Hear from Our Customers
Most Cambria Heights homeowners don’t find termites during a routine walk-through. They find them mid-renovation when a contractor pulls back drywall and the framing behind it crumbles. Or during a home sale inspection, when the buyer’s lender flags a WDO report and the deal stalls. By that point, the colony has usually been active for years.
The brick Cape Cods and Tudor-style homes that define Cambria Heights were built between the 1920s and 1950s. Wood sill plates sitting on aging masonry foundations, original floor joists, subfloor systems that have absorbed decades of NYC winters these are exactly the conditions termites exploit. A home on 222nd or 227th Street in one of Cambria Heights’ two Landmarks-designated historic districts is carrying 90-plus years of structural wood. That’s not a liability if you stay ahead of it. It becomes one when you don’t.
What changes after a professional termite inspection and treatment is simple: you know where you stand. No more wondering if that hollow-sounding floor is cosmetic or structural. No more guessing whether the “bubbling paint” near the baseboard is moisture or something worse. You get a clear picture, a documented treatment plan, and the kind of peace of mind that comes from actually dealing with the problem not hoping it goes away.
Kingsway Exterminating Company has been operating in New York City since 1971. That’s not a marketing number it means our technicians have spent decades treating the exact type of pre-war and early post-war housing stock that fills Cambria Heights. Brick exteriors, wood-frame interiors, aging foundations with settled mortar joints. We’ve seen it all, and we know where termites hide in homes like yours.
We were founded by Richard Kourbage Sr. and are still run today by his sons Richard Jr. and Charles. When you call us, you’re dealing with people whose name is attached to every job. We hold an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau accredited since 1989 and apply only New York State DEC-registered materials. Our team carries over 100 years of combined pest control experience across the five boroughs and Long Island, including southeastern Queens neighborhoods like Cambria Heights, Laurelton, and St. Albans.
We answer phones 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and can typically get to your home the same day you call. If your situation is urgent a home sale inspection, a renovation discovery, or swarmers appearing out of nowhere we work on your timeline.
It starts with an inspection. A licensed technician comes to your home usually the same day you call and does a thorough walkthrough of the areas termites are most likely to target: the foundation perimeter, basement or crawl space, wood sill plates, floor joists, window and door frames, and any areas with visible moisture damage or mud tube activity. In a Cambria Heights home with a 70-to-100-year-old foundation, we pay particular attention to expansion joints, aging mortar lines, and utility penetrations the micro-gaps that Eastern Subterranean Termites use to enter a structure.
If termites are confirmed, you get a written treatment plan before anything happens. No pressure, no vague verbal estimates. You’ll know exactly what was found, where it was found, and what treatment method we recommend. For most Cambria Heights homes, that means either a liquid barrier treatment applied along the foundation perimeter, a termite baiting system that targets the underground colony directly, or a combination of both depending on the extent of the infestation. All materials are NYS DEC-registered and applied by certified professionals Category 7C licensed, which is the specific New York State requirement for wood-destroying organism control.
After treatment, we don’t disappear. If you’re in the middle of a real estate transaction and need a formal WDO inspection report for your lender, we provide that documentation. If you’re a long-term homeowner who just wants confirmation that your home is protected, we walk you through what to watch for going forward. Spring is the peak swarmer season in Queens typically late March through May and knowing what to look for between visits makes a real difference.
Ready to get started?
Eastern Subterranean Termites are the dominant species in New York City and throughout southeastern Queens. They nest underground typically in the soil beneath or adjacent to your foundation and travel upward through mud tubes to reach the wood framing inside your home. A colony can reach 250,000 members and consume 20 feet of a standard 2×4 in a single year. In a neighborhood where most homes sit on foundations that are seven to ten decades old, the number of potential entry points is significant.
Our termite control in Cambria Heights, NY covers the full scope of what that means for your specific home. Liquid barrier treatments create a treated zone in the soil around the foundation that termites cannot cross. Baiting systems go further they target the colony itself underground, eliminating the source rather than just blocking access. For homes in or near the 222nd Street and 227th Street Historic Districts, where exterior drilling or structural intervention may require additional care given the Landmarks Preservation Commission designations, we work precisely and deliberately to protect both your home and its architectural character.
If you’re buying or selling a home in Cambria Heights, we also provide formal Wood Destroying Organism (WDO) inspection reports the documentation required by FHA and VA lenders for mortgage approval. With home values in the $500,000 to $800,000 range and most homeowner insurance policies explicitly excluding termite damage, a professional inspection isn’t just a precaution. It’s financial protection. Most termite repair bills average $3,000 and structural work can run well past $10,000. The inspection costs a fraction of that.
The most common signs are mud tubes running along your foundation wall or basement framing, wood that sounds hollow when you tap it, paint that looks like it’s bubbling from the inside without any obvious water source, and swarmers. Swarmers are winged termites that emerge in late March through May in the New York City area when temperatures climb above 60°F after a warm rain. If you see what looks like flying ants near a window or along your foundation, look closely: termites have straight antennae, equal-length wings, and a uniform waist. Flying ants have elbowed antennae, unequal wings, and a pinched waist.
