Gardens takes its name from the Company's Garden, and the squirrels in there have been raising families in neighbouring roofs for generations. Add the restaurants on Kloof Street, old Victorian semis and a lot of flats, and you get a busy mix of pest work.
Gardens: what drives birds here
Pigeons roost on old roofs and parapets, and gulls are common around restaurant bins. Netting and spikes protect stoeps and balconies.
Victorian and Edwardian semis with corrugated iron roofs, broekie lace stoeps and wooden floors sit alongside blocks of flats and modern apartments. Old houses have hollow walls and suspended floors, so mice and rats can move through without being seen. Restaurants, coffee shops and bars along Kloof Street sit below residential flats. Many homes are rentals with frequent turnover.
Worth knowing
For landlords and body corporates, pigeon problems become a tenant complaint quickly. Proofing the common areas once beats cleaning them every week.
Proofing over an active nest is a mistake. You either trap birds inside or they break through, so the clean-out always comes first.
Tell-tale signs
- Birds regularly perching in the same spots over doorways or walkways.
- Droppings building up on ledges, walls, windowsills or under solar panels.
- Blocked gutters and downpipes full of nesting material.
- Tiny mites crawling on walls or bedding near a nest site.
- A sour smell around a roof area where birds have been nesting for a long time.
- Cooing, scratching or flapping in the roof space or behind the gutters early in the morning.
How we handle bird proofing in Gardens
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.
Keeping them out afterwards
- Keep refuse bins closed and clean up spilt food around outdoor eating areas.
- Close off broken air vents, missing tiles and open eaves as soon as you notice them.
- Deal with the first nest quickly. Pigeons that breed on a site get attached to it.
- 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.
How much will it cost?
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.
A few spikes on a low windowsill is a fine DIY job. Netting and solar panel proofing at height is not, both for safety and because poorly tensioned netting sags, traps birds and ends up looking messy. I would rather do it once and do it properly.
Frequently asked questions
Do you come out to Gardens for bird proofing?
Yes. Gardens is part of our regular City Bowl & Atlantic Seaboard route, along with Tamboerskloof, Oranjezicht, Vredehoek, Higgovale. Most bookings are done within about 48 hours, and after-hours visits can be arranged.
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.
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.
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.
Are the squirrels in my Gardens roof from the Company's Garden?
Very likely. Grey squirrels travel from the garden and the trees along the streets into roofs, often through gaps at the fascia. Sealing those gaps once the roof is empty is the lasting fix.
Do old Victorian houses in Gardens have more borer?
They often do, because many still have original timber floors and roof structures. A beetle certificate inspection will show whether there is active infestation that needs treatment.
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