Spotlight on NYCHA’s New Rat Extermination Team 

Shareef Rashid and Diogenes Umanzar take their mission seriously when it comes to pest control at NYCHA.  

The self-described “hit squad” for eradicating rats and other pests are two members of NYCHA’s newly formed Pest Management unit specifically targeting rat extermination across the Authority. The eight-member team, led by Program Manager Edwin Arroyo and supervisor Kevin Williams, is focused on responding to emergency calls for potential rat sightings or markings in apartments, trash compactors, and development grounds.   

“When a job comes up that is a high-profile rodent job for rats, we attack those immediately and make them our number-one priority,” said Mr. Rashid, a veteran exterminator who has worked at NYCHA for over two years and has 27 years of experience in pest control.  

In support of pest management directives under the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Agreement, NYCHA recently established the first-of-its-kind team in which staff are fully equipped with tools and devices, and employ innovative methods targeted for rat extermination.   

“The idea behind the team is that not everyone is equipped to deal with rats in apartments,” Pest Management Department Senior Director Josephine Bartlett said of the specialized unit. “They use different traps, bait, and techniques to deal with these hard-to-fix issues.”  

Mr. Arroyo, who oversees the new rat team, selected the skilled group of five men and one woman with a range of pest control experience who work in pairs throughout the five boroughs to help NYCHA tackle rat-related concerns. In addition to Mr. Rashid and Mr. Umanzar, the extermination team includes Ravi Ragoonanan, Sanjay Sharma, Gabriel Fuentes, and Digna Gomez. 

“These guys were hand-picked to go a little above and beyond their call of duty,” Mr. Arroyo said.  

Mr. Rashid and Mr. Umanzar, who primarily serve communities in the Bronx, said they are proud to work with the inaugural rat unit, noting that there are various advancements in the pest control industry that allow them to better resolve issues for residents. 

“It’s a great time for pest control, and there are a lot of creative things going on at NYCHA right now,” Mr. Rashid said. “My partner and I are happy to be at the forefront of everything that’s going on. We have a group of people working in every borough and as a conglomerate, we’re hitting everything.”   

Rat team exterminators are skilled in a range of techniques and innovative methods for targeting rats in buildings.

When rat team exterminators are called to an apartment, they will speak to the resident about the suspected pest sighting to correctly identify the pest as a rat or mouse, and will take a course of action accordingly.  

Mr. Rashid said the exterminators first attempt to locate a hole the rat may be using and “neutralize” the area by sealing the hole to block the entry and exit points, as well as controlling the food sources. To target the rodent, the team uses techniques including placing bait and snap traps in protective “rat tunnel” devices, which may be put in areas such as behind stoves or in cabinets. As part of NYCHA’s Integrated Pest Management initiative – which uses safer and less toxic methods – the teams use pesticides only when signs of pests are present, focusing instead on addressing the underlying causes of a pest problem, including trash disposals, leaks, and holes.   

“The reduction of pesticides is really important,” Mr. Arroyo noted.  

The rat squad is also focused on attacking exterior areas of buildings including trash compactors and the grounds, where they may use carbon dioxide and other methods to target rats in burrows.  

Mr. Umanzar, who began working at NYCHA three years ago after completing the NYCHA Resident Training Academy (NRTA) program, said he has expanded his knowledge of effective pest control through his experience with the rat team.  

“I’ve been put in a really good place with an amazing staff of exterminators who’ve helped me pick up how to do extermination well and efficiently,” he said.  

The new team may have only been on the job since October, but Mr. Arroyo noted their specialized approach to rat extermination is already starting to make a difference in the Bronx and other communities, as residents are requesting the unit’s services.   

“I’ve had calls from the residents and I’ve even got some emails saying they want these guys back,” Mr. Arroyo touted. “This is all really about picking the right team.”   

The unit’s Bronx “hit squad” is grateful for the opportunity to help NYCHA take on the crucial pest control initiative and improve residents’ quality of life.  

“It’s really gratifying; it’s a legacy thing for me and it’s like coming full circle,” said Mr. Rashid, whose father worked in pest control at NYCHA for 30 years. “It’s definitely very pleasing and means so much to me.” 

Mr. Umanzar added, “It feels amazing because we’re changing people’s lives in front of our faces.”  

For more information about pest control at NYCHA, visit: https://www.nyc.gov/site/nycha/residents/pest-control.page 

Featured photo caption: The Pest Management rat squad includes manager Edwin Arroyo, supervisor Kevin Williams, and exterminators Ravi Ragoonanan, Sanjay Sharma, Shareef Rashid, Diogenes Umanzar, Gabriel Fuentes, and Digna Gomez.