What we deal with
Contract work looks different depending on the site. Restaurants and food factories need tight control of German cockroaches, flies and rodents, with records ready for health inspections and food safety audits. Warehouses and grain or feed stores deal mainly with Norway rats, house mice and stored product pests like weevils and Indian meal moth. Offices, retail centres and schools want discreet routine servicing with as little disruption as possible. Body corporates and estates usually need rodent perimeter control and common-area treatments, while wine farms and packhouses in the Boland need rodent and fly programmes that fit around harvest.
Signs to look for
Tick every sign you have noticed. It takes ten seconds.
Why it matters: For a food business, a single cockroach or rodent sighting by a customer or inspector can lead to a closure notice, lost trade and reputational damage that lasts far longer than the problem. Rodents in warehouses contaminate stock and chew wiring and packaging, which can mean whole pallets written off. Without service records, it is hard to show you took reasonable steps if a complaint is made. In shared properties like estates, pests that are not controlled at the boundary end up in individual homes.
How we treat it
We start with a site survey to map risk areas, entry points, waste handling and storage, then design a programme around it. Rodent control relies on numbered tamper-resistant bait stations and traps placed on a site plan, checked and logged at every visit. Insects are managed with gel baits, insect growth regulators and targeted residual treatments, with fly control units where appropriate in food areas. Every visit produces a written report noting activity, products used and any proofing or hygiene issues for your team to fix. Least-toxic options come first, which matters in kitchens and around food handling.
- Site survey
We walk the premises with you and note risk areas, entry points, waste handling and storage practices.
- Programme design
We propose a visit frequency, the number and placement of bait stations and monitors, and the treatments needed.
- Installation
Bait stations and monitoring points are installed, numbered and marked on a site plan.
- Routine servicing
Technicians inspect, refill and treat at each scheduled visit, adjusting where activity changes.
- Records and reports
Each visit is documented so you have a complete pest control file for audits and inspections.
- Call-outs between visits
If you spot activity between services, you call us and we respond within the contract terms.
Things most people don't know
Auditors are not only checking that you have a pest contractor; they want to see trends. A file showing station activity dropping over months says much more than a stack of invoices.
The most common weakness we find in commercial kitchens is not hygiene, it is gaps. A missing drain cover or a gap behind a wall-mounted unit will keep cockroaches coming whatever the cleaning schedule.
Bait stations only work if they stay where they are placed. Cleaners moving them to mop, or staff stacking boxes in front of them, quietly undo a lot of good work.
When it peaks in Cape Town
A good contract covers the whole year, but the focus shifts with Cape Town's seasons. Rodent pressure rises from May as the rain arrives and sites near open ground see more activity. Flies and cockroaches peak from November to March, which is when food businesses most often need extra visits.
DIY or call a professional?
Some businesses try to run pest control in-house with bait from a hardware store, and it rarely survives an audit because there are no records, no site plan and no trend data. A contract is not for every business, but if you prepare or store food, it is worth having. The cost of one bad inspection outweighs years of servicing.
What affects the price
Contract pricing depends on the size of the site, the type of business and the level of risk, so a restaurant kitchen is priced differently from an office block. The number of bait stations, monitors and fly units, and how often we visit, are the main factors. Multi-site contracts and longer agreements are quoted on their own terms after a site survey.
Preventing it coming back
- Keep loading bay doors and roller shutters closed when not in use, as they are the main rodent entry point in warehouses.
- Store stock on pallets away from walls so stations can be checked and rodent activity spotted early.
- Act on the proofing and hygiene notes in each service report, since many repeat issues come from the same unfixed gap.
- Train staff to log sightings with the date, time and place, which makes each service more targeted.
- Keep waste areas clean and bins lidded, especially in summer when flies breed in days.
- Rotate dry stock first in, first out to stop stored product pests settling in old stock.
Frequently asked questions
How often will you visit?
That depends on the site and risk. Food businesses usually need more frequent visits than offices, and we agree the schedule with you after the site survey.
Will your records stand up to an audit?
Each visit is documented with a site plan, activity notes, products used and recommendations, which is the kind of file auditors and inspectors ask to see.
Can you service us outside trading hours?
Yes. After-hours and weekend servicing is available on request, which suits restaurants and retail.
What happens if we see a pest between visits?
Call or WhatsApp us and we respond under the terms of your contract. Our 24-hour line takes advice and booking calls.
Do you handle multiple sites?
Yes, we can run one programme across several sites in Cape Town and the Boland, with records for each.
Is there a guarantee on contract treatments?
Treatments carry a minimum 3-month guarantee, and on a contract any activity between visits is dealt with as part of the service.
Contract Pest Control Services by area
We cover all of these suburbs from our base in Brackenfell. Pick yours for local advice.
