, its proximity to moisture sources, its construction history, and any prior flood or water damage. You get a treatment plan based on what your property actually needs.
For active infestations, we deploy subterranean termite eradication using professional-grade, NYS DEC-registered materials applied by certified technicians. For properties where prevention is the priority or where treatment needs to be maintained over time termite baiting systems offer a targeted, lower-disruption option that keeps colonies from establishing or recovering. We also treat for carpenter ants and powder post beetles, both of which are common in Arverne’s older housing stock and are often found alongside termite activity.
For property owners and managers dealing with multi-family buildings or NYC Department of Health pest-related violations, we handle the full resolution process including the documentation and follow-up reporting the City requires. Whether you own one home on the peninsula or manage multiple units, the scope of service scales to fit.
Yes and Arverne’s geography is a big part of why. The Eastern Subterranean Termite is the dominant termite species in New York City, and it thrives in exactly the conditions the Rockaway Peninsula provides: moisture-saturated sandy soil, a shallow water table, and year-round humidity influenced by both Jamaica Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. These aren’t conditions that dry out in summer the way inland Queens neighborhoods do. The moisture persists, and so does the termite pressure.
Older wood-frame homes the bungalows and row houses that make up a significant portion of Arverne’s housing stock are at particularly high risk, especially where wood has any direct or near contact with soil at the foundation. But newer construction isn’t immune either. Subterranean termites follow soil moisture, not building age, which means homes built on previously disturbed coastal soil are still vulnerable. If you haven’t had an inspection recently, the honest answer is that you don’t know what’s happening beneath your foundation right now.
The most visible early sign is termite swarmers winged insects that emerge in spring, typically between March and May in the New York City area, following warm days with rainfall. If you see a swarm of flying insects inside or immediately outside your home during that window, treat it as an urgent signal. Swarmers don’t cause damage themselves, but their presence means a mature colony is nearby and actively expanding.
Other signs include mud tubes pencil-thin tunnels of soil and debris that termites build along foundation walls, pipes, or structural framing to travel from the ground to their food source. You might also notice wood that sounds hollow when tapped, floors or walls that feel soft or slightly warped, or paint that bubbles in a way that looks like water damage but isn’t connected to any visible moisture source. In Arverne homes that experienced Sandy flooding, some of these signs can be easy to dismiss as old water damage which is exactly why a professional inspection matters. A trained eye knows the difference.
In almost every case, no. Standard homeowner’s insurance policies in New York and across the country classify termite damage as a preventable maintenance issue, not a sudden or accidental event. That means the cost of both treatment and structural repairs falls entirely on you. There are no exceptions buried in fine print that will change that outcome. If termites have been feeding on your floor joists, sill plates, or subflooring for years, the repair bill is yours to carry.
This is one of the most important financial realities for Arverne homeowners to understand. Structural repairs from termite damage can run anywhere from $3,000 on the low end to well over $10,000 when load-bearing members are involved. In a community where a significant portion of residents are managing tight household budgets, that kind of unplanned expense is genuinely damaging. The cost of a professional inspection and early treatment is a fraction of what you’d spend on repairs and it’s the only financial protection available, since insurance won’t step in after the fact.
If the transaction involves an FHA or VA mortgage, a Wood Destroying Organism (WDO) inspection report is required before the lender will approve the loan. This is a federal lending requirement, not a local one but it applies directly to Arverne real estate transactions, including purchases tied to Arverne by the Sea and the growing number of sales connected to the Arverne East development. Without a completed WDO report from a qualified inspector, your closing won’t move forward.
Even in transactions that don’t involve FHA or VA financing, a termite inspection is a standard part of due diligence that protects both buyers and sellers. Buyers want to know what they’re purchasing. Sellers benefit from having documentation that the property is clean or from addressing a problem before it becomes a deal-breaker at the inspection table. We provide credentialed, written WDO inspection reports with the documentation that lenders and real estate attorneys require, and with same-day inspections frequently available, a time-sensitive closing doesn’t have to be a problem.
More than a decade after Sandy, the effects on termite risk in Arverne are still real and still relevant. When the storm inundated the Rockaway Peninsula in 2012, it saturated the wood framing, subflooring, sill plates, and foundation elements of thousands of homes. Even properties that were subsequently repaired or rebuilt including those that went through the NYC Build It Back program may retain moisture in hidden structural cavities that termites actively seek out. Water-damaged wood that wasn’t fully replaced is one of the most reliable termite attractants that exists.
If your home was flooded during Sandy, even partially, a professional termite inspection isn’t just a precaution it’s overdue. The challenge is that the damage termites cause in post-flood structures can look similar to residual water damage, making it easy to misread the signs without trained eyes on the problem. Our inspectors understand what to look for in post-flood construction and will give you a clear, honest assessment of where your property stands not a generic report that could apply to any home in any neighborhood.
The honest answer is that it depends on the treatment method and the specific conditions at your property. Liquid barrier treatments applied to the soil around your foundation are designed to create a long-lasting protective zone, typically effective for several years when applied correctly and undisturbed. Termite baiting systems work differently they require periodic monitoring and bait replenishment to remain effective, but they’re a strong option for properties where ongoing prevention is the goal or where soil disruption from a liquid treatment isn’t practical.
In Arverne specifically, the coastal environment adds a layer of consideration that doesn’t apply to inland neighborhoods. Persistent soil moisture, seasonal storm activity, and the potential for ongoing soil disturbance from nearby construction particularly given the active Arverne East development across 116 acres nearby can affect how treatment holds over time. That’s why follow-up inspections matter here more than in drier, more stable environments. We’ll walk you through what to expect based on your specific property, your treatment type, and the conditions on your block so you know exactly what you’re getting and when you’ll need to revisit it.
Local Resources
Useful Links
Other Services we provide in Arverne
