St. Louis has an abundance of railroad history, but with it comes an unsavory byproduct. The city has become a vast network of abandoned rail lines, turned into highways for rodents, insects, and other unwanted visitors seeking easy, quick access to homes and businesses. These neglected hallways, overgrown plant life, hidden rubbish, and covered routes create ideal conditions for pests to roam throughout the metro area.
What was once connective tissue through commerce now seeps through the town in the guise of pestilence. If you are seeing higher-than-normal activity in and around the old rail corridors, it is best to contact licensed Brentwood exterminators so an expert can address the issue before it worsens.
St. Louis Neighborhoods Most Affected
- The Hill and Southwest Garden District
The old rail lines running through The Hill and Southwest Garden have since become pest avenues. St. Louis city data shows rodent complaints in those neighborhoods grew by 18% from 2022 to 2023, affecting many properties that abut abandoned railway beds.
- Dutchtown and Gravois Park
Pest migrations plague former Missouri Pacific Railroad routes and have remained an issue in old South City neighborhoods like Dutchtown. Pests can thrive year-round because the overgrown tracks continue to provide shelter and food.
- The Riverfront Industrial Areas
Rats and raccoons that roam the abandoned rail infrastructure in North Riverfront draw near to nearby warehouses. In 2023 alone, the St. Louis Department of Health fielded more than 7,000 rodent-related service requests, many of them clustered along old industrial rail corridors.
- Cherokee Street Corridor
Those historic rail lines around Cherokee Street are corridors between commercial and residential areas, where pests can travel back and forth at night undetected between food sources and nesting sites.
How These Tracks Become “Transit Routes” for Pests
Pests have everything they need on an abandoned rail line for speedy travel. The elevated beds and ballast stones also form dry, safe passageways that provide shelter for animals from predators and the elements. Dense foliage along tracks serves as cover and forage, and missed railroad ties and infrastructure provide an ideal nesting site.
They frequently stretch for miles at a time, linking parks, alleyways, and residential neighborhoods with idiosyncratic continuity. An abandoned rail line is like an interstate highway with rest areas for a rat or a mouse. As vegetation grows thick and debris piles up, these corridors become increasingly desirable to pests due to the total neglect of their maintenance.
Types of Pests Most Commonly Using Old Rail Corridors
Abandoned rail lines surrounding St. Louis attract a variety of uninvited guests:
- Norway Rats and House Mice – Rodents use the tracks as safe passageways connecting local neighborhoods, using ballast rock and railroad ties as bases for their burrows.
- Raccoons – Opportunistic animals traveling the rail corridors between food sources use the culverts and bridges as dens
- Opossums – Roaming through tracks in the night seeking refuge in dilapidated buildings and feeding off insects and trash in residential areas.
- Feral Cats – They do prey on rodents, but their numbers along rail lines can be an issue for people who live close by
- Cockroaches and Other Insects – Debris piles and decaying railroad ties make an excellent breeding ground that extends to your neighbors
- Snakes – Various snake species travel and hunt along former railroad beds, drawn to the abundant rodent populations.
Expert Help Can Save You Time & Money!
The truth is that, with pests treating abandoned rail lines like highways into your property, a DIY remedy will primarily serve as a temporary stopgap. Pointe Pest Control understands the history behind the pest corridors St. Louis residents face. They have local expertise, like which entryways pests use around old rail lines and how to make barriers that work.
Instead of paying for one-off hardware store solutions, hiring professionals means you get targeted treatments that take St. Louis’ unique geography and pest history into account. It finds a way to save you time and money, which is, ultimately, the idea behind the concept.