Pest control in Capital Park, Pretoria

Pest control in Capital Park usually deals with indoor pests in older buildings: German cockroaches in kitchens, roof rats in ceilings, fish moths in cupboards and books, bed bugs in rented rooms, and termites or wood borer in original timber. Combat Pest Control serves Capital Park from Johannesburg, and we find where pests are breeding before we treat.

An older Pretoria suburb

Capital Park lies just north of the Pretoria city centre, between the CBD and suburbs like Gezina, Rietondale and Villieria. It's one of the city's older suburbs, and many of its houses are decades old: modest homes on narrow stands, often with corrugated iron roofs, high ceilings, wooden floors and verandas. Over the years many houses have been subdivided into flats and rooms for students and workers, and some have been converted to small businesses. The streets are tree-lined and the suburb is within easy reach of the city.

Age and density are the two things that shape pests here. Old houses have hollow skirting boards, gaps under floors and roof spaces that are anything but sealed. And where several households share a house or a wall, pests travel easily from one to the next.

Capital Park's main pests

German cockroaches

The most common call. They breed in warm kitchens, inside stoves and fridges, under sinks and in the cracks of old cupboards, and they spread through shared walls and plumbing in subdivided houses. Gel bait placed exactly where they hide clears them; a spray on the floor just sends them next door. Read about getting rid of cockroaches in older homes.

Roof rats

Old iron roofs, gaps at the eaves and overhanging trees make it easy for roof rats to get into Capital Park ceilings. Scratching at night, droppings in the roof and chewed wiring are the signs. We bait in lockable stations outside, trap inside and show you the gaps to close.

Fish moths and booklice

Fish moths, also called silverfish, are silver, carrot-shaped insects that feed on starch in paper, book bindings, wallpaper paste and fabric. Older homes with built-in cupboards, bookshelves and stored boxes suit them well, especially in rooms that stay a bit damp. Booklice are tiny pale insects found in stored paper and damp corners. See our fish moth treatment page.

Bed bugs

Bed bugs are a regular problem where rooms are rented out and tenants change often. They hide in mattress seams, bed frames and cracks in old walls. Blood spots on sheets and bites in a row are the signs.

Termites and wood borer

Original wooden floors, skirting boards and roof timbers can host wood borer, which leaves small round holes and fine powder, or subterranean termites, which leave mud tubes and hollow timber. Identifying the culprit comes first, since the two are treated differently.

Landlords and subdivided houses

If you rent out rooms, treating one room at a time almost never works. Cockroaches and bed bugs move between rooms through walls, ceilings and shared kitchens. Treating the whole house on one day, and scheduling a follow-up, is the way to get on top of it. We can visit regularly and keep a record of every visit, which helps with tenants and inspections.

How we treat

We inspect the kitchen, bedrooms, roof space where there's access and the yard. Our products are odourless and non-staining, and tenants don't need to move out for normal insect work; children and pets just need to keep away from treated surfaces until they've dried.

Combat Pest Control is owned and run by Jason van Heerden, a pest controller with 25 years' experience. Combat holds SAPCA membership and Department of Agriculture registration, books in Capital Park jobs with service within 24 hours, and stands behind general treatments with a 3-month guarantee.

A mistake we see in older homes

Using bug bombs or foggers in old houses. The fog doesn't reach the cracks where cockroaches breed, it can drive them deeper into walls and neighbouring rooms, and it leaves residue on every surface. Targeted bait in the right places works far better.

A Capital Park tip

Old iron roofs often have gaps where the sheeting meets the walls and under the ridge. Ask a roofer to check and close them with the right flashing or mesh. It's the single most effective way to stop roof rats in this suburb, and it also keeps out pigeons and bird mites.

What it costs and why

Cost depends on the pest, the number of rooms or units and how long the problem has been running. A cockroach treatment in a small house is a modest job. Bed bugs cost more because each bed and room needs work plus a follow-up. Termite and wood borer treatment is priced on the amount of timber involved. Landlords get one price for the whole house. Every page shows a guide "from" price, and our pest control costs page explains the details.

Capital Park borders Gezina and Villieria, and the full list of services is on our Johannesburg pest control page.

Call 084 200 2700, or WhatsApp us a photo of the insect, droppings or damage.