Brooklyn is an older, compact suburb near Ysterplaat Air Force Base and the industrial pockets around Paarden Eiland and Montague Gardens. Small houses, busy roads and nearby warehouses mean rats and cockroaches are the main pests we deal with here.
Brooklyn: what drives biting insects here
When a house is let out room by room, bed bugs travel with tenants' beds and bags, so we treat every room, not just the one that complained. Fleas usually come back with a dog that sleeps outside.
The suburb is low-lying, close to the coast and the Diep River estuary further north. Winter rain and blocked stormwater drains cause local flooding. The South-Easter blows hard in summer, but the area is flat and gets hot on still days.
Brooklyn is mostly small, older freestanding and semi-detached houses on narrow plots, many with outbuildings or flats added in the back. Older wooden floors and tiled or corrugated roofs often have gaps where rodents get in. Some properties are rented out room by room, which can spread bed bugs and cockroaches.
Worth knowing
Many people believe bird mites will infest them permanently. They cannot breed on humans and die off within weeks without a bird host, which is reassuring, but they will keep biting until the source is removed.
How to tell you have a problem
- A prickling, crawling sensation on the skin, often at night or while sitting near a particular wall or window.
- Nesting material, feathers and droppings visible at gaps in the fascia, under roof tiles or around the air conditioner.
- Birds seen flying in and out of the roof, gutters or eaves during the spring and early summer.
- Tiny moving specks on window sills, bedding, white walls or the bathroom basin, especially near ceilings and light fittings.
- Symptoms that ease when you leave the house for a few days and return when you come back.
Bird mites are not known to transmit disease to people, but the bites are itchy and the crawling sensation can be genuinely distressing and disrupt sleep for weeks. Scratching can lead to skin infections, and people are often misdiagnosed or told the problem is in their head, which adds to the stress. The nests themselves bring other problems, including droppings that damage roofs and gutters, blocked downpipes and other insects such as carpet beetles that feed on old nest material.
What happens when we come out
The single most important step is finding and removing the nest, because treating the bedroom while the source remains in the roof only gives temporary relief. Our technician goes into the roof void and around the eaves and gutters, bags and removes nesting material, and treats the nest site and surrounding timbers with a residual spray or insecticidal dust. Inside, we treat the affected rooms with a light residual spray along skirting, window frames, light fittings and around ceiling penetrations where the mites come through. We then recommend or carry out bird proofing, such as closing gaps with mesh or fitting spikes or netting, so new birds cannot move into the same spot. Because a few mites may emerge in the days after, we check back if symptoms continue.
Want the full step-by-step? See how our bird mite control service works.
Keeping them out afterwards
- Keep chicken coops well away from the house and treat them for mites regularly if you keep poultry.
- Check air conditioning units, satellite dishes and solar panels, which create sheltered ledges birds love.
- Fit mesh or plastic closures under the first row of roof tiles and over gaps in fascia boards.
- Keep gutters clean so birds are not encouraged to build nests in them.
- Watch your roofline in spring; if you see pigeons or mynas going in and out of a gap, have it dealt with before they lay eggs.
Pricing, honestly
The price depends mainly on how many nests there are, how easy the roof void and eaves are to get into, and how many rooms need treating inside. Bird proofing work such as mesh or spikes is quoted separately depending on the length of roofline and the materials needed. We give a free quote after inspection, and photos of the roofline sent via WhatsApp help us prepare.
In Cape Town, pigeons can breed almost all year, but mynas, sparrows and starlings nest most heavily from late winter through spring and early summer. Bird mite complaints usually peak a few weeks after the chicks leave the nest, which tends to be in spring and early summer. Warm weather also speeds up the mites' activity, so problems are most noticeable in the hotter months.
Bird Mite Control questions from Brooklyn
Do you come out to Brooklyn for bird mite control?
Yes. Brooklyn is part of our regular Northern Suburbs route, along with Rugby, Milnerton, Maitland, Montague Gardens. Most bookings are done within about 48 hours, and after-hours visits can be arranged.
Do the warehouses near Brooklyn bring rats into homes?
They can, since warehouses provide food and shelter. Most rats still live in drains and gardens, so we bait and seal around your house too.
Will you stop the birds coming back?
We can close gaps and fit mesh, spikes or netting depending on the building. Without proofing, new birds will often use the same spot next season.
Do I need to remove the nest if the birds have already gone?
Yes. An empty nest is exactly when the mites go looking for new hosts, and the old nest also feeds other insects.
Can bird mites live on me?
No, they cannot complete their life cycle on people and will die off within a few weeks without a bird host. They will keep biting while they search, which is why removing the nest is so important.
Why do I hear scratching under my wooden floor in Brooklyn?
It is usually rats that got in through broken air bricks. We bait and seal the vents so they cannot return.
Office 021 012 5825 · WhatsApp 074 697 2254