Wood Borer Treatment Gordon's Bay

Gordon's Bay is a harbour village tucked into the corner of False Bay, with houses stacked up the mountainside and holiday flats near the beach. Rodents in roofs, gulls on rooftops and ants in summer are what we deal with most.

Timber pests in Gordon's Bay: what we see

Older homes and holiday cottages with timber floors and roofs can have borer, which turns up in beetle certificate inspections.

Homes are built up the slopes of the Hottentots Holland mountains, many with sea views, split levels and retaining walls. Holiday flats and apartment blocks sit near the beach and harbour, and many homes are holiday properties. Houses on steep plots have sub-floor voids and garages under the house where rodents hide. Restaurants around the harbour bring commercial work.

The village sits right at the foot of the mountains, with the GB anchor above town and the sea in front. The South-Easter is famously strong here, sometimes funnelling down the mountain in powerful gusts. Fynbos on the slopes brings scorpions, spiders and rodents close to homes.

Roof rats from the mountain and gulls from the harbour are the big ones. Argentine ants, fishmoths and German cockroaches in harbour restaurants complete the picture.

A note from the field

For sellers, borer is often discovered at the worst moment, a week before transfer. Booking the inspection as soon as the house goes on the market takes the pressure off.

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

1. A beetle inspection for a property transfer has flagged activity.
2. Faint scratching or ticking sounds from roof timbers on quiet nights.
3. Fine powder, called frass, building up under wooden items or on the floor below roof timbers.
4. Timber that breaks easily and shows a network of tunnels inside.

Our process, step by step

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.

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

Prevention that actually works

• Use treated timber for any roofing, decking or building work, and check the treatment marks on it.
• 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.
• Seal or varnish bare wood surfaces, because beetles prefer to lay eggs in rough, untreated grain.
• If you are buying or selling, book the beetle inspection early so it does not delay the transfer.

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.

Adult beetles emerge mainly from late spring through summer, roughly October to February in Cape Town, which is when fresh holes and powder show up. That is the best time to spot an active problem, but treatment can be done all year round.

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