Kenwyn is a small, settled suburb tucked in east of Kenilworth, the kind of place where people have lived in the same house for decades. That is good news for spotting problems early, and a lot of what we see here is slow-building stuff: mice in a garage that nobody uses, borer in an old cupboard, ants that come back every December.
Kenwyn: what drives rodents here
House mice settle into cluttered garages and storerooms, and roof rats arrive when lemon, fig or avocado trees are fruiting. Picking up fallen fruit takes away a big food source.
Homes are mostly solid mid-century bungalows and semi-detached houses with tiled roofs, garages and decent-sized gardens, plus a handful of townhouse complexes. Plenty have flat-roofed extensions added later, and the join between old and new roof is where water and mice both tend to get in. Garages and outside rooms full of stored boxes are a common nesting spot.
The ground is flat and fairly sandy, sitting between the leafy Southern Suburbs and the edge of the Cape Flats. Winter brings steady rain and some damp in older walls, while summer is warm and fairly sheltered from the worst of the South-Easter. Mature gardens with lawns and fruit trees keep ants, crickets and rodents well fed.
Tell-tale signs
- Shredded insulation, leaves and twigs found in the roof space.
- Chewed electrical cables or damaged ceiling boards.
- Chewed fascia boards, barge boards or roof edges with fresh wood exposed.
- 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.
Worth knowing
Many people think squirrels are harmless, but they chew through cables and can cause real damage in a roof.
The worst mistake is sealing the hole while the squirrels are still inside. They will chew a new way out, often through the ceiling.
Our process, step by step
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.
- Roof inspection
We check the roof space and outside roof line to find nests and every entry point.
- Exclusion or trapping
One-way exclusion devices or live traps are fitted so the squirrels leave the roof.
- Confirm it is empty
We check that no squirrels or babies are left inside before anything is sealed.
- Proofing
Entry points are sealed with steel mesh and repairs, so they cannot chew back in.
- Report
You get a report with details of the work done and any trees to trim.
Stopping a repeat visit
- Trim tree branches so they are at least two metres away from the roof.
- Use metal mesh, not plastic, over roof vents and gaps.
- Pick up acorns and fallen fruit regularly if you have big trees close to the house.
- Do not feed squirrels in the garden, however cute they are.
- Fit squirrel guards on bird feeders, or move them away from the house.
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 Kenwyn
We are selling our Kenwyn house. Do we need a beetle certificate?
Most sale agreements and banks in the Western Cape require one. We can inspect the roof and accessible timber and provide the report you need.
Do you come out to Kenwyn for squirrel control?
Yes. Kenwyn is part of our regular Southern Suburbs route, along with Kenilworth, Harfield Village, Lansdowne, Claremont. Most bookings are done within about 48 hours, and after-hours visits can be arranged.
Will you hurt the squirrels?
No. We use one-way exclusion devices and live traps, not poison.
Why do the ants come back to my Kenwyn kitchen every summer?
Argentine ant colonies live in the garden and send foragers inside when it gets hot and dry. Baiting the trails outside, rather than spraying the ones you see, knocks the whole colony back.
Are grey squirrels protected in Cape Town?
Grey squirrels are not an indigenous species. We still remove them humanely and do not use poison.
Do squirrels come back after removal?
They will try, which is why proper proofing with steel mesh is a key part of the job.
Office 021 012 5825 · WhatsApp 074 697 2254