Mosquito Control for Retreat homes and businesses

Retreat is a busy, close-knit area where homes sit tight together and the main roads are lined with shops and taxis. Because people live close to each other, a pest problem in one yard usually becomes everybody's problem within a few weeks.

Biting insects in Retreat: what we see

Fleas from dogs and cats are a regular call, and bed bugs move between rooms in multi-family homes. Treating all connected rooms at once matters.

Retreat lies on the edge of the Cape Flats sand, near Princess Vlei and the wetland areas toward Zeekoevlei. The water table is fairly high and some streets hold water after heavy winter rain. Standing water and vlei edges mean mosquitoes, and the sandy soil is easy for rats to burrow into.

Housing ranges from older freestanding homes and semi-detached council houses to flats and backyard structures. Shared walls and closely spaced roofs let rodents and cockroaches move between units easily. Backyard rooms built from board or zinc have more gaps than brick, and they need a different approach to proofing. The shops and food outlets on Main Road and Prince George Drive add commercial pressure.

Worth knowing

Children tend to react more strongly to mosquito bites, with bigger swelling and more scratching. A net over the cot and screens on the bedroom window are simple, effective protection.

What gives them away

1. Swarms in the evening near a water feature, drain or neglected pool.
2. Wriggling larvae, sometimes called wigglers, in pond edges, buckets, bird baths or pool covers.
3. Small dark mosquitoes resting on shaded walls, under the eaves or behind curtains during the day.
4. Day-time bites on the ankles while sitting in the garden, which points to Aedes breeding nearby.

How the treatment works

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.
• Fit mosquito screens to bedroom windows and use a net over cots in 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.
• Keep pool water circulating and treated, and drain the water that collects on top of pool covers.
• Store old tyres, tins and containers under cover or throw them away.

What affects the price

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.

Mosquito Control questions from Retreat

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