Rugby Mouse Control

Rugby is a small, older residential pocket squeezed between Brooklyn, the Ysterplaat air base and the industry of Paarden Eiland. Homes here sit very close to warehouses and busy roads, so rodents are never far away.

Rodents around Rugby

Brown rats spill over from the warehouses and yards in Paarden Eiland and burrow under boundary walls. Roof rats get into older homes through broken eaves and vent gaps.

Most houses are modest, older brick homes and semis on small plots, often with backyard rooms or workshops added on. A few streets have small flats and businesses mixed in. Old roofs and outbuildings give rats somewhere to nest, and shared boundary walls let them move from yard to yard. The neighbouring industrial zone has warehouses, yards and food storage that keep rodent numbers high.

Rats are top of the list, with German cockroaches, flies and fleas following. Pigeons are a nuisance on the bigger buildings nearby.

A note from the field

In flats and townhouses, mice often move between units through shared walls and service ducts, so one owner treating alone may only push them next door.

How to tell you have a problem

1. Small droppings about the size of a grain of rice in drawers, cupboards and along skirtings.
2. Shredded paper, fabric or insulation bundled into a nest in a hidden corner.
3. A sharp, ammonia-like smell inside closed cupboards.
4. Nibbled corners of cereal boxes, bread bags and pet food packets.
5. Tiny footprints or tail marks in dust on top of cupboards or in the garage.

What happens when we come out

We start by finding where they get in and where they nest, which is usually a gap behind the stove, around a geyser pipe or under a kitchen unit. Indoors we mainly use snap traps and enclosed traps placed along the walls, because mice run close to edges and are curious enough to investigate. Where baiting is needed, it goes inside tamper-resistant stations that children and pets cannot open, after a bait risk assessment. We then seal the entry points with steel wool, mesh and sealant, because mice can squeeze through a hole about the width of a pencil. A follow-up visit checks the traps and confirms the activity has stopped.

1. Look for clues

   We check droppings, nests and gnawing to work out where the mice are most active.

2. Find the gaps

   We check behind appliances, under units and around pipes for entry points.

3. Set traps

   Traps and, where suitable, sealed bait stations go along the mice's runs.

4. Seal entry points

   Small holes are blocked with steel wool, mesh and sealant so mice cannot get back in.

5. Follow-up

   We come back to check the traps, clear them and leave a report.

Prevention that actually works

• Fit brush strips to the bottom of garage and outside doors.
• Keep the garage tidy, since boxes on the floor make perfect mouse nests.
• Pull the stove and fridge out once in a while and clean the crumbs and grease behind them.
• Seal the gaps where pipes and cables come through walls, especially under the sink.
• Do not leave pet food out overnight in the kitchen.

How much will it cost?

The price depends on how many rooms are affected, how long the mice have been there and how many gaps need sealing. A single kitchen is quicker than a whole house with mice in the walls and the garage. Follow-up visits are usually included, and the quote is free.

Mice move indoors when Cape Town's winter rains and colder nights start, usually from late April, and the numbers stay high until spring. In the Boland, harvest time and ploughing can push field mice towards farm buildings too.

Mouse Control questions from Rugby

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