Delft is one of Cape Town's more densely built areas, with families living close together and many extra rooms built onto the back of houses. Most calls here are about rats, cockroaches and fleas, and the best results come from treating a few neighbouring homes together.
Delft: what drives crawling insects here
German cockroaches settle in kitchens and move through shared walls, and ants are common in sandy yards. Fishmoths show up where clothes and boxes are stored.
Housing is mostly government-built family homes on small plots, many extended with backyard rooms, wendy houses and informal structures. Homes stand close together, and extensions built with corrugated sheeting often leave gaps at the roofline. More people and more food in a small space gives pests plenty to work with. Spaza shops run from homes add stock rooms to the picture.
Tell-tale signs
- Large numbers of crickets attracted to outside lights on warm nights.
- Patches of grass that brown and die, and lift easily because the roots have been cut.
- Small chewed holes in clothing, curtains or paper stored in damp places.
- Raised, soft ridges and tunnels in the lawn, especially after watering.
- Loud chirping at night that stops as soon as you walk towards it.
- Crickets sheltering in the garage, under appliances or behind skirting boards.
Crickets do not bite people or spread disease in any meaningful way. Indoors, the main issues are lost sleep, droppings and small amounts of damage to fabrics, carpets and stored paper. Mole crickets are a bigger problem for property, because their tunnels cut grass roots and can damage lawns, sports fields and seedlings badly. Large numbers of crickets attracted to lights also draw in spiders and geckos, and sometimes scorpions.
Worth knowing
When a technician deals with a cricket complaint, the first thing they check is the outside lighting and the garage door seal. Fixing those two things often makes more difference than the treatment itself.
Crickets are not dangerous to children or pets, so there is no need to panic or use strong products indoors. A perimeter treatment keeps the products outside, away from living areas.
Our process, step by step
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.
Keeping them out afterwards
- 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.
- Seal cracks in walls and around window frames, and check that airbricks have intact mesh.
- Keep the garage and storeroom tidy and dry, since crickets love damp cardboard and clutter.
- Swap bright white outside lights for yellow or warm-coloured bulbs, which attract fewer insects.
What affects the price
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.
Questions we get asked in Delft
Is the lawn treatment safe for pets?
We use a targeted product and water it in. Keep pets off the treated area until it has dried, and we will give you specific guidance on the day.
Do crickets attract other pests?
Yes, large numbers of crickets can draw in spiders, geckos and sometimes scorpions, which feed on them. Reducing crickets often reduces those too.
Can you treat my whole row of houses in Delft for rats at once?
Yes, and it works better that way. Send us the addresses and we will give a free quote for treating the properties together.
Do you come out to Delft for cricket control?
Yes. Delft is part of our regular Cape Flats route, along with Belhar, Bishop Lavis, Kuils River, Nyanga. Most bookings are done within about 48 hours, and after-hours visits can be arranged.
My children are getting bites at night in Delft. Is it fleas or bed bugs?
Bites around the ankles usually point to fleas, while rows of bites on arms, neck or back point to bed bugs. WhatsApp us a photo of any insect you find and we will help identify it.
Why can I never find the chirping cricket?
Crickets stop chirping when they sense vibration or movement nearby, and the sound bounces off walls, which makes it hard to pinpoint. Turning off lights and moving slowly helps.
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