Serving
Essex County
Essex County is one of the oldest counties in the Garden State. Established in the late 1600s, it played an important role in America’s founding before blossoming into a modern-day melting pot. Rounded out by woods, grass, and waterways, it’s attractive to a wide range of pests and infestations.
Essex County’s Revolutionary Past and Dynamic Diversity
Essex County is one of the oldest counties on the East Coast; it sits front and center on the pages of history. Born between the Passaic and Hudson Rivers in 1683, nearly a hundred years before America’s founding, it has strong, knotted roots that stretch back to the colonial era and beyond. It played an important role in the American Revolution because of its location between Philadelphia and New York; farmers grew food for troops, locals helped transport supplies, and freedom-bound dreamers formed militias. After the war, the region expanded rapidly due to its inclination for industry. Jewish, Italian, Irish, German, and Eastern European immigrants flocked to the area for factory work and other opportunities, significantly influencing the culture.
Today, the county continues its all-are-welcome tradition; it’s one of the most diverse counties on the East Coast, a melting pot of African, Asian, Caribbean, South American, and European populations. Although it sits in the shadow of the Big Apple, residents don’t need to venture to New York for necessities: they can find anything they need right here. The county is home to hospitals, parks, shopping malls, universities, cultural centers, historic neighborhoods, transit hubs, and an eclectic food scene (most notably Portuguese, Brazilian, and Italian cuisine).
Biters, Nonfliers, and Creepy Survivors
Essex County is a pest paradise for a wide range of New Jersey species. Infestations are common in homes and buildings, with insects, arachnids, and rodents often following seasonal cycles.
Among the most feared creepy crawlers is the Black Widow . . . a shy, venomous spider with a painful bite and commitment issues (although not all females eat their mates). These eight-legged webmasters are often found in window wells, crawlspaces, and basements. They’re typically easy to identify due to the hourglass shape on their underside; their webs are distinct, too, and show up as a mess of tangled silk rather than a neat circle.
The Spotted Lanternfly is the new pest on the block, first identified in the Garden State in 2018. Although it’s unusual to have these irksome intruders in your home, they can destroy gardens, orchards, and backyards. In a bit of insect irony, spotted lanternflies aren’t flies. They’re not strong fliers, either, despite their large wings; instead, they glide, hop, climb, and jump. You might spot them on fences, trees, or the sides of homes.
Moths are known for their seasonal migration patterns, which can occasionally lead to large invasions in certain parts of the country. Miller moths are more common in the Western US, while spongy moths are more common in New Jersey. Famously, many species of moth are highly drawn to light, routinely swarming porch lights on warm summer nights. However, this isn’t a hard-and-fast moth rule; some moths prefer the dark and actively avoid brightness.
Cockroaches also prefer dark crevices. They’re one of the most notorious pests to get rid of on your own, and are known for their evasiveness, ability to adapt, and survival skills. They’re quite athletic as well, able to crawl on walls and ceilings and flatten their bodies to squeeze through narrow gaps. Essex County infestations spiral out of control quickly because of roaches’ reproductive capacities; a female cockroach can have as many as 400 offspring in a year.
