Schotsche Kloof is the upper, steeper part of the Bo-Kaap, climbing toward Signal Hill. Homes are close together and families have often lived here for generations, so we work with households who know their neighbours and their pest history well.
Schotsche Kloof: what drives flying insects here
Flies collect around refuse areas, and mosquitoes breed in blocked gutters and flat-roof puddles after rain.
The area sits on the lower slopes of Signal Hill, which brings strong South-Easter winds and run-off in winter. The hillside's open veld and brush shelter rodents, and stormwater can carry debris down the slopes. Winters are wet and summers hot and windy.
There's a mix of older flat-roofed terraced cottages, newer renovations and the large blocks of council flats that the area is known for. Shared walls and flat roofs make it easy for rats and cockroaches to move from home to home. In the flats, cockroaches and bed bugs travel through service ducts and shared refuse areas. Renovated homes sometimes trap old pest problems inside new walls.
Rats and German cockroaches are the most common calls, especially in the flats. Bed bugs and fleas appear in crowded homes. Pigeons are a constant on rooftops.
Signs to look for
- Paper wasps are coming and going from the same spot under the eaves, a gutter or a garden umbrella.
- You hear whining at night and wake up with fresh bites on exposed arms and ankles.
- Flies keep gathering around the same window, light or rubbish area even after you have cleaned and sprayed.
- Tiny moth-like flies sit on bathroom walls near the shower or basin drain.
- A sudden swarm of large blowflies appears indoors, which often points to something dead in the roof or wall.
Something most people miss
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.
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.
How the treatment works
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
- 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.
- Keep wheelie bins closed, rinse them out in summer, and park them away from the kitchen door.
- Tip out pot plant saucers, birdbaths and anything else that holds water for more than a few days.
- Fit fly screens on kitchen windows and keep a self-closing door or strip curtain on back doors that open onto bins.
- Store flour, cereal and pet food in sealed containers so pantry moths have nothing to breed in.
How much will it cost?
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.
Questions we get asked in Schotsche Kloof
Do you come out to Schotsche Kloof for flying insect control?
Yes. Schotsche Kloof is part of our regular City Bowl & Atlantic Seaboard route, along with Bo-Kaap, Malay Quarter, Tamboerskloof, City Bowl. Most bookings are done within about 48 hours, and after-hours visits can be arranged.
Do the rats in Schotsche Kloof come down from Signal Hill?
Some do, especially in winter. But most rat problems here are fed by shared refuse areas, so keeping bins sealed and treating as a block makes the biggest difference.
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.
Can you treat our whole block of flats for cockroaches?
Yes, treating a whole block at once is the most effective approach. We'll plan the visit with residents and leave a post-treatment report.
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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