Gardens takes its name from the Company's Garden, and the squirrels in there have been raising families in neighbouring roofs for generations. Add the restaurants on Kloof Street, old Victorian semis and a lot of flats, and you get a busy mix of pest work.
Gardens: what drives rodents here
Grey squirrels from the Company's Garden and nearby trees chew into roofs, and roof rats use the same routes. Mice live in the hollow walls and floors of older houses.
Victorian and Edwardian semis with corrugated iron roofs, broekie lace stoeps and wooden floors sit alongside blocks of flats and modern apartments. Old houses have hollow walls and suspended floors, so mice and rats can move through without being seen. Restaurants, coffee shops and bars along Kloof Street sit below residential flats. Many homes are rentals with frequent turnover.
Gardens lies on the lower slopes below Table Mountain, between the city centre and Kloof Nek. The Company's Garden and its old trees are a squirrel haven. Winter rain runs down from the mountain, and in summer the South-Easter tumbles down off the mountain into the streets.
Squirrels and roof rats in ceilings are the classic call.
Something most people miss
Rodents need only a small gap to get in. A mouse fits through a hole about the size of a pencil, and young rats through not much more.
Poison alone is not rodent control. Without proofing the gaps and removing the food, new rodents simply move into the space the dead ones left.
Tell-tale signs
Tick every sign you have noticed. It takes ten seconds.
Why it matters: Rats and mice contaminate food and surfaces with urine and droppings and can carry diseases such as leptospirosis and salmonella. Their constant gnawing damages wiring, which is a genuine fire risk in roof spaces, and they chew through water pipes and irrigation lines. For food businesses, a rodent sighting by a customer or health inspector can lead to closure and lasting damage to reputation. Left alone, a small population grows quickly, because both rats and mice breed many times a year.
Our process, step by step
Our rodent work follows a 6-step regime: we find the harbourage, look at food and water sources, proof entry points, do a bait risk assessment, set a tailored plan and leave you a report. Inside homes we lean on snap traps and sealed stations so there are no dying rodents in the walls. Outside and on commercial sites we use lockable, tamper-resistant bait stations placed and recorded so children, pets and wildlife cannot get to the bait. Proofing is where the long-term win is: steel mesh, door brushes and sealing gaps around pipes and cables. Commercial clients usually go onto a contract with scheduled checks.
Want the full step-by-step? See how our rodent control service works.
Stopping a repeat visit
- Keep storerooms tidy and stock raised off the floor so you can see what is going on.
- Seal gaps around pipes, cables and air bricks with steel mesh or cement, not foam alone.
- Pick up fallen fruit and do not leave dog food bowls outside overnight.
- Cut back branches and creepers that touch the roof, because roof rats use them as ladders.
- Store pet food, bird seed and chicken feed in sealed metal or thick plastic containers.
Pricing, honestly
The cost depends on the size of the property, how established the rodents are and how much proofing is needed. A house with a few mice in the kitchen is a smaller job than a warehouse or restaurant with rats in the ceiling and drains. Follow-up visits and ongoing contracts for businesses are built into the free quote.
For one or two mice in a house, a few well-placed snap traps can genuinely solve it. Once you are hearing them in the roof every night or running a business, it needs a proper programme, because random poison from the supermarket often leaves dead rats in the ceiling and puts pets and owls at risk.
Rodent Control questions from Gardens
Are the squirrels in my Gardens roof from the Company's Garden?
Very likely. Grey squirrels travel from the garden and the trees along the streets into roofs, often through gaps at the fascia. Sealing those gaps once the roof is empty is the lasting fix.
Do you come out to Gardens for rodent control?
Yes. Gardens is part of our regular City Bowl & Atlantic Seaboard route, along with Tamboerskloof, Oranjezicht, Vredehoek, Higgovale. Most bookings are done within about 48 hours, and after-hours visits can be arranged.
Can you help on a farm or smallholding?
Yes, we cover the Boland and design the plan around livestock, feed stores and wildlife like owls.
Why do the rats keep coming back?
Usually because there is still food or an open entry point. That is why proofing is part of every job.
Is rodent bait safe around pets?
Bait is kept inside lockable, tamper-resistant stations that pets and children cannot open, and indoors we often use traps instead.
Do you do rodent control for restaurants?
Yes. We set up a programme with station maps and reports, which is what health inspectors want to see.
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