A pest exterminator in Johannesburg you can trust

If you need a pest exterminator in Johannesburg, Combat Pest Control deals with rats, mice, cockroaches, ants, termites, bed bugs, fleas, wasps and more in homes and businesses across the city. Owner Jason van Heerden inspects first, treats the cause with registered products, and backs the work with a 3-month guarantee and service within 24 hours.

What a good exterminator actually does

The word conjures someone in overalls spraying every skirting board in the house. Good pest control is more careful than that. It means working out exactly which pest you have, finding where it lives and how it's getting in, choosing a treatment that works on that species, putting it only where it's needed, and telling you what to change so it doesn't come back. A lot of the value is in the inspection, not the spray tank.

Why registration matters

In South Africa, pest control operators who treat other people's property must be registered with the Department of Agriculture under Act 36 of 1947. Registration means the operator has been trained in the products, the doses and the safety requirements. We're also SAPCA registered, with the South African Pest Control Association. Ask any exterminator you're considering whether they're registered, and be wary of very cheap quotes from operators who can't say yes. An unregistered operator using the wrong product indoors is a real risk to children and pets, and the treatment often doesn't work anyway.

The pests we deal with

• Rodents: rats in the roof, mice in the kitchen, using lockable bait stations, traps and proofing advice
• Cockroaches: German cockroaches in kitchens and flats, American cockroaches from drains, mainly with gel baits
• Ants: baits that workers carry back to the nest
• Termites: subterranean termites in buildings, harvester termites in lawns, and pre-treatment for new builds, with a 5-year guarantee and certificate
• Bed bugs, fleas and ticks: thorough treatment of beds, rooms, carpets and gardens
• Wasps, bees and bird mites: nest treatment and removal, with a beekeeper for bees where possible
• Spiders, scorpions, fishmoths and others: barrier treatments and targeted spraying

What happens when you call

1. We ask questions. What you've seen, where and for how long. A photo on WhatsApp often lets us identify the pest straight away.
2. We book a visit. We offer service within 24 hours across Johannesburg.
3. We inspect. Inside and out, looking for the cause: food, water, shelter and entry points.
4. We treat. With registered, odourless products where they're needed, explaining what we've done and why.
5. We follow up. If the treated pest returns within 3 months, we come back.

You don't need to leave home for normal treatments; just keep children and pets off treated surfaces until dry. Only gas fumigation means vacating the sealed area.

Homes, complexes and businesses

We work in freestanding homes, townhouse complexes, security estates and flats, and in offices, schools, restaurants, shops, warehouses and factories. Complexes and estates often get the best results from a whole-site treatment through the body corporate. Food businesses and offices are usually best served by a scheduled monitoring contract with a service record for every visit. From dense neighbourhoods served by our Soweto pest control to the estates covered by pest control in Fourways, the approach is the same: find the cause, then treat it.

Seasons and the city

Johannesburg's pest calendar is fairly predictable, which helps you plan. Rats and mice move into roofs and garages as the winter nights get cold from about May. Flying termites and ants come with the first summer storms in October or November, followed by flies, mosquitoes and wasps through the hot months. Harvester termites strip dry lawns in winter. Cockroaches carry on all year in warm kitchens, flats and restaurants. A good exterminator treats what's in front of them and also tells you what's likely to arrive next, so you can get ahead of it.

Red flags when choosing an exterminator

• No registration, or vague answers when you ask about it
• A price given over the phone for "the whole house" without asking what the pest is
• Loose poison thrown into the roof for rats
• A strong chemical smell left in the house after a "standard" treatment
• Insistence that everyone must move out for a normal insect treatment
• No guarantee, or no clear answer about what happens if the pest comes back

A tip before you book

Don't spray anything for a day or two before we come. Supermarket sprays scatter cockroaches, contaminate surfaces where bait would work, and make ant trails harder to follow. Leave the evidence where it is and take a photo.

What it costs and why

Price depends on the pest, the size of the property and how established the problem is. A light cockroach or ant treatment in a house is a modest job; termites, bed bugs or a commercial kitchen need more time and sometimes more than one visit. Complexes, estates and businesses are quoted on the site. Our pest control prices in Johannesburg page shows guide "from" prices for each service, and we confirm the quote after the inspection.

More information

For a full overview of what we treat, visit pest control across Johannesburg. If you need help urgently, our article on the 24-hour pest control service explains how we handle it, and the pest exterminator guide covers what to expect from a professional.

That's what you get with Combat Pest Control: a registered, experienced owner-operator who turns up, finds the cause and stands behind the work. Call Jason on 084 200 2700, or WhatsApp us a photo of the pest and we'll tell you what it is.