Wasp Control in the City Bowl

The City Bowl is the CBD and the older residential suburbs packed into the bowl formed by Table Mountain, Devil's Peak, Lion's Head and Signal Hill.

Wasp Control by suburb

We cover all 26 suburbs on our City Bowl & Atlantic Seaboard route. Each suburb page covers what we find there and what works for those streets and buildings.

Wasp nests in the City Bowl

Paper wasps nest in the eaves of older homes on the slopes, under stoep roofs and in garden trees in Oranjezicht, Tamboerskloof and Gardens. They're most active from late spring to late summer.

We treat and remove nests and check the eaves and stoep for others. Victorian roofs with broekie lace, timber fretwork and corrugated iron give them many sheltered spots, and nests are often found when the roof is being painted. Nests grow fast in the summer heat that traps in the bowl, so calling early keeps the job small. We check the whole stoep and eaves while we're there.

In the CBD you have office towers, heritage buildings, hotels and hundreds of restaurants and cafés. Up the slopes are Victorian and Edwardian semis with wooden floors and corrugated iron roofs, along with newer apartment blocks.

A note from the field

For body corporates and estate managers, one property owner removing nests while the neighbours do nothing just means wasps move next door. A coordinated plan works far better.

Signs to look for

What happens when we come out

For ongoing wasp control we combine nest treatment with prevention rather than coming out once a year to remove whatever has grown. Active nests are treated with an insecticidal dust or spray applied directly into the comb, usually early in the morning or late in the day when the wasps are on the nest, and the comb is taken down once the colony is dead. On properties with repeat problems we do a sweep in early spring to find and remove young founding nests while they are small, and we can apply a residual treatment to favourite nesting spots such as eaves and pergolas. We also look at what is drawing wasps in, like water points, fallen fruit and open bins, and give practical advice on fixing it. For farms, estates and complexes, scheduled visits through the wasp season keep numbers under control instead of letting them build up.

Want the full step-by-step? See how our wasp control service works.

Prevention that actually works

• Check garden furniture, umbrellas and the inside of letterboxes before using them in summer.
• Walk around the house once a week from September and knock down any nest smaller than a coin with a long pole, at dusk, wearing long sleeves.
• Keep outdoor bins closed and clean up after a braai, as wasps scavenge meat and sweet drinks.
• Seal holes in hollow gate posts, steel poles and roller door channels with a cap or sealant.
• Fix dripping taps and irrigation leaks, since wasps need a steady water source to build nests.

How much will it cost?

Wasp control is priced on how many nests there are, how high and hard to reach they are, and whether you want a once-off treatment or ongoing visits through the season. A house with one or two nests at ladder height is a straightforward job, while farms, estates and complexes with nests spread over many buildings take longer. For properties that get wasps every year, a seasonal plan usually saves money compared to repeated call-outs, and the quote is free.

Knocking down a tiny new nest in spring is a reasonable DIY job if you are not allergic and you do it at dusk. Once a nest is bigger than your palm, or it is high up, inside a wall or near where children play, we would rather you left it to us, because most of the stings we hear about come from people tackling a big nest with a can of spray in daylight. And if wasps keep coming back every year, the problem is the property and the neighbourhood, not one nest.

Wasp Control questions from City Bowl

Wasp Control nearby and related