Pest control in Queenswood is mostly about older homes: wood borer and termites in original timber, roof rats in ceilings, fish moths in cupboards and books, and ants and fleas in large gardens. Combat Pest Control serves Queenswood from Johannesburg. We inspect the house and garden, identify exactly which pest we're dealing with, and treat it with the right method.
About Queenswood
Queenswood is one of the older, settled suburbs in the east of Pretoria, close to neighbourhoods like Kilner Park and Moregloed. It's mainly freestanding family homes on generous stands, many from the middle of the last century, with tree-lined streets, mature gardens and a quiet, residential feel. Plenty of houses still have their original wooden floors, timber window frames, built-in cupboards and pitched roofs with big roof spaces.
Older timber, mature trees and established gardens are lovely to live with, and they're also exactly what wood-boring beetles, termites and roof rats look for.
Wood borer and termites
These two get confused all the time, and they need different treatments.
- Wood borer leaves small, round exit holes in floorboards, skirting boards, roof timbers or old furniture, often with a little pile of fine, flour-like dust underneath. Fresh, pale dust means the beetles are still active.
- Subterranean termites leave mud tubes on walls and foundations, and timber that sounds hollow or gives under your thumb. They come up from the soil, usually somewhere you can't see.
Wood borer is treated by applying a registered product to the affected timber, and in severe cases replacing badly damaged pieces. Termites are treated through the soil around the building, plus any active points inside. You can read more about the beetle side on our wood borer treatment page and the termite side on termite treatment in Johannesburg and Pretoria. Termite treatments come with a 5-year guarantee and a certificate.
Roof rats in big roof spaces
Large, older roofs have plenty of gaps where the timber has shrunk or the sheeting has lifted, and Queenswood's big trees give rats an easy climb to them. The signs are scratching at night, droppings in the roof and on top of cupboards, and chewed wiring or ceiling insulation. We bait outside in lockable stations, set traps in the roof and give you a list of the gaps to seal.
Fish moths, ants and fleas
Fish moths love older homes with bookshelves, linen cupboards and boxes of papers, especially where it's a little damp. We treat the cupboards, skirtings and roof space where they breed. Ants trail in from large gardens, and we use baits that wipe out the nest rather than sprays that only scatter the trail. Homes with dogs and shady lawns can build up fleas quickly in summer; the house, garden and pets need to be treated at the same time.
Signs to watch for in an older house
- Fine, pale dust on the floor under skirting boards or a piece of old furniture
- Small round holes in floorboards, roof beams or the back of a wardrobe
- Paint that bubbles or cracks along a straight line on a door frame
- Droppings and chewed insulation when you open the roof hatch
- Silvery insects in the linen cupboard or behind books, and small irregular holes in paper
- Raised ridges of soil or tunnels in the lawn, which can mean moles
Moles are worth a word: in big, well-watered Queenswood lawns they push up ridges and mounds while hunting for grubs and worms. We can trap them and advise on reducing the food that attracts them, without poisoning the garden.
Our approach in a Queenswood home
We start with a careful inspection: under the floors where there's access, in the roof, along the outside walls and through the garden. With wood borer we check furniture too, because an old wardrobe can be the source of an infestation in the floor. Insect treatments are odourless and non-staining, and you don't need to move out. Children and pets should stay off treated surfaces until they're dry.
What owners of older homes get wrong
Sanding and resealing an old floor without checking for borer first. The new varnish covers the holes and looks perfect, and then a year later fresh holes appear right through the new finish. If you're planning to restore floors or roof timbers, have them inspected first. Treating before the work is easier and cheaper than treating after it.
A Queenswood tip
Check the timber in the places nobody looks: the back of built-in cupboards against outside walls, the underside of the stairs if you have them, and the roof timbers above the bathroom where condensation collects. Damp timber is what both termites and borer prefer.
What it costs and why
The main cost drivers are the pest and the amount of timber or ground involved. Fish moths, ants or a rat problem in one house are modest jobs. Wood borer depends on how many boards, beams or pieces of furniture are affected, and termite soil work depends on the perimeter of the house and whether paving has to be drilled. A guide "from" price appears on this page, and our pest control price list explains the rest. We quote once we've seen the extent of the problem.
We also work in Kilner Park next door, and the full range of what we do is on our Gauteng pest control page.
Owner and operator Jason van Heerden has spent 25 years in pest control. Combat Pest Control is SAPCA registered and registered with the Department of Agriculture under Act 36 of 1947, and we offer service within 24 hours with a 3-month guarantee on general treatments. Call 084 200 2700, or WhatsApp us a photo of the holes or droppings you've found.
Questions we get asked
How do I know if the holes in my floor are still active?
Look for fresh, pale, powdery dust under the holes, or new holes appearing. Old, dark holes with no dust may be from an infestation that has died out. We can check and tell you.
How much does wood borer treatment cost?
It depends on how much timber is affected: a few boards cost far less than a whole floor or roof. Our price guide shows a starting price, and we quote after inspecting the timber.
Do I have to move my furniture for a borer treatment?
For floors, yes, the affected area needs to be cleared so we can treat the timber properly. We'll tell you exactly which rooms beforehand.
Are fish moths harmful?
They don't bite or spread disease, but they damage paper, book bindings, photographs and some fabrics, so they're worth controlling in older homes.
Do you have to drill my paving for a termite treatment?
Sometimes. To get the treatment into the soil under paving next to the house, we drill small holes and seal them afterwards. We'll explain where before we start.
Is the treatment safe for my cat and dog?
Yes, used as directed. Keep pets off treated surfaces until they're dry, and rodent bait stays in lockable stations pets can't open.
How often should an older house be inspected for termites?
Once a year is sensible for an older home with timber floors or built-in cupboards, and always before buying or renovating.