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.
Rodents around Gardens
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.
Squirrels and roof rats in ceilings are the classic call. German cockroaches in restaurant kitchens and the flats above them come next, followed by Argentine ants and fishmoths in the old houses.
Worth knowing
Landlords often get the call from tenants about noises in the ceiling. Proofing the roof is a one-time investment that saves repeated call-outs.
Grey squirrels were brought to Cape Town in the late 1800s and have spread across the Southern Suburbs since then.
How to tell you have a problem
- Squirrels seen jumping from a tree onto the roof and disappearing under the tiles.
- Dug-up pot plants and bulbs, and nuts buried in garden beds.
- Scratching and running in the ceiling in the early morning and late afternoon, rather than at night.
- Chewed electrical cables or damaged ceiling boards.
How we handle squirrel control in Gardens
We do not use poison for squirrels. Our approach is exclusion: we find every entry point and fit one-way exclusion devices so the squirrels can get out but not back in. Where it makes sense, live cage traps are used to remove squirrels from the roof. Once the roof is empty, we close the gaps with steel mesh and repair chewed areas so they cannot get back in. We also advise on trimming branches that give squirrels easy access to the roof.
Want the full step-by-step? See how our squirrel control service works.
Prevention that actually works
- Check fascia boards and roof edges each year for chewed spots and repair them quickly.
- Pick up acorns and fallen fruit regularly if you have big trees close to the house.
- Trim tree branches so they are at least two metres away from the roof.
- Fit squirrel guards on bird feeders, or move them away from the house.
- Use metal mesh, not plastic, over roof vents and gaps.
Pricing, honestly
The cost depends on how many entry points there are, how high the roof is and how much repair and proofing is needed. A single gap is quick to deal with, but an older roof with many chewed areas takes longer. Trapping and follow-up visits are included in the free quote.
Squirrels in Cape Town breed mainly in late winter and spring, and again in summer, and that is when they look for sheltered nesting places such as roofs. Autumn is also busy, as they gather acorns and nuts from the oak trees.
Squirrel Control questions from Gardens
Do you come out to Gardens for squirrel 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.
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 old Victorian houses in Gardens have more borer?
They often do, because many still have original timber floors and roof structures. A beetle certificate inspection will show whether there is active infestation that needs treatment.
Can squirrels damage my roof?
Yes. They chew fascia boards, roof edges and cables, and they nest in insulation.
What if there are babies in the roof?
We check for young before sealing, because sealing them in causes suffering, smells and more damage.
How do I know it is squirrels and not rats?
Squirrels are active during the day, especially early morning, while rats are mostly active at night.
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