Thatch Treatment for Constantia homes and businesses

Constantia means big plots, old oaks, vineyards and horses, so pest control here is often as much about the garden and outbuildings as the house itself. Squirrels in the roof, rats around the stables and wasps in the hedges are everyday conversations in the valley.

The local picture in Constantia

Thatch sits on timber poles and battens, and older Cape Dutch homes have heavy beams that deserve a proper look for borer. Beetle certificates are commonly required on Western Cape sales, and big, older houses are where infestations most often turn up.

Many homes are large, older properties on generous stands, some Cape Dutch in style with thatched roofs, others modern with big glass walls and pool decks. Staff cottages, garages, stables and pool houses all add extra buildings that need checking. Thatch and exposed beams give rodents and borer beetles places that are hard to reach once they're established. The newer security estates have neater gardens but still back straight onto greenbelts.

Rodents lead the list, helped by horse feed, chicken coops, compost and all those outbuildings. Grey squirrels getting into roof spaces is a very Constantia problem. Paper wasps under eaves and in clipped hedges are a summer staple, and older thatch and timber bring borer questions whenever a house changes hands.

From the technician

For holiday rentals and lodges, insects falling from an open thatch ceiling are the kind of thing guests photograph. An annual check before the busy season is cheap insurance.

How to tell you have a problem

1. Droppings on beams or along the top of walls under the thatch.
2. Small round exit holes in the poles, especially in the paler sapwood.
3. Birds pulling reed out of the roof or nesting under the eaves.
4. Rustling or scratching in the roof at night.

What happens when we come out

We start by inspecting the underside of the roof, the poles, the laths and the eaves, looking for borer exit holes, frass and rodent or bird activity. Affected poles and laths are treated with a borer spray or injection designed for timber, applied to the wood rather than soaked through the thatch. For insects living in the thatch, we use a targeted residual treatment on the underside, keeping it as light as will do the job. Rodents are handled with traps and tamper-resistant bait stations placed at wall plates and entry points, and we advise on bird netting or proofing at the eaves. Fire safety of the thatch itself, such as retardant treatment, is a separate specialist job and we will tell you if it looks overdue.

Want the full step-by-step? See how our thatch treatment service works.

Stopping a repeat visit

• Do not store firewood or boxes against the walls under the thatch, as they give insects and rodents cover.
• Ask your thatcher to check the poles and laths for borer whenever the roof is being repaired or re-combed.
• Have open thatch ceilings in lapas and lodges checked once a year, since problems are easy to see early.
• Have electrical wiring in the roof inspected regularly, especially if you have had rodents.
• Fit bird netting or wire at the eaves if birds keep pulling reed or nesting there.

How much will it cost?

The price depends on the size of the roof, how much of the structure is exposed and how many poles and laths show borer activity. A small lapa with an open underside is a very different job from a double-storey home with a closed ceiling. Rodent and bird work is added where needed, and timber that is too damaged to treat has to be replaced by a builder or thatcher.

Spraying the underside of your own thatch with a garden insecticide does very little for borer, which lives inside the poles, and soaking thatch in products not meant for it can do more harm than good. We would leave borer and rodent work in thatch to someone who does it regularly. Keeping the roof clear of overhanging trees is the one thing every owner can do themselves.

Frequently asked questions

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