Flying Insect Control in Atlantic Seaboard

The Atlantic Seaboard runs from Mouille Point and Green Point down past Sea Point, Bantry Bay and Clifton to Camps Bay, squeezed between the mountain and the cold ocean. Pest work here is mostly in apartment blocks, restaurants and holiday rentals, where one problem flat can spread to the whole building.

Flying Insect Control by suburb

We cover all 26 suburbs on our City Bowl & Atlantic Seaboard route. Each suburb page covers what we find there and what works for those streets and buildings.

• Bantry BayFlying Insect Control
• Bo-KaapFlying Insect Control
• Camps BayFlying Insect Control
• CliftonFlying Insect Control
• De WaterkantFlying Insect Control
• ForeshoreFlying Insect Control
• FresnayeFlying Insect Control
• GardensFlying Insect Control
• Green PointFlying Insect Control
• HiggovaleFlying Insect Control
• Hout BayFlying Insect Control
• Imizamo YethuFlying Insect Control
• LlandudnoFlying Insect Control
• Malay QuarterFlying Insect Control
• Mouille PointFlying Insect Control
• OranjezichtFlying Insect Control
• Schotsche KloofFlying Insect Control
• Sea PointFlying Insect Control
• TamboerskloofFlying Insect Control
• Three Anchor BayFlying Insect Control
• University EstateFlying Insect Control
• Upper WoodstockFlying Insect Control
• VredehoekFlying Insect Control
• Walmer EstateFlying Insect Control
• WoodstockFlying Insect Control
• ZonnebloemFlying Insect Control

Flying insects in Atlantic Seaboard: what we see

Houseflies follow restaurant bins, and clothes moths do well in seasonal homes that stand closed for months. Wasps nest in balcony railings and gutters higher up the slopes.

The cold Atlantic keeps summers mild, but the air is salty and damp, so roof timbers and cupboards hold moisture. Lion's Head, Signal Hill and the Twelve Apostles rise right behind the houses, and the fynbos and rocky slopes are where rodents and some spiders come from. When the South-Easter drops in late summer, flies and mosquitoes become noticeable along the promenade.

Tell-tale signs

1. Tiny moth-like flies sit on bathroom walls near the shower or basin drain.
2. Small flies hover over the fruit bowl, the recycling bin or the drip tray under a bar tap.
3. A sudden swarm of large blowflies appears indoors, which often points to something dead in the roof or wall.
4. Flies keep gathering around the same window, light or rubbish area even after you have cleaned and sprayed.
5. You hear whining at night and wake up with fresh bites on exposed arms and ankles.

A note from the field

A common myth is that flies come in from outside and that is the end of the story. In a lot of homes the flies are actually breeding indoors, in a drain, a forgotten bag of potatoes or the bottom of a bin.

Our process, step by step

We start by identifying the insect properly, because a drain fly needs a completely different fix from a house fly or a mosquito. Breeding sites come first: drains are cleaned out and treated with a larvicide or bio-enzyme product, standing water is tipped or treated, and waste areas are sorted out. Only then do we use residual sprays on resting surfaces such as window frames and wall tops, fly bait stations away from food, and ULV fogging where a large space needs a quick knockdown. In commercial kitchens and food stores we install insect light traps with glue boards so there is constant monitoring between visits. Wasp nests are treated with a dust or spray directly into the nest and removed once the colony is dead.

Want the full step-by-step? See how our flying insect control service works.

Stopping a repeat visit

• Tip out pot plant saucers, birdbaths and anything else that holds water for more than a few days.
• Keep wheelie bins closed, rinse them out in summer, and park them away from the kitchen door.
• Pour boiling water down slow drains weekly and scrub the inside of the drain pipe with a brush, since that slime is where drain flies breed.
• Fit fly screens on kitchen windows and keep a self-closing door or strip curtain on back doors that open onto bins.

What affects the price

The price depends on which insect we are treating, because a single wasp nest is a very different job from a fly problem in a large food factory. The size of the property, how many breeding sites there are and how hard they are to get at, such as roof voids or sealed drains, all affect the time on site. Commercial sites with light traps and scheduled visits are usually best quoted as a contract, and we give free quotes once we know what is flying.

Flying insects peak from about October to March, when hot weather speeds up breeding and a fly can go from egg to adult in around a week. The south-easter keeps numbers down on the exposed side of the city but pushes flies indoors in sheltered suburbs, and mosquitoes often surge after the last winter rains leave water lying around. Wasps build their nests in spring and are at their most defensive in late summer when colonies are biggest.

Frequently asked questions

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