Lansdowne is a busy, settled suburb where Lansdowne Road and Jan Smuts Drive bring a steady stream of traffic and trade. Shops, mosques, schools and family homes all sit close together, so pest pressure is a mix of household and commercial.
The local picture in Lansdowne
German cockroaches love the warm motors under fridges and in takeaway kitchens. Ants and crickets come up from the sandy gardens in summer.
The housing is mostly single-storey brick homes and semi-detached houses on modest stands, many extended over the years with extra rooms at the back. Every add-on creates new joins in the roof and walls, and those gaps are where mice and cockroaches get in. Along the main roads, shops with flats above share walls and ceilings, which lets rodents travel between them.
House mice and rats are the most common call, followed by German cockroaches in kitchens and shops. Ants march in every summer. Flies are a nuisance near takeaways and around bins.
What gives them away
- Clothing, curtains or linen made from cotton, linen or silk have small holes or thinned patches.
- Shed scales and skins collect in drawers, cupboards and bathroom corners.
- Silvery, fast-moving insects are seen when you lift boxes, books or linen.
- Yellowish stains or tiny pepper-like droppings are left on paper and shelves.
- Irregular grazed patches or small holes appear on book covers, wallpaper or photographs.
A note from the field
Fishmoths are harmless to children and pets, which means you can take your time and choose a gentle, targeted treatment rather than anything heavy-handed.
A frequent mistake is spraying the cupboard and leaving everything else as it was. If the cardboard boxes and damp corners stay, the fishmoths will be back within a few months.
What happens when we come out
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.
Keeping them out afterwards
- 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.
- 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.
- Fix leaks under basins, around geysers and in the roof, since fishmoths need moisture.
How much will it cost?
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 Lansdowne
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.
Why do I hear mice in my ceiling but never see them in the house?
They are probably nesting in the roof space and feeding outside or in the kitchen at night. In Lansdowne this often happens where an extension joins the original roof, so we start our inspection there.
Do you come out to Lansdowne for fishmoth control?
Yes. Lansdowne is part of our regular Southern Suburbs route, along with Crawford, Kenwyn, Rondebosch East, Athlone. Most bookings are done within about 48 hours, and after-hours visits can be arranged.
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.
Do you treat shops and restaurants on Lansdowne Road?
Yes. We do cockroach, rodent and fly control for food businesses and provide a post-treatment report you can keep on file.
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.
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