A crawling insect treatment is the right choice when you're seeing more than one kind of insect walking into the house, or when one keeps getting in from the garden. Rather than treating each pest separately, we deal with what's living inside and then put a barrier around the outside of the building, so the next lot are stopped at the wall. For most Garsfontein homes, that covers cockroaches, ants, fishmoths, crickets, beetles, earwigs, centipedes, millipedes and spiders in one visit.
Why a perimeter approach suits this suburb
Most of the crawling insects in a Garsfontein house have come from outside. Family gardens are lush in summer, watered through the dry months and full of beds, mulch, pot plants and lawn running right up to the house. That's ideal habitat for insects, and the wall of the house is their boundary. Each crack in the foundation, gap under a door, open weep hole or unsealed pipe is a way in. A perimeter treatment turns that boundary into a barrier.
In complexes, units often share a patio wall or garden strip. If the neighbours are seeing the same insects, a block treatment usually works better than one unit on its own.
What we treat and how
Inside the house
We look at the kitchen, bathrooms, laundry and garage first, because that's where crawling insects collect. Depending on what we find:
- German cockroaches get gel bait in hinges, gaps and appliance housings.
- Ants get bait placed along their trails, so they carry it back to the nest.
- Fishmoths and other hiders get a crack-and-crevice treatment along skirting boards, cupboard edges and behind built-ins.
Outside the house
We spray an odourless, non-staining residual product along the foundations and up the lower part of the outer walls, with attention to door thresholds, weep holes, air bricks, pipe and cable entries, the bottom of garage doors and drains. Patios, carports and the area around outbuildings can be included.
You stay at home throughout. Children and pets should stay off sprayed areas until they've dried, which isn't long on a sunny Pretoria day.
Signs you need more than a can of spray
- Insects in several rooms rather than one
- Different kinds of insects showing up at the same time
- A problem that comes back a few weeks after every DIY spray
- Insects appearing in daytime, which can mean hiding places are full
- Activity increasing every time it rains
Garages deserve a special mention. In many Garsfontein homes, the garage is where the dog food, the garden tools, the camping gear and the spare fridge all live, often with a gap under the roller door. Crickets, cockroaches and spiders build up there quietly, and from the garage it's one internal door to the kitchen. We always include it.
What people commonly get wrong
Treating only the inside. If the source is the garden, spraying the kitchen keeps you busy without fixing anything. The opposite mistake is relying on a perimeter spray for German cockroaches. They breed inside the house, so they need gel bait inside, not a barrier outside.
A Garsfontein tip for the house edge
Keep a clear strip, about the width of a spade, between the garden and the walls. Pull back mulch, cut plants off the wall, move pot plants a little away from the house and keep the strip dry by aiming irrigation away from the foundations. Insects lose their cover right at the point where they'd normally get in, and the barrier treatment lasts longer because it isn't being soaked by sprinklers every morning.
What does crawling insect control cost?
The main factors are how big the house is, the length of the perimeter, whether outbuildings and patios are included, and what we find inside. A townhouse with a small garden is a quicker job than a large freestanding home with outbuildings and wide patios. If you're only seeing the odd cricket or beetle, you probably don't need a treatment. A door sweep and drier beds along the house may be enough.
For the two pests that most often drive these calls, see cockroaches in Garsfontein kitchens and ant baiting for Garsfontein homes. The wider service is explained on crawling insect control in Pretoria, and we do the same perimeter work for homes next to the reserve in Faerie Glen. For anything else in the suburb, see Garsfontein pest control.
If the insects we treated come back within three months, so do we, at no extra cost. Ring 012 012 5526 to set up a visit, or message us on WhatsApp with a list of what you've been seeing and where.
Questions we get asked
What counts as a crawling insect?
Anything that walks rather than flies into the house: cockroaches, ants, fishmoths, crickets, beetles, earwigs, centipedes, millipedes and similar.
How long does a perimeter treatment last?
It keeps working for a good while, depending on weather and watering. Keeping sprinklers off the treated strip makes it last longer, and our guarantee covers three months.
Will rain wash the barrier treatment away?
Heavy rain and constant irrigation do wear it down faster. The products bind to surfaces once dry, so a quick shower soon after drying won't undo it.
Can the treatment stain my walls or paving?
No. We use odourless, non-staining products suitable for painted walls, face brick and paving.
Do I need to move furniture before the treatment?
Pull furniture a little away from the walls in the rooms with activity, and clear the area under the sink. That's usually all.
Is one treatment enough?
For many homes, yes. Where there's a heavy cockroach infestation or ants nesting in several places, a follow-up visit may be needed.