Pest control for Despatch homes and smallholdings

Most pest calls from Despatch fall into a handful of familiar problems: rats or mice where there's animal feed, cockroaches coming up from drains, ants marching across the kitchen, fleas from the dogs, and the odd scorpion in a shoe. We've been doing pest control around Nelson Mandela Bay for 25 years, and Despatch has its own pattern. It's quieter than Port Elizabeth, the plots are bigger, and a lot of what ends up inside the house started outside in the yard.

So when we come out to Despatch, we look at the whole property, not just the room where you saw the problem.

Why Despatch is a bit different

Despatch sits between Port Elizabeth and Kariega on the Swartkops River. It's mostly family homes on decent-sized stands, with some smallholdings on the edges where people keep chickens, a few goats or a vegetable patch. That kind of living is great for families and, unfortunately, great for pests too.

• Space outside. Big yards mean more places for things to live: under paving, in compost, behind the wendy house, in the old bricks stacked against the wall.
• Animals. Dogs, cats and chickens bring pet food, feed and bedding into the picture. Feed draws rodents. Pets carry fleas.
• The river. Water and vegetation along the Swartkops give rats, mosquitoes and other insects shelter close to homes.

The pests we deal with most

Rats and mice

Chicken feed, dog pellets and bird seed are the main reasons rodents settle on a Despatch property. They live under the chicken run or in the garage, then move into the roof when it suits them. Our rat control work in Despatch uses lockable bait stations that chickens, dogs and children can't open, plus advice on where the rats are getting in.

Cockroaches

Big American cockroaches come up through outside drains and gullies at night. The smaller German cockroach is an indoor pest that usually arrives in a second-hand appliance or a box from somewhere else. They need completely different treatments, which we explain on our page about getting rid of cockroaches in Despatch.

Ants

Lawns and flower beds hold huge colonies, and they find the pet food bowls fast. Spraying the trail doesn't reach the nest. Bait does.

Fleas

Where there are dogs in the yard there are flea eggs in the shady spots where they lie. Treating the pet alone often isn't enough, because the yard keeps reinfesting them.

Scorpions and spiders

Rockeries, wood piles and old building material are perfect daytime hiding places. Most are harmless, but it's worth knowing which ones aren't. Our page on scorpions around Despatch homes covers how to tell them apart.

How a visit works

1. We walk the property with you. House, roof space where we can get to it, garage, outbuildings, chicken run and the boundary.
2. We find the cause. An entry point, a feed bin without a lid, a blocked gully, a pile of bricks next to the back door.
3. We treat what's there. Bait stations, gel baits, ant baits or an odourless residual spray, chosen for a home with pets and children.
4. We tell you what to change. A short, practical list, not a lecture.
5. We come back if it's needed. Some pests, like rodents and German cockroaches, need a follow-up visit.

For normal insect treatments you don't need to move out. Keep children and pets off sprayed surfaces until they're dry, and that's it.

The mistake we see most in Despatch

Treating the house and ignoring the yard. People spray inside for ants, put poison in the ceiling for rats, or flea-bomb the lounge, and two weeks later the problem's back. On a property with a big yard, the source is usually outside. Find it there and the inside problem tends to sort itself out.

A local tip

If you keep chickens, move the feed into a metal bin with a tight lid and sweep up spilled feed in the evening. That single change does more to stop rats in Despatch than anything you can buy in a shop.

What does it cost?

It depends on the pest, the size of the property and how established the problem is. A house with ants in the kitchen is a small job. A smallholding with rats in the feed shed and the roof, or a home that needs cockroach and flea treatment together, takes longer and may need a follow-up. Sometimes a problem is small enough to handle yourself, and we'll tell you if that's the case. We quote once we know what we're dealing with.

We work across the metro too. Have a look at our general pest control service in Port Elizabeth if you've got property elsewhere in the Bay.

Call us on 087 012 5550, or WhatsApp us a photo of what you're finding and we'll tell you what it is and what to do next.