The Cape Flats is the wide, flat sandy plain that stretches from the mountain towards False Bay, home to a huge share of Cape Town's people. Pest problems differ from suburb to suburb, but the common thread is sandy ground, a high water table in winter and a lot of homes built close together.
Bird Proofing by suburb
We cover all 24 suburbs on our Cape Flats route. Each suburb page covers what we find there and what works for those streets and buildings.
City Bowl & Atlantic Seaboard 26 areas
Southern Suburbs 29 areas
South Peninsula 17 areas
Northern Suburbs 16 areas
Blaauwberg & West Coast 10 areas
Cape Flats 24 areas
Cape Flats: what drives birds here
Pigeons roost on school roofs and shopping centres, and gulls fly in to dumping sites from the coast. The most effective bird control here is getting waste picked up and keeping it covered.
Housing ranges from older council semis and flat blocks to RDP homes, backyard rooms and informal structures. Waste collection and stormwater that cannot cope after heavy rain make the job harder, which is why community-wide approaches work best.
The Flats were once dunes and wetlands, and in winter the water table rises, flooding yards and low streets. In summer the South-Easter blows sand and litter across the open land.
Tell-tale signs
Tick every sign you have noticed. It takes ten seconds.
A note from the field
Fake owls and shiny CDs work for about a week. Pigeons are not stupid, and once they realise the owl never moves they sit right next to it.
Bird mites are the hidden side of nesting birds. When the chicks fledge, the mites go looking for a meal and sometimes find the people inside.
How the treatment works
We start by watching where the birds actually land and nest, because proofing the wrong ledge is a waste of money. Ledges and beams get bird spikes or tensioned wire systems that stop birds settling. Larger open areas such as courtyards, loading bays and light wells get bird netting fixed to a frame so birds cannot get in at all. Gaps under solar panels and roof tiles are closed with mesh or panel skirting so pigeons cannot nest underneath. Old nests and droppings are removed first, and if bird mites are present we treat the area as well.
Want the full step-by-step? See how our bird proofing service works.
Stopping a repeat visit
- Fit mesh skirting around new solar panels at installation, before birds discover the gap.
- Do not feed pigeons near your home or business. A reliable food source keeps them coming back.
- Deal with the first nest quickly. Pigeons that breed on a site get attached to it.
- Clean gutters before winter, and check for nesting material at the same time.
- Close off broken air vents, missing tiles and open eaves as soon as you notice them.
What affects the price
The cost depends on how many areas need proofing, how high they are and how much access equipment is needed. Netting a large courtyard or a warehouse roof is a bigger job than spiking a few ledges. Clean-out of heavy droppings and any mite treatment are included in the free quote once we have done the site survey.
Pigeons breed throughout the year in Cape Town, so proofing is a year-round job. We see a rush in late winter and spring when birds start nesting heavily, and again before the winter rains when people find their gutters blocked.
Frequently asked questions
Why am I getting bites after the pigeons left?
That is often bird mites leaving an abandoned nest. They do not live on people, but they bite, and we treat the nest area to stop them.
Do you come out to Cape Flats for bird proofing?
Yes. Cape Flats is part of our regular Cape Flats route, along with Mitchells Plain, Khayelitsha, Gugulethu, Athlone. Most bookings are done within about 48 hours, and after-hours visits can be arranged.
Do you use poison on pigeons?
No. Bird proofing is about physical exclusion, which is safer and lasts longer than trying to kill birds.
Can you stop pigeons nesting under my solar panels?
Yes. We clean out the nests and fit mesh skirting around the panel edges so birds cannot get underneath.
Do bird spikes hurt the birds?
No. The spikes are blunt and simply stop birds from landing comfortably. They move somewhere else.
Will netting be visible?
Bird netting is fine and usually black or clear, so from the ground it is hard to see once it is fitted.
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