Most calls we get in the Western Cape come down to a handful of usual suspects. Argentine ants and brown house ants march indoors as soon as the winter rain starts, while German cockroaches settle into kitchens and American cockroaches come up from drains and sewers. Norway rats, roof rats and house mice are year-round problems, and in the Southern Suburbs the grey squirrel adds itself to the list by moving into ceilings. Summer brings house flies, blowflies, Culex mosquitoes and the invasive European paper wasp, which builds under gutters and in garden furniture. Then there are the quieter ones: cat fleas from pets, bed bugs carried home in luggage, fishmoths in cupboards and wood borer beetles working away in roof timbers.
Pest control depends on who you are, not just what you have
The same German cockroach gets a different plan in a family home, a rented flat and a guesthouse kitchen. Who is responsible, who has to be told and how much disruption you can live with all change the job. Find yourself below.
Homeowners
You have the most freedom and the most responsibility. You can seal gaps, cut back trees and change how things are stored, which means treatments tend to last longest in owner-occupied homes. Tell us about renovations, because building work opens new routes into roofs and walls.
Tenants
Check your lease before you book. In many rentals the landlord or agent arranges pest control, especially for rodents and anything that started before you moved in. Report problems in writing with photos and dates. If you share walls in a block, treating only your flat may just move the pests next door, so it helps to raise it with the managing agent at the same time.
Landlords and body corporates
Pests do not respect unit boundaries. A block treated one flat at a time, months apart, rarely gets clear. Coordinating units and common areas on the same day, or as close together as possible, is far more effective and usually less work for everyone.
Guesthouses and holiday lets
From the Atlantic Seaboard to the Winelands, the risk for short-stay owners is a guest finding something and posting about it. Bed bugs and fleas arrive with people and their pets, so a quick check between bookings matters more here than anywhere else. Ask about after-hours or weekend visits to fit around changeovers.
Creches, schools and food businesses
These need tamper-resistant placements, careful product choice and proper records. If you serve or store food, have a look at contract pest control rather than booking once-off visits.
What to have ready when you phone or WhatsApp us
A few minutes of preparation means a better answer on the first call, and often a correct identification without a visit.
- A clear photo of the pest, droppings or damage, with a coin or ruler beside it for scale.
- Where and when you see it: which room, what time of day, and roughly how long it has been going on.
- What you have already tried, including the names of any sprays or baits. Some products interfere with what we would use next.
- Who lives there: babies, pets, fish tanks, anyone pregnant or with asthma or allergies.
- Access details such as gate codes, dogs in the yard and where the roof hatch is.
Getting the house ready for a pest control visit
- Do not spray the day before. Fresh insecticide on surfaces can stop insects taking gel bait, which slows the result.
- Photograph droppings before you clean them up, and wear gloves when you do. The photo tells us a lot, and rodent droppings should never be swept up with bare hands.
- Clear the cupboards under sinks and around the stove if the problem is in the kitchen, so the technician can reach the backs and corners.
- Put pets in a room we are not treating, or ask a neighbour to keep them for a few hours.
Using the suburb list on this page
Each suburb link below opens a page with notes for that area, because a roof in a hillside home under Table Mountain does not face the same problems as a house on sandy ground on the Cape Flats. Our home base is covered on the Brackenfell pest control page, and coastal flats are a good example on the Sea Point page. For the full service overview, go to pest control in Cape Town.
Quick answers
Do I need to leave the house during treatment?
For most treatments, no, especially baiting and trapping. For some spray or fogging work we may ask you to stay out of the treated area for a few hours.
Can you identify a pest from a photo?
Usually, yes. Send a clear photo on WhatsApp to 021 012 5825 and we will tell you what it is and whether it needs treatment.
Which areas do you cover?
We cover Cape Town and the Boland, working out of Brackenfell in the Northern Suburbs. Phone us with your suburb and we will confirm.
How long does a service visit take?
A typical household visit takes about an hour, longer for larger properties or roof void work. We will give you an idea when we book.
What is in the post-treatment report?
It lists what we found, the products used and where, any safety notes and practical recommendations such as gaps to seal.
What if the pest comes back after the visit?
Our treatments carry a minimum 3-month guarantee, so if the treated pest returns within that period we come back to sort it out.