Fishmoth Control for Montague Gardens homes and businesses

Montague Gardens is mostly warehouses, showrooms and distribution yards, so the calls we get here are about stock, loading bays and compliance rather than bedrooms. A rat in a food warehouse is a bigger problem than a rat in a garage, because one gnawed pallet can mean a rejected consignment.

Crawling insects around Montague Gardens

German cockroaches turn up in staff canteens and kitchenettes, and American cockroaches come up through floor drains. Ants trail in along expansion joints in the concrete floors.

Big steel-framed sheds with roller doors, mezzanine offices and long racking aisles make up most of the area, with a few trade counters and factory shops mixed in. Roller doors that stand open all day are the main entry point for rodents and birds. Racking that goes up to the roof gives mice somewhere quiet to nest where nobody looks for months. Ceiling voids above the offices tend to be where the droppings turn up first.

A note from the field

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.

Signs to look for

1. Wallpaper is lifting or damaged along the edges where the glue has been eaten.
2. Clothing, curtains or linen made from cotton, linen or silk have small holes or thinned patches.
3. Fishmoths drop from the ceiling or come out of light fittings and cornices, a sign they are living in the roof space.
4. Yellowish stains or tiny pepper-like droppings are left on paper and shelves.
5. Silvery, fast-moving insects are seen when you lift boxes, books or linen.
6. Shed scales and skins collect in drawers, cupboards and bathroom corners.

Our process, step by step

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.

Prevention that actually works

• 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.
• Improve ventilation in bathrooms and laundries with an extractor fan or by keeping a window open after showers.
• Fix leaks under basins, around geysers and in the roof, since fishmoths need moisture.

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.

Fishmoth Control questions from Montague Gardens

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