Squirrel Control Masiphumelele

Masiphumelele, or Masi as most people call it, sits on Kommetjie Road beside the Noordhoek wetlands. It's a dense community where formal houses, backyard rooms and informal structures stand close together, so pests spread quickly from one home to the next.

Rodents in Masiphumelele: what we see

Rats live in the wetland edges and move into homes, especially when winter flooding drives them out of burrows. Group treatments across several homes work best.

There are brick houses and flats in the formal part, surrounded by informal homes built from timber and corrugated iron. Shared walls, narrow lanes and limited storage space make it hard to keep food sealed, which draws rodents and cockroaches. Informal structures on low ground can be flooded in winter, pushing rats into drier homes.

Rats, cockroaches and mosquitoes are the most common pests. Bed bugs and fleas are a frequent issue in crowded rooms. Flies increase around waste points in summer.

What gives them away

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

Squirrels in the roof chew cables, which is a fire risk, and they damage insulation and ceiling boards. Their urine and droppings can stain ceilings and cause smells. They also chew through irrigation pipes, damage fruit trees and dig up gardens. A squirrel that dies in the roof leaves an unpleasant smell for weeks.

From the technician

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.

Because we do not use poison for squirrels, there is no risk to children, pets or owls from the treatment.

What happens when we come out

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.

Keeping them out afterwards

• Check fascia boards and roof edges each year for chewed spots and repair them quickly.
• Do not feed squirrels in the garden, however cute they are.
• 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.

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.

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