In a Cambria Heights home built in the 1930s or 1940s, you might also notice soft spots in hardwood floors near exterior walls, doors or windows that have started sticking for no clear reason, or framing that looks visually intact but compresses when you press it. Any of these warrants a professional inspection. The challenge with Eastern Subterranean Termites is that colonies typically take five or more years to grow large enough to cause visible damage which means by the time you notice something, the infestation is rarely new.
A liquid barrier treatment involves applying a termiticide into the soil around your foundation perimeter, creating a treated zone that termites cannot cross without contacting the product. It’s effective at stopping termites from entering the structure and can eliminate termites already inside by contact. For older Cambria Heights homes with settled foundations and aging mortar, it’s often the most direct way to establish a protective perimeter quickly.
A baiting system works differently. Bait stations are installed in the soil around the property at regular intervals. Termites find the bait, feed on it, and carry it back to the colony eventually eliminating the colony at its source underground. Baiting takes longer to work than a liquid barrier but targets the root of the problem rather than just blocking access. In many cases, the most effective approach for a Cambria Heights home is a combination of both especially when the infestation is already established inside the structure and you need to address both the active colony and the entry points simultaneously. Your technician will recommend the right approach based on what the inspection finds.
In almost every case, no. Standard homeowner’s insurance policies in New York State explicitly exclude termite damage. Insurers classify it as a preventable maintenance issue the reasoning being that regular inspections and treatment would have caught the problem before it caused damage. That exclusion applies regardless of how long you’ve owned the home or how well you’ve maintained it. If a termite inspection turns up $15,000 in structural damage to your floor joists, that repair bill is yours.
This is particularly relevant for Cambria Heights homeowners because the neighborhood’s housing stock is old enough that termite activity can go undetected for years before causing visible structural damage. Eastern Subterranean Termite colonies grow slowly it typically takes five or more years for a colony to reach a size where it causes noticeable harm. A home on a block that was developed in 1931, like those in the 222nd Street or 227th Street Historic Districts, has had nearly a century of potential exposure. The cost of an annual inspection is a small fraction of what a single repair bill looks like and it’s the only real insurance you have against termite damage.
Liquid barrier treatments typically remain effective for five to ten years, depending on the product used, soil conditions, and how much disturbance the treated zone experiences over time things like landscaping work, irrigation, or construction near the foundation can affect longevity. Baiting systems require periodic monitoring visits to check station activity and replenish bait as needed, which is typically done on a scheduled basis after the initial installation.
For Cambria Heights homeowners, the honest answer is that termite protection is not a one-time event. The Eastern Subterranean Termite pressure in this part of Queens is real and ongoing. The soil conditions here mature landscaping, mulch beds, wood-bordered garden areas near foundations support termite colony survival year-round. Annual inspections are the standard recommendation for homes in this area, particularly pre-war and early post-war construction. They let us catch any new activity early, before it becomes a structural issue, and they give you documentation that the home has been professionally monitored which matters if you ever sell.
If you’re financing the purchase with an FHA or VA loan which is common for first-time homebuyers in southeastern Queens a Wood Destroying Organism (WDO) inspection report is typically required by the lender before the mortgage can be approved. Even if your financing doesn’t require it, a termite inspection is one of the most financially important things you can do before closing on a Cambria Heights property. Homes here are priced in the $500,000 to $800,000 range, and most were built between the 1920s and 1950s the exact age and construction type most susceptible to Eastern Subterranean Termite damage.
A WDO inspection gives you a documented, licensed assessment of whether any wood-destroying organisms are present, whether there is evidence of past activity, and whether there are conditions in the home that are conducive to future infestation. If the inspection turns up active termites or prior damage, you have the information you need to negotiate repairs, request treatment as a condition of sale, or make an informed decision about whether to proceed. Discovering termite damage after you’ve closed when the repair cost is entirely yours is a situation that a pre-purchase inspection almost always prevents.
The materials we use for termite control in Cambria Heights, NY are registered with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and applied by licensed professionals following EPA safety protocols. Targeted application meaning treatment is focused on soil perimeters, foundation voids, and specific infestation sites rather than broadcast application throughout living spaces keeps exposure to household occupants minimal. Your technician will give you specific re-entry guidance based on the treatment method used, which is typically a short window of a few hours for liquid barrier applications.
Cambria Heights is a family-oriented neighborhood, and many of the homes we treat have children, pets, and multigenerational households. The goal of targeted, professional application is exactly that precise enough to eliminate the termite problem without creating unnecessary exposure to the people living there. If you have specific concerns about a family member with sensitivities, a pet with particular health considerations, or a household situation that requires extra care around the timing of treatment, tell us when you call. We’ll walk through the specifics with you before anything is scheduled so you know exactly what to expect.
Local Resources
Useful Links
