Squirrel Control for Kalksteenfontein homes and businesses

Kalksteenfontein is small enough that most people know their neighbours, and that helps, because rats here are a shared problem rather than a private one. Give us a block of five or six houses that agree to treat together and we can make a real dent.

Rodents around Kalksteenfontein

Rats dig in under wendy houses and along walls in the soft sand, and mice live in the shared roof spaces. A row treated on the same day keeps them from simply shifting next door.

It is mostly compact council-built homes in rows and pairs, with wendy houses and brick rooms added in the backyards over the years. Roof lines often run unbroken across several homes, which gives mice a private corridor above the ceilings. The backyard rooms, with their timber floors sitting on sand, are where we find rat burrows most often.

The ground is open, flat Cape Flats sand with very little to break the wind. After a few days of winter rain, low corners and blocked drains hold water, and the open veld nearby stays soggy. In summer the South-Easter piles litter against fences, and that windblown rubbish becomes rat food.

Tell-tale signs

1. Chewed electrical cables or damaged ceiling boards.
2. Scratching and running in the ceiling in the early morning and late afternoon, rather than at night.
3. Shredded insulation, leaves and twigs found in the roof space.
4. Dug-up pot plants and bulbs, and nuts buried in garden beds.

A note from the field

The worst mistake is sealing the hole while the squirrels are still inside. They will chew a new way out, often through the ceiling.

Many people think squirrels are harmless, but they chew through cables and can cause real damage in a roof.

How we handle squirrel control in Kalksteenfontein

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.

1. Roof inspection

   We check the roof space and outside roof line to find nests and every entry point.

2. Exclusion or trapping

   One-way exclusion devices or live traps are fitted so the squirrels leave the roof.

3. Confirm it is empty

   We check that no squirrels or babies are left inside before anything is sealed.

4. Proofing

   Entry points are sealed with steel mesh and repairs, so they cannot chew back in.

5. Report

   You get a report with details of the work done and any trees to trim.

Stopping a repeat visit

• Do not feed squirrels in the garden, however cute they are.
• Pick up acorns and fallen fruit regularly if you have big trees close to the house.
• Fit squirrel guards on bird feeders, or move them away from the house.
• Check fascia boards and roof edges each year for chewed spots and repair them quickly.
• Use metal mesh, not plastic, over roof vents and gaps.

How much will it cost?

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.

You can trim the trees and fix obvious gaps yourself, but sealing a roof with squirrels still inside is a mistake that leads to trapped animals and more damage. Getting them out humanely and proofing the whole roof line properly is a job worth getting professional help for.

Squirrel Control questions from Kalksteenfontein

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