Three rodents cause nearly all the trouble in the Western Cape. The Norway or brown rat burrows in gardens, under slabs and along drains, and is the one you find near rivers, canals and refuse areas. The roof rat, also called the black rat, is a climber that travels along fences, trees and cables into ceilings. The house mouse is much smaller and happily lives inside cupboards, stoves and wall cavities. On commercial sites we often find more than one species at once, which is why a programme beats a once-off treatment. Indigenous striped mice and vlei rats sometimes turn up on smallholdings, but they rarely move indoors.
Rodent control for your kind of property
The six steps we follow on a rodent job stay the same wherever we work. What changes from one property to the next is who has to do what, what we are allowed to use, and what a good result looks like. Find your situation below.
Homeowners
You have the most freedom and the most to gain from proofing. In a freestanding house the fix is usually trapping inside plus closing two or three gaps you never knew existed, often where the geyser overflow, the DStv cable or the aircon line comes through the wall. Ask us to point the gaps out on the day, so you know what to check next autumn.
Tenants and landlords
Tenants control the housekeeping side: sealed food, closed bins, pet bowls brought in at night. The bigger fixes, such as replacing a cracked air brick or closing a gap under the roof sheeting, need the owner's go-ahead. Agree up front who is booking and who is paying, and make sure we can get into the roof hatch, the garage and any outbuildings on the day.
Body corporates and blocks of flats
Treating one unit while the rest of the building carries on as normal rarely holds. Bin rooms, service ducts, basement parking and shared roof voids are where activity usually starts, and those are common property. A building-wide visit agreed by the trustees or managing agent is the version that lasts.
Restaurants, takeaways and food shops
Nobody wants a technician working behind the line during the lunch rush. We can come before opening, after closing or over a weekend on request. Keep a simple sighting log by the back door with the date, time, what was seen and where. A week of honest notes tells us more than any single walk-through.
Schools and creches
Small children change the bait risk assessment completely. Expect more traps, fewer bait points, every station fixed down out of reach, and visits timed for when the classrooms and play areas are empty.
Farms and smallholdings
Feed rooms, chicken runs and grain stores on the Boland farms and around Philippi and Durbanville draw rodents in numbers a suburban garden never sees. Here proofing the feed room comes first: bags up on pallets, metal sheeting at the base of wooden doors, and lids that actually close. Tell us about working dogs in the yard before we plan stations.
Rats and mice together: why we look at both
People phone about a mouse, and we find roof rats in the ceiling and mice in the kitchen at the same address. That is common in Cape Town homes with big gardens and fruit trees. The two need different trap sizes, different placement and different proofing, so one product thrown at both usually misses one of them. If you already know which you have, our rat control and mouse control pages go into the detail. If you are not sure, a WhatsApp photo of the droppings next to a coin settles it quickly.
Mistakes that cost weeks
- Waiting for the rain to stop. Rodents that move in during a wet Cape winter do not move out when the sun comes back. They breed and stay.
- Cleaning away the evidence. Droppings, grease marks and chewed packaging show us where to start. Photograph everything before you wipe it, or leave one cupboard as it is.
- Treating only the room where you saw it. The mouse in the kitchen may be living in the garage, the Wendy house or the pump housing next to the pool.
- Not mentioning the animals. Chickens, tortoises, a koi pond or a dog that digs all change where bait can safely go. Tell us when you book, not when we arrive.
- Forgetting the neighbours. An overgrown back yard or open compost next door can keep feeding the problem. A friendly word often helps more than another trap.
Phone 021 012 5825 or send photos on WhatsApp for a free quote. Businesses that need regular visits and records can look at our contract pest control options.
Quick answers
Do you do rodent control for restaurants?
Yes. We set up a programme with station maps and reports, which is what health inspectors want to see.
Why do the rats keep coming back?
Usually because there is still food or an open entry point. That is why proofing is part of every job.
Can you help on a farm or smallholding?
Yes, we cover the Boland and design the plan around livestock, feed stores and wildlife like owls.