Constantia means big plots, old oaks, vineyards and horses, so pest control here is often as much about the garden and outbuildings as the house itself. Squirrels in the roof, rats around the stables and wasps in the hedges are everyday conversations in the valley.
The local picture in Constantia
European paper wasps build in pergolas, eaves and hedges through summer, and flies collect around stables and manure heaps. Still ponds and water features can breed mosquitoes.
The valley climbs up to the Constantiaberg and the edge of Table Mountain National Park, with wine farms such as Groot Constantia and Klein Constantia on the slopes. It gets noticeably more winter rain than most of the city, so gardens stay lush and soil stays damp well into spring. Summer afternoons in the vineyards turn warm and still, which wasps love.
Many homes are large, older properties on generous stands, some Cape Dutch in style with thatched roofs, others modern with big glass walls and pool decks. Staff cottages, garages, stables and pool houses all add extra buildings that need checking. The newer security estates have neater gardens but still back straight onto greenbelts.
Paper wasps under eaves and in clipped hedges are a summer staple, and older thatch and timber bring borer questions whenever a house changes hands.
From the technician
Buzzing bug zappers in a kitchen can do more harm than good, because they can scatter insect fragments around. Glue board light traps are the better choice anywhere near food.
Tell-tale signs
Tick every sign you have noticed. It takes ten seconds.
What happens when we come out
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.
Keeping them out afterwards
- Tip out pot plant saucers, birdbaths and anything else that holds water for more than a few days.
- Store flour, cereal and pet food in sealed containers so pantry moths have nothing to breed in.
- Check eaves, carports and garden furniture in early spring for small paper wasp nests while they are still easy to deal with.
- 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
Do insect light traps actually work?
Yes, in the right place. They catch flies that get past your doors and screens and, just as usefully, the glue boards show us what is getting in and how many, which is why food businesses rely on them.
Do you come out to Constantia for flying insect control?
Yes. Constantia is part of our regular Southern Suburbs route, along with Bergvliet, Tokai, Plumstead, Diep River. Most bookings are done within about 48 hours, and after-hours visits can be arranged.
What are the tiny flies around my bathroom drain?
They are almost always drain flies, also called moth flies. They breed in the gel-like film inside drains, so cleaning the pipe properly works far better than spraying the walls.
Why do I still have flies after spraying?
Because spray only kills the adults that are flying at the time. New ones keep hatching from the breeding site, so until that is found and dealt with, the flies keep coming back.
Is fogging safe for my pets and children?
Fogging is only used where it is needed, and people and pets stay out until the product has settled and the room has been aired. We tell you exactly how long to wait before we start.
Can you treat a whole business, not just a house?
Yes. Restaurants, food factories, warehouses and offices usually go onto a contract with scheduled visits, monitoring and a report for each service.
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