Gordon's Bay Cricket Control

Gordon's Bay is a harbour village tucked into the corner of False Bay, with houses stacked up the mountainside and holiday flats near the beach. Rodents in roofs, gulls on rooftops and ants in summer are what we deal with most.

Crawling insects around Gordon's Bay

Argentine ants are a summer staple, and scorpions and rain spiders are common on the upper slopes. German cockroaches are mainly a restaurant problem.

Homes are built up the slopes of the Hottentots Holland mountains, many with sea views, split levels and retaining walls. Holiday flats and apartment blocks sit near the beach and harbour, and many homes are holiday properties. Houses on steep plots have sub-floor voids and garages under the house where rodents hide. Restaurants around the harbour bring commercial work.

The village sits right at the foot of the mountains, with the GB anchor above town and the sea in front. The South-Easter is famously strong here, sometimes funnelling down the mountain in powerful gusts. Fynbos on the slopes brings scorpions, spiders and rodents close to homes.

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 sometimes damage stored clothing, curtains and cardboard in damp outbuildings. If you use a garage or storeroom for storage, dry it out and box things in plastic.

Tell-tale signs

1. Loud chirping at night that stops as soon as you walk towards it.
2. Large numbers of crickets attracted to outside lights on warm nights.
3. Small chewed holes in clothing, curtains or paper stored in damp places.
4. Raised, soft ridges and tunnels in the lawn, especially after watering.
5. Patches of grass that brown and die, and lift easily because the roots have been cut.

How the treatment works

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

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

Pricing, honestly

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.

Field crickets are loudest and most noticeable in the warm months from late spring through summer. They often move indoors in autumn as the nights cool down and the first rains arrive. Mole cricket damage to lawns shows up most in spring and summer when they are active near the surface.

Frequently asked questions

Cricket Control nearby and related