Flea Control in Tamboerskloof, Cape Town

Tamboerskloof climbs steeply up the slopes of Lion's Head and Signal Hill above Kloof Street.

Fleas and bird mites in Tamboerskloof

Fleas come up in Tamboerskloof guest houses and flats between occupants, especially when a previous tenant or guest had pets, and in homes where dogs walk on Lion's Head and Signal Hill. Larvae develop in rugs and the gaps between old floorboards. Bird mites can also drop into rooms from pigeon nests in the roof.

We treat floors, rugs and pet areas with a product that stops larvae developing, and deal with pigeon nests if they're the cause. Pets should be treated by the vet on the same day.

Victorian and Edwardian homes with wooden floors, sash windows and pressed-ceiling interiors sit beside newer apartment blocks and converted guest houses. Kloof Street's restaurants and shops add a busy commercial layer at the bottom of the suburb.

What gives them away

From the technician

Only around one in twenty fleas in a typical infestation is an adult on the animal. The rest are eggs, larvae and pupae in the environment, which is why spot-on treatments alone often fail.

People often say fleas cannot survive without a pet in the house. Adult fleas need a host, but pupae can sit in a carpet for weeks or months and hatch the moment they sense someone walking past.

What happens when we come out

A proper flea job hits every life stage, not just the adults. We use an insect growth regulator, which stops eggs and larvae developing into breeding adults, together with a residual insecticide on carpets, floors, under furniture and around pet resting places, both inside and in sheltered outdoor spots. Before we arrive, you vacuum thoroughly, wash pet bedding hot and lift items off the floor so the product reaches where the larvae live. The pets must be treated by your vet on the same day or just before, otherwise new fleas keep arriving. Because pupae are protected in their cocoons, we often book a follow-up treatment a couple of weeks later to catch the late hatchers.

Stopping a repeat visit

• Discourage stray cats from sleeping under the house, on the stoep or in the garage.
• Before moving into a rental or newly bought home, ask whether the previous occupants had pets, and consider a treatment before the furniture goes in.
• Wash pet bedding on a hot cycle every week or two and vacuum the areas where pets sleep.
• Keep the grass short and rake away leaf litter in shaded spots where the dog lies outside.
• Deal with rats or mice in the roof promptly, as their fleas can drop into the house.

Pricing, honestly

The main factors are the size of the house, how much carpet and soft furnishing there is, and whether outdoor areas need treating as well. A heavy infestation in a multi-pet home will usually need a follow-up visit, which we include in the quote. Preparation on your side makes a big difference to how well a single treatment works, and we give a free quote upfront.

Fleas breed fastest in warm, humid weather, so numbers rise from about October and peak through the hot Cape Town summer. Indoors they keep going all year because houses rarely get cold enough to stop them. We also see a spike in autumn when people return from holidays and the vibration of activity wakes up dormant pupae.

Questions we get asked in Tamboerskloof

Flea Control nearby and related