Mosquito Control for Claremont homes and businesses

Claremont is the Southern Suburbs' shopping and office hub, built around Cavendish Square, Main Road and the station, with leafy residential streets running up towards the mountain. Our work here swings between commercial kitchens and retail on one side and older family homes with big trees on the other.

Biting insects in Claremont: what we see

Bed bugs turn up in student lets and flats, often after second-hand furniture comes in. Fleas follow pets and sometimes squirrels nesting in the roof.

Being close to Newlands and the mountain, Claremont is one of the wetter parts of Cape Town in winter, so damp walls and soggy gardens are normal. Large oaks and plane trees line the streets, and Arderne Gardens holds an old collection of big trees. That green canopy feeds roof rats and grey squirrels and gives wasps sheltered nesting spots.

Upper Claremont has large older homes and newer cluster developments on generous, tree-filled plots, while the lower side near Main Road has flats, offices and shops packed close together. Big shopping centres and restaurant strips create the sort of food waste and service corridors rodents love. Older homes have wooden floors, sash windows and outbuildings that give pests plenty of hiding places.

How to tell you have a problem

1. Small dark mosquitoes resting on shaded walls, under the eaves or behind curtains during the day.
2. Wriggling larvae, sometimes called wigglers, in pond edges, buckets, bird baths or pool covers.
3. Swarms in the evening near a water feature, drain or neglected pool.
4. Itchy, raised bites on arms, face and feet that were left outside the covers.

Worth knowing

The south-easter is not all bad news. Mosquitoes struggle to fly in strong wind, so windy Cape Town days are often bite-free, and the worst nights come when the wind drops.

What happens when we come out

Source reduction always comes first: we walk the property and find every place water collects, from gutters and drains to ponds, water features, plant saucers and covered pools, and tell you which ones to empty, fix or cover. Water that cannot be removed, such as ponds and drains, can be treated with a larvicide or insect growth regulator that stops larvae becoming adults. Adult mosquitoes rest in cool, shaded places during the day, so we apply a residual spray to the undersides of shrubs, hedges, eaves, patio ceilings and other resting areas. For events or heavy problems, ULV fogging can knock down adult numbers quickly, but it only works properly when combined with dealing with the breeding sites.

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

Prevention that actually works

• Store old tyres, tins and containers under cover or throw them away.
• Fit mosquito screens to bedroom windows and use a net over cots in summer.
• Keep pool water circulating and treated, and drain the water that collects on top of pool covers.
• Clean gutters after winter so they do not hold water through summer.
• Empty pot-plant saucers, buckets, bird baths and pet water bowls at least once a week, because larvae develop into adults in about a week in hot weather.

Pricing, honestly

Cost depends on the size of the property, how many breeding sites there are and whether larger water bodies such as ponds or drains need treating. A once-off treatment is priced differently from a programme of visits through the summer season. Fogging for an event is quoted on the size of the area, and the quote itself is free.

Most mosquito problems on a normal suburban property can be cut dramatically by the owner just by emptying standing water every week. Plug-in repellents and sprays help you sleep, but they do nothing about where the mosquitoes come from. Call a professional when the breeding site is something you cannot fix yourself, like a large pond, a blocked drain or a neighbouring property, or when you need numbers down for an event.

Questions we get asked in Claremont

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