Mosquito Control Hanover Park

Hanover Park is mostly blocks of flats with a lot of families under each roof. For a pest technician that means one thing: anything that starts in one unit, whether it is cockroaches, bed bugs or mice, has a stairwell and a shared wall to travel along.

Biting insects in Hanover Park: what we see

Bed bugs travel between flats on clothes, bags and second-hand furniture. Fleas are common where pets sleep indoors.

The ground is flat Cape Flats sand, and in winter stormwater can lie around the blocks for days. Open fields between the blocks collect windblown litter when the South-Easter is pumping. That combination of damp ground in winter and dry, windy, littered open space in summer keeps rodents comfortable all year.

Something most people miss

A common myth is that mosquitoes breed only in big bodies of water. In practice, a bottle cap of water in a pot-plant saucer or a sagging gutter is enough to produce a steady supply right next to your bedroom.

What gives them away

1. Day-time bites on the ankles while sitting in the garden, which points to Aedes breeding nearby.
2. Itchy, raised bites on arms, face and feet that were left outside the covers.
3. Small dark mosquitoes resting on shaded walls, under the eaves or behind curtains during the day.
4. Wriggling larvae, sometimes called wigglers, in pond edges, buckets, bird baths or pool covers.
5. Swarms in the evening near a water feature, drain or neglected pool.
6. A high-pitched whine near your ear just as you fall asleep.

Our process, step by step

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.

Stopping a repeat visit

• Clean gutters after winter so they do not hold water through summer.
• Stock ornamental ponds with small fish that eat larvae, and keep water features running.
• Keep pool water circulating and treated, and drain the water that collects on top of pool covers.
• 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.
• Store old tyres, tins and containers under cover or throw them away.

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.

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