Pest control on Erasmuskloof's rocky slopes

The question we hear most from Erasmuskloof is some version of: "Is this scorpion dangerous, and why do I keep finding them?" The answer is usually the ground itself. Erasmuskloof is a hilly suburb near Klapperkop and the Waterkloof Ridge, with rocky soil, retaining walls and terraced gardens, and that kind of landscape is home to scorpions, spiders and rodents that would struggle on flat lawns. Termites and wasps round out the list.

Rock, walls and slopes

Building on a slope means retaining walls, stone terraces, rockeries and cut embankments. Every crack between those stones is a cool, dry daytime shelter. Scorpions hide there and hunt at night. Spiders build webs in the gaps and around outside lights. Rats use the spaces behind walls as runs and nesting spots. Because many homes are built into the hill, the back of the house often sits right against rock or soil, which brings all of this very close to the bedrooms.

Scorpions

Two broad types turn up. Scorpions with big, heavy pincers and thin tails are mostly mild. Those with thick tails and small, slender pincers carry stronger venom and need more care, especially around children. Signs you have them: finding them in the bath or a basin, in shoes left at the door, or under pot plants. We treat the rockeries, wall crevices and perimeter of the house with a residual product, and we look for the gaps under doors and around weep holes they use to get in. More detail is on our scorpion control page for Waterkloof and the ridge.

A quick home check with a UV torch

Scorpions glow under ultraviolet light. A small UV torch walked along your retaining walls after dark shows you how many you have and where they shelter. It's a cheap way to see whether a treatment is working.

Spiders

Rocky gardens support plenty of insects, so spiders do well. Most are harmless and useful. The ones people worry about are violin spiders, which hide in dark, undisturbed places, and sac spiders, which wander indoors at night. We treat eaves, window frames, garage corners and the outside walls, and remove webs so you can see if they come back. Our spider treatments around Waterkloof set out what we use and where.

Rats in the walls and terraces

Rats behind a stone retaining wall are hard to see but easy to hear, especially in a roof that sits close to the slope. We place lockable bait stations along their runs at the base of walls and use traps in the roof. Closing the gaps where the roof meets the hillside is often the most important part of the job.

Termites

Subterranean termites travel through soil and rock cracks and can reach timber in the house through foundations built into the slope. Mud tubes on a wall or inside a cupboard are the sign. On flatter parts of the garden, harvester termites cause bare patches in the lawn. We confirm which one before treating, using registered soil treatments or baiting for the first and nest treatment for the second. See termite work in Waterkloof for more.

Wasps

Paper wasps nest under eaves, pergolas and in sheltered corners of terraces. We treat and remove nests directly.

The mistake we see most often

Pouring insecticide into rock crevices with a garden sprayer. Most of it runs off or soaks into the soil, it rarely reaches the scorpions deep in the wall, and it kills the beetles and insects that keep the garden balanced. A targeted residual treatment, along with sealing the gaps under doors, works better and uses far less product.

Prevention that suits a hillside garden

• Fit brush strips to the bottom of outside doors, especially those opening onto terraces.
• Keep a clear strip of gravel or paving between rockeries and the house wall.
• Shake out shoes and towels left outside, and keep beds away from the wall.
• Don't stack firewood or building materials against retaining walls.
• Switch outside lights to warm-coloured bulbs so they draw fewer insects for spiders and scorpions to eat.

What does it cost?

The price depends on the size of the garden, how much rock and wall needs treating, and the pest. A perimeter treatment for scorpions and spiders on a typical stand is a fairly standard job. Rodent work behind walls and termite treatment through rocky ground take more time. We'll quote once we've walked the property. If you've found one scorpion in two years, a brush strip and a UV torch may be all you need.

Erasmuskloof is served by our team for Waterkloof and the ridge, and the full overview is on our Waterkloof pest control page. We've had 25 years of experience with Pretoria's hillside suburbs, we're SAPCA registered, and our 3-month guarantee means that if the pest returns within three months, we come back. Call 012 012 5526, or WhatsApp us a photo of the scorpion or spider and we'll identify it.