The Cape Flats is the wide, flat sandy plain that stretches from the mountain towards False Bay, home to a huge share of Cape Town's people. Pest problems differ from suburb to suburb, but the common thread is sandy ground, a high water table in winter and a lot of homes built close together.
Wood Borer Treatment by suburb
We cover all 24 suburbs on our Cape Flats route. Each suburb page covers what we find there and what works for those streets and buildings.
City Bowl & Atlantic Seaboard 26 areas
Southern Suburbs 29 areas
South Peninsula 17 areas
Northern Suburbs 16 areas
Blaauwberg & West Coast 10 areas
Cape Flats 24 areas
Wood borer on the Cape Flats
Wood borer isn't usually the first pest people think about on the Cape Flats, but the pine roof trusses and timber floors in older council houses can be affected, especially where a roof has leaked for years and the wood has stayed damp. The signs are small round holes about the size of a pencil lead and a fine powder below the wood.
When a house is sold, the bank or transfer attorney will often ask for a beetle certificate. We inspect the roof timbers, floors and any outbuildings, treat active borer if we find it and then issue the certificate. Fixing roof leaks quickly is the best way to prevent borer in the first place.
From the technician
The European house borer is notifiable in the Western Cape. If we find it, it gets reported and treated properly, which is better for you in the long run.
The mistake people make is filling the holes with wood filler and polishing over them. The larvae are inside the wood, not in the holes.
Tell-tale signs
Tick every sign you have noticed. It takes ten seconds.
Why it matters: Most borer damage is slow, but it is cumulative, and a roof truss weakened by years of tunnelling can fail under load. The European house borer is the serious one, because it goes for structural timber and is a notifiable pest. Furniture and antiques lose value quickly once borer has hollowed them out. When you sell a property in the Western Cape, an active infestation can hold up the transfer until it is treated and certified.
What happens when we come out
We start with an inspection to confirm the beetle species and whether the holes are active or old, because old damage does not need treating. Exposed timber such as roof trusses, beams and floor joists is treated with a residual borer spray that penetrates the surface and kills emerging beetles and young larvae. Where the wood is thick or the infestation is deep, we inject product directly into the flight holes and drilled galleries. Badly weakened timber should be replaced by a builder, and we tell you which pieces are past saving. Valuable furniture can be sealed and fumigated instead.
- Inspection
We check the roof space, floors and timber features with good lighting and probe suspect wood.
- Identify the beetle
We confirm the species from the holes, frass and any beetles found, and report European house borer where required.
- Mark the damage
Active areas are mapped, and any structurally weak timber is noted for replacement.
- Spray and inject
Exposed timber is sprayed and heavily infested pieces are injected through the exit holes.
- Report and certificate
You get a written report, and where needed a Certificate of Compliance for the property transfer.
Keeping them out afterwards
- Seal or varnish bare wood surfaces, because beetles prefer to lay eggs in rough, untreated grain.
- Use treated timber for any roofing, decking or building work, and check the treatment marks on it.
- Have the roof timbers looked at every few years in an older house.
- Keep the roof space ventilated and fix leaks quickly, since damp timber attracts borer.
- Check second-hand furniture for holes and fresh powder before you bring it home.
How much will it cost?
The price depends on how much timber needs treating, how easy the roof space is to get into and which beetle we are dealing with. A single piece of furniture is a very different job to a full roof of trusses. Injection work, replacement advice and certificates for transfers are all included in a free quote once we have seen the property.
You can brush a borer product onto a small piece of furniture yourself and it may do the job. Roof timbers are a different story: getting the product into every face of every truss in a hot, cramped roof is hard work, and missing the European house borer is a real problem. I would always get the roof looked at professionally.
Questions we get asked in Cape Flats
Do I need a beetle certificate to sell my Cape Flats house?
Banks and attorneys often ask for one. Book the inspection early so any treatment doesn't delay the sale.
How do I know if the borer holes are still active?
Look for fresh, pale powder below the holes and clean, sharp edges on the holes themselves. Old holes are usually darker and dusty with no new frass.
Is the European house borer really that serious?
Yes. It attacks structural softwood and is a notifiable pest in the Western Cape, so suspected cases have to be reported and treated.
Do I need a beetle certificate to sell my house?
Most property transfers in the Western Cape require a beetle inspection and a Certificate of Compliance. We do the inspection and issue the certificate where the property qualifies.
Will treatment smell or stain the wood?
Most borer treatments dry with little smell and do not stain bare timber. Polished furniture is treated more carefully.
Can borer spread from furniture to my roof?
It can, which is why infested furniture should be treated or kept away from untreated timber.
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