Camps Bay has the beach, the palms and the Twelve Apostles towering behind it, and plenty of homes that are let out to visitors for part of the year. From our side, it is a suburb of big glass houses on steep plots, busy restaurants on Victoria Road and a mountain that sends rodents and insects downhill.
Crawling insects around Camps Bay
German cockroaches live in commercial kitchens and spread in holiday villas through deliveries and luggage. Argentine ants love the irrigated, lush gardens, and fishmoths settle in cool basement storerooms.
Houses step up the slope in terraces, with basements, garages and pool rooms cut into the hillside. These lower levels stay cool and damp and are where rats, fishmoths and cockroaches settle first. Guest houses and villas with frequent changeovers need fast, discreet treatments, and the restaurant strip along the beachfront has its own commercial kitchens and refuse areas to manage.
Rats in basements and roof spaces top the list, followed by German cockroaches in restaurants and holiday homes. Ants trail in from irrigated gardens, and bed bugs come in with luggage in short-term lets. Gulls and pigeons cause mess on roofs, decks and pool areas.
Tell-tale signs
- Wallpaper is lifting or damaged along the edges where the glue has been eaten.
- Irregular grazed patches or small holes appear on book covers, wallpaper or photographs.
- Fishmoths drop from the ceiling or come out of light fittings and cornices, a sign they are living in the roof space.
- Shed scales and skins collect in drawers, cupboards and bathroom corners.
Fishmoths do not bite or spread disease, but they cause slow, steady damage. They eat the glue in book bindings and wallpaper, the starch in fabrics and paper, and the surface of photographs and documents. For offices, schools, libraries and archives, they can damage records that cannot be replaced. Their presence is also a strong clue to damp or poor ventilation that may be causing other problems in the building.
Something most people miss
When a technician deals with fishmoths, the first place they look is up. The roof space is often where the main population lives, out of sight, especially with the grey silverfish common in Cape Town.
Fishmoths can live for several years and can survive months without food. That is why a single wipe-down does not work and why treatments that keep working in cracks are so useful.
How we handle fishmoth control in Camps Bay
Fishmoths often live in roof spaces, wall voids and behind cornices, so a fine insecticidal dust blown into the ceiling void is one of our most effective tools. Inside, we apply a targeted residual treatment into cracks, cupboard corners, skirting gaps and behind bookshelves rather than spraying open surfaces. Fishmoths are long-lived and lay eggs in hidden cracks, so treatments that keep working for a while are more useful than a quick knockdown. We pair the treatment with advice on damp, ventilation and storage, because changing the conditions is what stops them coming back.
Want the full step-by-step? See how our fishmoth control service works.
Stopping a repeat visit
- Vacuum regularly inside cupboards, along skirting boards and behind furniture to remove eggs and food sources.
- Store books, documents and photographs in sealed plastic boxes, not cardboard, especially in garages and storerooms.
- Avoid stacking old newspapers, magazines and cardboard boxes in cupboards for long periods.
- Fix leaks under basins, around geysers and in the roof, since fishmoths need moisture.
- Improve ventilation in bathrooms and laundries with an extractor fan or by keeping a window open after showers.
What affects the price
The price depends on the size of the property, how many rooms and cupboards are affected, and whether the roof space needs to be treated. Easy access to the ceiling void keeps the job simpler, while a home with lots of built-in cupboards and shelves takes more time. Offices, archives and storerooms with large amounts of paper are quoted separately, and every quote is free.
Fishmoths are active all year because they live indoors, but Cape Town's damp winters make them more noticeable as moisture rises in roofs, walls and cupboards. Grey silverfish in the roof space may become more visible in summer when the ceiling heats up and pushes them down into the rooms below.
Frequently asked questions
Do fishmoths mean I have damp?
Often, yes. Common silverfish in particular need high humidity, so seeing them regularly in one room is a good reason to check for leaks or poor ventilation.
Can you treat a Camps Bay holiday villa between guest bookings?
Yes, we can plan the visit for a changeover day and use odourless products where possible. Ask about after-hours or weekend visits if your turnaround is tight.
How long does a fishmoth treatment last?
Our treatments carry a minimum 3-month guarantee. Fixing damp and changing storage habits makes the result last much longer.
Do rats in Camps Bay come down from the mountain?
Some do, especially roof rats living in the pines near the Glen and on the Twelve Apostles slopes. Others live around restaurant refuse areas, so we look at both before placing bait and sealing gaps.
Do you come out to Camps Bay for fishmoth control?
Yes. Camps Bay is part of our regular City Bowl & Atlantic Seaboard route, along with Clifton, Bantry Bay, Atlantic Seaboard, Llandudno. Most bookings are done within about 48 hours, and after-hours visits can be arranged.
Why are fishmoths falling from my ceiling?
That usually means there is a population in the roof space. Treating the ceiling void with a dust is the most effective way to deal with it.
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