Feds major pests No way NYCHA hits vermin-stomping goals: pros

Car jumps curb in Bx., hits 4 kids

If the city thinks it can meet federal goals for getting rid of pests in public housing, they must be buggin’.

The city has less than three years to drastically slash the number of rats, mice, cockroaches and bedbugs in public housing developments — but pest control experts think the target is impossible to reach.

NYCHA must cut the rat population in half and reduce the number of mice and cockroaches 40% apiece by the end of January 2022 as part of an agreement reached with the feds earlier this year. The number of bedbugs must also be reduced an undetermined amount.

And by the start of 2024, all four pest populations have to be cut another 50%.

“That’s crazy, it doesn’t make sense … I don’t think they’ll do it,” said Phil Waldorf, founder of pest control company Bell Environmental Services, known for the “bedbug dog” Roscoe. “If I sound cynical, it’s based on experience.”

The pest population targets are part of a sweeping Jan. 31 agreement between the city, NYCHA and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The deal resolved a lawsuit brought by federal prosecutors last year alleging substandard living conditions in NYCHA due to mold, lead paint and other hazards, including pest infestations – and sets deadlines for those issues to be addressed.

Experts said the pest reduction deadlines outlined in the agreement will be “challenging” and nearly impossible to meet without an unlimited budget given the size of NYCHA — home to 173,762 apartments across 2,351 buildings in 316 developments — and the scope of New York City’s entrenched pest problems.

“Those are definitely not attainable numbers – I don’t think it’s realistic,” said Billy Swan, owner of NYC Pest Control in Brooklyn, noting the city will likely hire the cheapest exterminators. “So there’s not a lot of concern how thorough they are when they get in and out of the apartment.”

The January agreement required new federal monitor Bart Schwartz to consult with NYCHA to come up with a plan to provide population estimates for rats, mice, cockroaches and bedbugs within six months. The monitor must still determine how much NYCHA has to reduce its bedbug population, too.

“Per the agreement, once the federal monitor finalizes the protocols to count pest populations, NYCHA can begin measuring the progress of our aggressive pest reduction initiatives already underway,” spokesman Chester Soria said.

By next January, NYCHA must incorporate “integrated pest management” practices that use the life cycles of pests and focus on prevention. A hit-and-run driver lost control of his car, jumped the curb and struck four kids in the Bronx Wednesday, sending them to the hospital with minor injuries, police said.

The victims, an 8year-old, a 10-year-old and two 13-year-olds, were taken to Lincoln Hospital with minor injuries after they were hit at E. 156th St. and Concourse Village West in Concourse Village just before 12:45 p.m., cops said.

The driver lost control of his Mitsubishi Lancer, striking the victims, who attend a nearby summer school, on the sidewalk.

He abandoned his vehicle and dashed off, authorities said.

The driver was still being sought.