Pest control in Devon, East Gauteng

Pest control in Devon is farm-country work: rats and mice in grain stores and farm buildings, flies around livestock, harvester termites in the veld and lawns, wasps in outbuildings and ticks on dogs. Combat Pest Control drives out to Devon from Johannesburg, inspects the house and farm buildings, and treats the source of each problem.

A small town in maize country

Devon is a small rural town in the Lesedi area on the far eastern edge of Gauteng, out beyond Springs on the open Highveld grasslands. The landscape around it is farmland: maize and other crops, cattle, and wide stretches of grass. The town itself is small, with homes, a few businesses and farm services, and many of the people we work with live on or run farms nearby.

Open grassland, harvested fields and stored crops shape everything about pests here. In winter, the Highveld is cold and dry, with frost, and once the harvest is in, rodents and insects look for shelter and food in farm buildings and houses.

The pests we deal with around Devon

Mice and rats in stored grain

Wherever grain and feed are stored, mice and rats follow. They foul far more than they eat, damage bags and silos, chew through wiring in sheds and vehicles, and breed quickly. Numbers often climb after harvest, when fields are cleared and the rodents living in them move into buildings. We set up a ring of lockable bait stations around stores and farm buildings, use traps inside where bait isn't suitable, and keep the stations checked. Our mouse control service explains the approach for buildings and homes.

Flies around livestock

Kraals, feedlots, dairies and chicken houses produce manure and spilled feed, which is where flies breed in the warm summer months. Fly control starts with how manure and wet feed are managed; we then treat the resting surfaces on walls and roofs where flies gather.

Harvester termites in grassland

Harvester termites are a feature of Highveld grassland. In dry winters they cut grass and carry it below ground, leaving bare patches dotted with holes and small soil heaps. On a farm that means lost grazing; around the house it means a damaged lawn. Treating the active nest openings lets the workers carry the product down to the colony. Our termite control page covers both harvester and subterranean termites.

Wasps in sheds and under eaves

Paper wasps build their combs under eaves, inside sheds, in old machinery and under farm equipment covers. We remove nests that are close to doors, work areas or where children play.

Ticks

Livestock and long grass mean ticks, and farm dogs bring them into kennels and gardens. Treating the yard and kennels while the dogs are treated through your vet breaks the cycle.

Farm workers' housing and outbuildings

Farm cottages, workers' rooms and old outbuildings on Devon properties often have the same problems as the main house, sometimes worse because they're older and harder to seal. Cockroaches, bed bugs, fleas and rodents in these buildings affect the people living there and can spread back to the homestead, so we treat them as part of the same visit.

Homes in Devon

Houses in town and on farms see the same household pests as anywhere: mice moving indoors when winter nights get cold, cockroaches in kitchens, ants before the summer rains, and spiders and the odd scorpion around wood piles and stone walls. A general treatment covers the crawling insects, and rodents are treated separately with bait stations and traps.

What people get wrong on farms

Treating the house for mice while the grain store next to it is full of them. As long as the store is feeding a large population, the house will keep getting new arrivals. The store, the sheds and the house should be dealt with as one site.

A Devon tip

Keep the area right around grain stores and feed rooms clear: short grass, no stacked bags or old equipment against the walls, and spilled grain swept up the same day. Rodents avoid crossing open ground where owls and hawks can see them.

How we work

We walk the property, identify the pests and where they're coming from, then treat with registered products used in the right places. Bait stays locked away from livestock, dogs and wildlife. Normal insect treatments don't require you to leave the house; animals and children should simply stay off treated areas until they're dry. Farms and businesses can have a scheduled service with a record of each visit.

What it costs and why

For a house, the cost depends on the pest and the size of the home. For a farm, it depends on how many buildings and stores need covering, the number of bait stations, and how often we visit. There's a guide "from" price on this page, and the guide prices page has more. We quote farms after a site visit.

We also work in Springs and Nigel, and every service we offer is listed on our pest control services Johannesburg page.

Combat Pest Control is owned and operated by Jason van Heerden, who has spent 25 years in pest control. We're SAPCA registered and hold Department of Agriculture registration under Act 36 of 1947, we offer service within 24 hours, and general treatments carry a 3-month guarantee. Phone 084 200 2700, or WhatsApp us photos of the damage or droppings.