Cricket Control in the City Bowl

The City Bowl is the CBD and the older residential suburbs packed into the bowl formed by Table Mountain, Devil's Peak, Lion's Head and Signal Hill. Pest work here is a mix of restaurant and office contracts in town and older homes and flats up the slopes, with rats tying the two together.

Cricket Control by suburb

We cover all 26 suburbs on our City Bowl & Atlantic Seaboard route. Each suburb page covers what we find there and what works for those streets and buildings.

• Bantry BayCricket Control
• Bo-KaapCricket Control
• Camps BayCricket Control
• CliftonCricket Control
• De WaterkantCricket Control
• ForeshoreCricket Control
• FresnayeCricket Control
• GardensCricket Control
• Green PointCricket Control
• HiggovaleCricket Control
• Hout BayCricket Control
• Imizamo YethuCricket Control
• LlandudnoCricket Control
• Malay QuarterCricket Control
• Mouille PointCricket Control
• OranjezichtCricket Control
• Schotsche KloofCricket Control
• Sea PointCricket Control
• TamboerskloofCricket Control
• Three Anchor BayCricket Control
• University EstateCricket Control
• Upper WoodstockCricket Control
• VredehoekCricket Control
• Walmer EstateCricket Control
• WoodstockCricket Control
• ZonnebloemCricket Control

Crawling insects in City Bowl: what we see

German cockroaches are the staple of restaurant and hotel kitchens, and they move between flats along shared risers. American cockroaches emerge from old floor drains at night, and fishmoths chew wallpaper and books in damp Victorian rooms.

In the CBD you have office towers, heritage buildings, hotels and hundreds of restaurants and cafés. Up the slopes are Victorian and Edwardian semis with wooden floors and corrugated iron roofs, along with newer apartment blocks. Old buildings have gaps, voids and old drains that rodents and cockroaches use, while flats share ducts and refuse rooms.

The mountain rises right behind the suburbs, with the Company's Garden and the slopes of Table Mountain National Park providing green corridors. Winter rain runs hard down the slopes, and the South-Easter brings the famous tablecloth and blows litter around the streets. The heat traps in the bowl on still summer days.

Rats are the big one, living in old drains, restaurant lanes and the Company's Garden. German cockroaches are common in restaurants and flats. Pigeons on buildings and bed bugs in hotels and rentals round out the main issues.

Worth knowing

Reducing crickets on a property can also reduce spiders and scorpions, which come in to hunt them. It is one of those cases where solving one small problem helps with another.

Signs to look for

1. Raised, soft ridges and tunnels in the lawn, especially after watering.
2. Crickets sheltering in the garage, under appliances or behind skirting boards.
3. Patches of grass that brown and die, and lift easily because the roots have been cut.
4. Small chewed holes in clothing, curtains or paper stored in damp places.
5. Loud chirping at night that stops as soon as you walk towards it.
6. Birds and hadedas probing the lawn intensively, which is often a sign of mole crickets or other insects underneath.

How we handle cricket control in City Bowl

Indoors, we focus on finding where the crickets are coming in and hiding, then apply a residual treatment to entry points, door thresholds, garage edges and other hiding spots. Granular baits can be used around the perimeter of the house to reduce numbers before they reach the walls. For mole crickets, the lawn is treated with a targeted product and watered in so it reaches the tunnels, and timing matters because young mole crickets near the surface are easier to control. We use the least-toxic effective option and avoid spraying open living areas.

Want the full step-by-step? See how our cricket control service works.

Stopping a repeat visit

• Clear leaf litter, mulch, firewood and garden rubbish away from the walls of the house.
• Fit brush strips under exterior doors and garage doors so crickets cannot walk straight in.
• Swap bright white outside lights for yellow or warm-coloured bulbs, which attract fewer insects.
• Keep the garage and storeroom tidy and dry, since crickets love damp cardboard and clutter.
• Water the lawn deeply but less often, as constantly damp soil suits mole crickets.

How much will it cost?

The cost depends on whether it is an indoor nuisance, a lawn problem or both, and on the size of the property and garden. A large lawn with widespread mole cricket damage takes more product and time than a perimeter treatment for a house. Follow-up treatments, if needed to catch a second generation, are included in a free quote upfront.

One cricket behind the fridge is a job for a torch and a glass, not a pest control company. If crickets keep coming in night after night, or your lawn is lifting with tunnels, a professional perimeter or lawn treatment will save you a lot of frustration. Buying lawn insecticide and guessing the timing often wastes money.

Cricket Control questions from City Bowl

Cricket Control nearby and related