If rats or mice are showing up across a whole property rather than in one kitchen, you need a site-wide rodent programme: mapped bait stations, traps where bait doesn't belong, proofing of the building and regular checks. That's the kind of rodent work Centurion asks for most, because so much of it is complexes, estates, office parks and commercial premises where rodents move freely between units and buildings.
Why a single-unit fix rarely works here
Think about how a typical Centurion complex is built: rows of units sharing roof voids, a common refuse area, stormwater channels along the boundary and a landscaped garden with dense shrubs. A rat that's disturbed in one roof walks a few metres along the wall plate and settles in the next. Treat one unit and you simply push the problem sideways.
Office parks and light industrial sites have their own version. Delivery bays, staff kitchens, refuse rooms and cable ducts link everything together, and the grassy verges and veld around many Centurion business parks give rodents a permanent reservoir to draw from.
What we're dealing with
Three rodents account for almost every call:
- Roof rats, agile climbers that live in ceilings and travel along walls, trees and cables.
- Brown rats, heavier burrowers that live under paving, in drains and around refuse areas.
- House mice, small enough to get through a gap the width of a pencil, nesting in walls, cupboards and stored stock.
Each needs a slightly different set-up, and on a large site it's common to find all three. For a homeowner dealing with rats specifically, our page on rats in Centurion homes goes into more detail, and mice in Centurion kitchens and garages covers the smaller intruder.
Our approach on a larger site
- Survey. We walk the perimeter, the refuse areas, roofs where accessible, kitchens, store rooms and plant rooms, and note droppings, rub marks, burrows and gnawing.
- Station plan. Lockable, tamper-resistant bait stations go on the outside perimeter and along known runs, numbered and recorded so every visit can be checked against the last. Inside food areas and roof voids, traps take the place of bait.
- Tracking powder is used in voids and ducts where it helps to confirm the routes rodents are using.
- Proofing report. We list the gaps that need closing: door sweeps on roller doors, broken air bricks, pipe and cable entries, gaps under eaves. Maintenance teams or the body corporate can work through it.
- Monitoring. Scheduled visits keep the stations serviced and give you a written record, which food businesses and many landlords need anyway.
Seasonal pressure
Rodent activity rises from late autumn as the Highveld nights get cold and rodents leave the veld and river banks for warmer buildings. Summer storms can also push brown rats out of flooded burrows and drains along the Hennops and its channels. We plan monitoring visits around those two pressure points.
A tip for body corporates and facilities managers
Look hard at the refuse area. In many Centurion complexes the bin yard is tucked against the back boundary, right next to the green belt, with bins that don't close properly and bags left on the ground. It acts as a feeding station for every rodent nearby. Lidded bins, a clean slab that drains, and collection days that don't leave bags out overnight do more than any number of bait stations.
Where things go wrong
The most common mistake is buying loose bait and having different residents or staff scatter it wherever they've seen a rat. It gets carried off, pets and birds find it, rodents die in ceilings and nobody knows which areas are covered. A single plan, run by one service, with stations everyone can see and that nobody can open, works far better.
What does it cost?
For a site, the price depends on the number of stations, how many buildings and roof spaces are involved, the proofing needed and how often you want monitoring visits. A small complex with a seasonal problem is very different from a warehouse that needs a year-round contract. A single house with a mouse or two may only need a few traps, and we'll say so if that's the case.
Before winter, it's worth reading our article on preparing for rats and mice. For the full picture across the city see rodent control in Pretoria, compare our rodent service in Waterkloof, or go back to all pest control in Centurion.
We're SAPCA registered with 25 years behind us, and if rodents come back to a treated area within three months, we return at no charge. Phone 012 012 5526 to arrange a site survey, or WhatsApp us photos of the droppings or damage.
Questions we get asked
Can you service a whole complex instead of one unit?
Yes, and it's what we recommend when more than one unit is affected. We work with the body corporate or managing agent on one plan for the site.
Do you provide service records for food businesses?
Yes. On a monitoring contract every bait station is numbered, and each visit is recorded so you can show what was checked and found.
Is bait safe around tenants' children and pets?
Bait is kept in lockable, tamper-resistant stations that children and pets can't open, and stations are placed out of the way of common play areas.
Why do you use traps inside instead of bait?
Indoors and in roof spaces, traps avoid rodents dying in places you can't reach. Bait is mostly kept to outside stations on the perimeter.
How often should a commercial site be checked?
It depends on the risk. Food premises and warehouses usually need more frequent visits than offices. We'll suggest a schedule after the first survey.
Who closes the gaps you find?
Usually your own maintenance team or contractor. We give you a clear list of entry points and what needs to be done to each.