Pest Control: a Cape Town guide

Know what you are dealing with

Most calls we get in the Western Cape come down to a handful of usual suspects. Argentine ants and brown house ants march indoors as soon as the winter rain starts, while German cockroaches settle into kitchens and American cockroaches come up from drains and sewers. Norway rats, roof rats and house mice are year-round problems, and in the Southern Suburbs the grey squirrel adds itself to the list by moving into ceilings. Summer brings house flies, blowflies, Culex mosquitoes and the invasive European paper wasp, which builds under gutters and in garden furniture. Then there are the quieter ones: cat fleas from pets, bed bugs carried home in luggage, fishmoths in cupboards and wood borer beetles working away in roof timbers.

Myths, mistakes and lesser-known facts

If you have toddlers or pets, say so when you book. It changes where we place baits and which products we choose, and it is a normal part of how we plan a treatment.

For landlords, a pest problem between tenants is much cheaper to handle while the unit is empty. Treating a flat with no furniture in it means we can reach every crack and void properly.

Supermarket foggers are one of the least effective things you can buy for cockroaches. They tend to push the insects deeper into wall voids and appliances, which makes a professional treatment harder afterwards.

Warning signs

Can you do it yourself?

For a few ants on the kitchen counter, a supermarket bait can do the job and we will happily tell you so. Where DIY usually falls apart is with rodents, German cockroaches and bed bugs, because sprays scatter them and the infestation spreads into new rooms. If you have treated twice and it is back, that is your sign to call someone who can find the source.

Seasonal pattern

Cape Town's wet winters push ants, rodents and fishmoths indoors looking for dry shelter, and May to August is when most rat and mouse calls come in. The hot, windy summers bring flies, mosquitoes, fleas and wasps, with paper wasp nests at their biggest from about January to March. Cockroaches are active all year in heated kitchens, so they do not follow the seasons as neatly.

Prevention checklist

• Keep food in sealed containers, and do not leave pet food out overnight, since it feeds ants, cockroaches and rodents equally.
• Seal gaps around pipes, under doors and where cables enter the house; a mouse needs a gap about the width of a pencil.
• Cut back branches and creepers touching the roof, because that is the highway rats and squirrels use to get in.
• Keep bins closed and rinse them out in summer to cut down on flies and maggots.
• Fix dripping taps and leaks, as cockroaches and fishmoths go where the moisture is.
• Check luggage and second-hand furniture before it comes into the bedroom to avoid bringing bed bugs home.

What affects the price

The price depends on what pest you have, how big the property is and how established the infestation has become. Access matters too, so a roof void you can crawl through is quicker than one you have to work through from a single small hatch. Some pests need a follow-up visit to finish the job, and businesses on a regular service contract are priced differently from a once-off call-out, so we always quote after hearing the details.

Frequently asked questions

Areas we cover for pest control