Thatch Treatment in Kommetjie

Out in Kommetjie, the fynbos comes right up to the garden wall and the Atlantic is never more than a few streets away. That means more scorpions, field mice and borer in timber than rats and cockroaches, which is the opposite of what we see in town.

Timber pests in Kommetjie: what we see

Timber homes, decks and thatch roofs are at risk from borer, and salt air can speed up timber damage. Beetle certificate inspections are standard here.

Plenty of homes are timber-framed or have big timber decks, thatched roofs or lapas, and some started life as holiday cottages. Newer houses are set back in the dunes on sandy plots. Salt and damp wear down timber and paint quickly, and once wood is weathered it is easier for borer to get going.

The village is surrounded by coastal fynbos, dunes and the Slangkop area of Table Mountain National Park, with wetlands and vleis between Kommetjie and Noordhoek. The Atlantic brings cold, salty winds, and winter is wet. Nature reserves and open land on all sides mean plenty of wildlife moving through.

How to tell you have a problem

1. Birds pulling reed out of the roof or nesting under the eaves.
2. Fine powder dropping from the poles or laths onto floors and furniture below.
3. Insects such as cockroaches or spiders falling from the ceiling.
4. Droppings on beams or along the top of walls under the thatch.

A note from the field

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 the treatment works

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.

Keeping them out afterwards

• Ask your thatcher to check the poles and laths for borer whenever the roof is being repaired or re-combed.
• Do not store firewood or boxes against the walls under the thatch, as they give insects and rodents cover.
• Fit bird netting or wire at the eaves if birds keep pulling reed or nesting there.
• Keep trees and creepers trimmed back from the thatch so rodents cannot step straight onto the roof.
• Have open thatch ceilings in lapas and lodges checked once a year, since problems are easy to see early.

Pricing, honestly

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.

Thatch Treatment questions from Kommetjie

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