Rondebosch Wood Borer Treatment

Rondebosch is old Cape Town: oak trees, Victorian houses, big schools and the UCT campus spilling down the slope toward Main Road. Between the students, the historic buildings and the squirrels, there's rarely a quiet week for pest work here.

Timber pests in Rondebosch: what we see

Rondebosch has a lot of original pine floors, roof timbers and joinery, and common furniture beetle is regularly found. Beetle certificate inspections for sales are routine here.

There's a real mix. Victorian and Edwardian homes with timber floors and pressed-ceiling roofs sit next to student digs, blocks of flats and large school and university buildings. Old houses split into rental rooms mean lots of people sharing kitchens, which is where cockroaches thrive. High ceilings and wide roof voids give squirrels and rats plenty of room.

The Liesbeek River runs through Rondebosch and Rondebosch Common is a large open space in the middle of the suburb. Table Mountain's eastern slopes and the forests above Newlands bring heavy winter rain and a lot of tree cover. Damp, shady gardens and river banks are good rat and mosquito habitat.

From the technician

When we go into a roof, the first thing we look at is the condition of the wall plates and the bottom of the trusses, because damp spots there attract borer.

Old exit holes do not mean you have a problem today. We see plenty of furniture with holes from decades ago and no live beetles at all.

Signs to look for

1. Faint scratching or ticking sounds from roof timbers on quiet nights.
2. Timber that breaks easily and shows a network of tunnels inside.
3. A beetle inspection for a property transfer has flagged activity.
4. Floorboards that feel soft or crumble at the edges when you press on them.
5. Fine powder, called frass, building up under wooden items or on the floor below roof timbers.
6. Adult beetles found on windowsills or near lights in late spring and summer.

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.

Keeping them out afterwards

• Seal or varnish bare wood surfaces, because beetles prefer to lay eggs in rough, untreated grain.
• Keep the roof space ventilated and fix leaks quickly, since damp timber attracts borer.
• Have the roof timbers looked at every few years in an older house.
• Use treated timber for any roofing, decking or building work, and check the treatment marks on it.
• Check second-hand furniture for holes and fresh powder before you bring it home.

What affects the price

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.

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