(David Shankbone, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons)
July 22, 2021 By Allie Griffin
The number of rat complaints has jumped significantly in Queens this year, with complaints in neighborhoods like Woodside and Ridgewood more than double what they were a year ago.
There were 1,812 complaints across Queens for the Jan. 1 — June 30 period this year, up more than 27 percent from the first half of 2020 when 1,424 complaints were filed with the city, according to 311 data.
The increase, in part, can be attributed to the reopening of restaurants and New Yorkers returning to the office, experts say. Rodents rely on the food waste generated by these establishments, which were closed for much of past year due to COVID-19.
The rodent problem, however, is still high even compared to pre-pandemic records. The number of rat complaints during the first half of this year is higher than the first half of 2019, when there were 1,528 rat complaints in Queens.
Certain neighborhoods have seen a big uptick in rat complaints over the Jan. 1 — June 30 period compared to 2020, 311 data shows.
For instance, the greater Ridgewood area (11358) saw a huge rise in rat complaints year over year. Rat complaints more than doubled in the ZIP code, which also had the highest number of rat complaints in Queens both in 2020 and 2021.
There were 221 rat complaints in Ridgewood during the first six months of 2021 compared to 103 complaints during the first six months of 2020, according to 311 data.
Woodside (11377), the ZIP code with the second highest rodent complaints in Queens, also saw a jump. Residents of the neighborhood filed 180 rat complaints with 311 during the first half of this year, compared to 89 times during the first half of 2020.
The number of rat complaints has also increased in the section of Astoria represented by the ZIP code 11105. There were 106 complaints filed with 311 during the first six months of 2021, up from just 66 during the first six months of 2020. The ZIP code comes in third for the most rat complaints in Queens this year.
Corona (11368) and Briarwood (11435) had the borough’s fourth and fifth most rat complaints during the first half of the year respectively.
Both neighborhoods experienced an uptick in rodent complaints as well. There were 86 rat complaints in Corona during the first half of this year — up from 58 for the same period in 2020. In Briarwood, there were 81 rat complaints— up from 43.
The map below shows the number of rat complaints in each Queens neighborhood during the first six months of 2021.
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17 Comments
There is an infestation in fresh meadows queens why?
They really need to do something immediately rats carry diseases, my daughters dog has caught 2 rats already and she has been living there a few days. It is only going to get worse if they move now.
Stay cats, raccoons and rats made their way into my garage this summer. 311 is of no help and i had to pay thousands of dollars to an exterminator and a construction company to get rid of them and prevent them from coming back.
These are all hipster bridge and tunnel rats who just moved in because of those damn bike lanes. Thanks de Blasio!
did the city triple the amount of food truck permits recently? I was walking on 46th and Greenpoint the other day and there were 5 food trucks in eye shot. maybe that is part of the problem.
Yes! There’s an infestation in the apartments nearby. This was not an issue before all those food carts. Please call and complain to 311 about these carts. Carts should be required to be at least 100 feet from a residential building. They keep residents up all night. One has an open flame!
I live in the 11105 zip code area. I have called 311 tocomplain about, The Acropolis buildings on 34th and 35th street between Ditmars and 21st Ave. Rats are out day and night
All the Outdoor dining sheds is the main reason
It’s obviously because of the outdoor shanties the restaurants have. They are no longer necessary.
Definitely the outdoor eating sheds has played most of the role on this
When you have idiot parents letting their kids PLAY what the rats in the park!!!
The zip code for Ridgewood is 11385, not 11358
Rats on the high street…you gotta let them be.
A lot of the rats are in Western Queens due to all the city litter baskets on the sidewalk. Many are being filled with household trash, dog waste and are a health hazard to the neighborhood as they attract rats and overflow with debris on the sidewalks.
WOW: WE ARE LEADING IN RODENT COMPLAINTS! At least Woodside excels in something!
Thanks, Jimmy Van Bramer: what are you doing to improve the problem as you are on your way out.
Never heard a word about pest control from any of the cadidates before the recent election. Did hear a lot about colonialism and other identity politics-based non issues.
Yes Woodside got rats And raccoons problem .
Never seen anything like what I saw in my backyard at 2am there were 6 raccoons!!
and nothing gets done – its my problem as per 311. Yea thanks with all the property tax I pay.