Kensington has the feel of an old railway suburb, with modest homes on small plots, corner shops and warehouses never far away. Our work here is mostly rats, cockroaches and pigeons, and how bad each one gets depends a lot on how close you are to the industrial side.
Kensington: what drives birds here
Pigeons roost in great numbers on industrial roofs and spill over onto homes, nesting under solar panels and in gutters. Mesh and spikes are the fix.
Rows of older semi-detached and free-standing houses make up most of the suburb, many with pitched corrugated roofs and backyard rooms built over time. Some are a hundred years old in parts, with timber floors over shallow voids. Factories, workshops and storage units nearby add bigger buildings with loading bays, where rats are never short of a meal.
Kensington sits on flat land between Maitland and the Ndabeni and Epping industrial areas, close to the railway lines that run out of the city. There is little natural vegetation, so pests rely on what people leave around. Winter stormwater can back up in older drains, and in summer litter blows along the railway reserve.
Norway rats along the railway and industrial edges are the main concern. German cockroaches follow in kitchens and corner shops, with pigeons on roofs and fleas in summer.
Tell-tale signs
- A sour smell around a roof area where birds have been nesting for a long time.
- 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.
- Twigs, grass and feathers sticking out from under roof tiles or panels.
- Cooing, scratching or flapping in the roof space or behind the gutters early in the morning.
From the technician
For landlords and body corporates, pigeon problems become a tenant complaint quickly. Proofing the common areas once beats cleaning them every week.
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.
Keeping them out afterwards
- Close off broken air vents, missing tiles and open eaves as soon as you notice them.
- Clean gutters before winter, and check for nesting material at the same time.
- Keep refuse bins closed and clean up spilt food around outdoor eating areas.
- Do not feed pigeons near your home or business. A reliable food source keeps them coming back.
- Fit mesh skirting around new solar panels at installation, before birds discover the gap.
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.
Bird Proofing questions from Kensington
Do bird spikes hurt the birds?
No. The spikes are blunt and simply stop birds from landing comfortably. They move somewhere else.
Do you come out to Kensington for bird proofing?
Yes. Kensington is part of our regular Northern Suburbs route, along with Maitland, Ndabeni, Pinelands, Epping. Most bookings are done within about 48 hours, and after-hours visits can be arranged.
Do rats in Kensington come from the Ndabeni and Epping industrial areas?
Some do. Warehouses and railway land give rats food and shelter, and they move into homes nearby, so we bait along the boundaries and seal entry points.
Can you do commercial buildings?
Yes, a lot of our bird proofing is shops, warehouses and blocks of flats where droppings affect staff and customers.
Do you use poison on pigeons?
No. Bird proofing is about physical exclusion, which is safer and lasts longer than trying to kill birds.
How do I stop pigeons nesting under my solar panels?
Mesh around the edge of the panels stops pigeons getting underneath without damaging the system. We can fit it and clear out existing nests.
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