The Cape Flats is the wide, flat sandy plain that stretches from the mountain towards False Bay, home to a huge share of Cape Town's people. Pest problems differ from suburb to suburb, but the common thread is sandy ground, a high water table in winter and a lot of homes built close together.
Fishmoth Control by suburb
We cover all 24 suburbs on our Cape Flats route. Each suburb page covers what we find there and what works for those streets and buildings.
- AthloneFishmoth Control
- BelharFishmoth Control
- Bishop LavisFishmoth Control
- BonteheuwelFishmoth Control
- CrawfordFishmoth Control
- DelftFishmoth Control
- Electric CityFishmoth Control
- Elsies RiverFishmoth Control
- Grassy ParkFishmoth Control
- GugulethuFishmoth Control
- Hanover ParkFishmoth Control
- KalksteenfonteinFishmoth Control
- KhayelitshaFishmoth Control
- LangaFishmoth Control
- Lavender HillFishmoth Control
- Lotus RiverFishmoth Control
- ManenbergFishmoth Control
- Mitchells PlainFishmoth Control
- NyangaFishmoth Control
- Pelican ParkFishmoth Control
- PhilippiFishmoth Control
- Samora MachelFishmoth Control
- StrandfonteinFishmoth Control
- Valhalla ParkFishmoth Control
Cape Flats: what drives crawling insects here
German cockroaches breed behind fridges and in the shelving of spaza shops, then spread along shared walls. In the sandy yards you also get crickets, harvester ants and now and then a thick-tailed scorpion under bricks or zinc sheeting.
Housing ranges from older council semis and flat blocks to RDP homes, backyard rooms and informal structures. Where walls and roofs are shared, rodents and cockroaches move between households quickly, and informal structures with gaps at the base are hard to seal. Waste collection and stormwater that cannot cope after heavy rain make the job harder, which is why community-wide approaches work best.
The Flats were once dunes and wetlands, and in winter the water table rises, flooding yards and low streets. The Philippi Horticultural Area, the vleis like Zeekoevlei and Rondevlei, and the canals that feed them breed mosquitoes and shelter rodents. In summer the South-Easter blows sand and litter across the open land.
Rats and mice are the biggest worry, followed by German cockroaches, flies and fleas. Mosquitoes are worst near vleis and canals. Bed bugs spread in crowded homes and through second-hand furniture.
Worth knowing
Many people think fishmoths only eat paper. They also go after the glue in wallpaper and book bindings, starch in fabrics, and even dried food crumbs and dead insects in cupboards.
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.
Tell-tale signs
- Wallpaper is lifting or damaged along the edges where the glue has been eaten.
- Silvery, fast-moving insects are seen when you lift boxes, books or linen.
- Shed scales and skins collect in drawers, cupboards and bathroom corners.
- Irregular grazed patches or small holes appear on book covers, wallpaper or photographs.
How the treatment works
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
- 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.
- Avoid stacking old newspapers, magazines and cardboard boxes in cupboards for long periods.
- Store books, documents and photographs in sealed plastic boxes, not cardboard, especially in garages and storerooms.
- Seal cracks around skirting boards, cornices and built-in cupboards where they hide and lay eggs.
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.
Questions we get asked in Cape Flats
Are fishmoths and silverfish the same thing?
Yes. Fishmoth is the common South African name for silverfish, and it covers a few related species, including the grey silverfish common in Cape Town.
Do you come out to Cape Flats for fishmoth control?
Yes. Cape Flats is part of our regular Cape Flats route, along with Mitchells Plain, Khayelitsha, Gugulethu, Athlone. Most bookings are done within about 48 hours, and after-hours visits can be arranged.
Can fishmoths damage clothes?
They can graze cotton, linen, silk and starched fabrics, particularly items stored for long periods in damp cupboards. They are less of a problem on synthetics.
Does winter flooding push rats into homes on the Cape Flats?
Yes. When the water table rises and drains back up, rats are flushed out of their burrows and look for dry shelter in houses and outbuildings, so baiting and sealing gaps in April or May, before the heavy rain, pays off.
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.
Why are mosquitoes so bad near the vleis on the Cape Flats?
Because Zeekoevlei, Rondevlei and the canals that feed them hold still, shallow water where mosquitoes breed easily. Fitting mesh to bedroom windows and tipping out any standing water in the yard each week makes the biggest difference at home.
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