We can but it is not entirely necessary. The termites will be gaining access to these areas using your walls. Ultimately we need to find the offending nest and treat it. If a nearby nest is not visible, other exclusion techniques can be employed. Treating the nest is eliminating the source of the problem; any remaining termites in the roof will not survive without their nest.

No we do not use the fogging technique to treat termite nests; we use a liquid which is pumped into the nest. Experience has shown that the technique we use is much more effective.

No we do not need to reach the termite queen; the destruction of the nest is adequate. Without the worker castes she cannot survive.

No. The termite queen is kept in a chamber at the heart of the nest, the entrance to which is only large enough for the workers to pass through which feed, clean and carry her eggs. The queen’s abdomen becomes hugely distended as she develops into the reproductive centre of the nest. Her abdomen is in fact so huge that she simply cannot move, never mind leave the royal chamber. These new nests are emergent nests.

There is no need to be concerned; termites are social insects which rely on the various other castes (workers, soldiers, king(s) and queen(s)) to survive. Termites in general will forage for cellulose matter – mostly dead matter. This dead cellulose matter is ingested and used in the nest to build a ‘carton’. The carton is the medium on which a species of Termitomyces fungus is grown; this fungus is what the termites feed on. It is therefore a near certainty to find termite workers foraging inside compost heaps. If they are taken away from their foraging tunnels and home nest they cannot survive or proliferate (worker and soldier castes are sterile).

There are two possible scenarios here: (1) There are new, developing termite nests underground that are not yet visible on the surface. (2) The foraging termites could be coming from a large nest in the next door premises. Termite nests may take anywhere from a few months to a few years to become visible on the surface. The time required for this to happen varies considerably based on limitations such as cellulose resources, competition, soil type and location. Some species of termites such as Hodotermes mossambicus and Macrotermesnatalensis are capable of travelling over 800m from the nest! Thus termite foraging can be coming from a nest two properties away. These types of termites can easily be identified by us and the necessary treatments advised accordingly.

There are ways to combat emerging termite nests; these methods typically vary depending on the scenario at hand. This is something that needs to be determined by us, please contact us for a free quote.

Anytime is okay to treat, however if it is something that you do on a regular basis; then January - March are the best months as the smaller nests are also visible at this time. If you have a problem, and the termite nests are treated during the winter months, we strongly recommend a secondary check-up and treatment during the height of the rains to ensure that these otherwise invisible smaller nests get treated.

Any termite nest that we treat will be eliminated 100% guaranteed. If any nest begins to show signs of life, post treatment, we will re-treat it free of charge. If however, a nest is treated and survives, which happens on rare occasion in multi-queen species, and a report is not made to us within a reasonable time frame i.e. 6 months, you may be liable for the cost to re-treat the nest. This is because species such as Macrotermes natalensis can build such large nests that if we are not alerted to the new activity they can quite quickly grow to an enormous size. If there is a problem let us know immediately.

Yes it is, the product is not absorbed through skin and is thus very safe. We ask that children and pets are kept away during application so inhalation of the product is avoided. Birds can eat dead crickets post treatment without any issues. Pets such as tortoises, rabbits and any other grazers need to be isolated for a day or two until the product can be watered into the soil profile.

Nothing, the concentration of the product and the insignificant amount of grass being ingested by the dog or cat means that any adverse effect is highly unlikely.

Yes you can, provided you are not in close proximity to the applicator, there is no problem.

Yes, the lawn should be mown prior to the treatment for best results. It does not have to be mown very short, just mow as per normal. If you are unable to mow the lawn beforehand, it is important to either water the treatment in BEFORE mowing, wait for rain to water it in BEFORE mowing or failing both of these a catch box must NOT be used to avoid removing the product from the treated area. The grass clippings should be left in situ.

The treatment has been shown to withstand up to 50mm of rainfall. This will however reduce the lifespan of the treatment slightly from a whole year. If the rainfall is heavy and there is much runoff there is more cause for concern than steady rainfall over a longer period.

Yes, it is effective against termites as well. It will control grasshoppers and other leaf eating insects so long as it remains on the lawn itself, once it is watered in it will work against benthic insects. It will not affect earthworms or black ants, both of which are beneficial in lawns.

Approximately one year.

In areas where crickets and termites are prevalent, an annual treatment would achieve best results. You could probably get away with treatments once every two years in most cases.

The products we use are recommended by World Health and are designed for internal application for several reasons: (1) The residual activity is greater internally as UV light breaks down the chemicals. (2) Internal applications are much more controlled as they target internal insects only; non-target insects such as bees are not affected (unless they go inside). Yes, it is a safe treatment as the chemical can be metabolised by your body. In very rare cases allergies and anaphylaxis may occur – we have only encountered this three times in a decade.

The product is applied to all walls and sometimes ceilings as well; it is odourless and does not stain. If it is applied correctly it should not run down the wall surface – which is what may cause streaking. Some darker colours particularly blue may have a slight chalky residue after treatment. This is because of the carriers contained in the chemical; these are necessary to ensure the active ingredient remains on the surface of the wall. We often discuss this and decide whether you wish to have these walls sprayed or not. It is also not a problem to spray over wallpaper as well, although elaborate or dark coloured wallpaper will not be treated to be on the safe side.

The treatment of walls means that when mosquitoes fly inside and rest on the walls they come into contact with the chemical which kills them. This is not an instant process; they need to be in contact with the chemical for a period of time to have a lethal dose. Research has shown that the female Anopheles mosquito needs to rest and digest about half of its blood meal after feeding. This is because she is engorged with blood and cannot fly well and she needs to digest some of the blood meal to obtain the proteins required to produce eggs. While the mosquito rests the treatment becomes effective by ensuring that female dies before being able to reproduce – reducing the number of completed life cycles. For this reason, the more houses treated the better, as it helps reduce the population of mosquitoes as a whole.

It is normal to hear more mosquitoes than before for about two or three days after the treatment; this is because the chemical has a repellent action for a short while and so the mosquitoes are unable to rest on the walls as often as they would like – making it appear as though there are more mosquitoes about.

Mosquitoes and other flying insects are notoriously hard to control because of their ability to fly. The treatment does not stop mosquitoes from flying in to your home, nor does it stop them from biting you; it simply kills them once they rest on the treated walls. You should take further measures to prevent being bitten i.e. using mosquito repellents and mosquito nets. If there are stagnant water bodies around your house these should be treated with larvicides in order to control the water borne stages of the mosquito’s life cycle. We can also treat mosquito nets for you which also helps to eliminate mosquitoes as they seek a blood meal.

We use non-selective contact insecticides to control mosquitoes. Spraying these around the outside of your house will kill a host of non-target and beneficial organisms such as bees. We consider this to be unethical and an irresponsible use of pesticides – this is in violation of our company ethics. In any case, external application will not provide any significant results as the chemical is broken down by UV light from the sun, or may be washed into the soil by rainfall, both of which drastically reduce efficacy and longevity of the product – it is designed to be used internally.

One of my associates is asthmatic and has been applying it for years without incident.

A very small percentage of the population have a sensitivity to pyrethroids, we have encountered only three cases in the last decade. It is not recommended that we treat your house if you are sensitive to aerosols or pyrethroid sprays.

The treatment has a residual activity of three months.

Unfortunately yes, reptiles can be sensitive to contact insecticides.

No, the rodenticide bait we use is toxic to dogs if consumed directly. For this reason we use bait stations. These prevent dogs from being able to access the bait directly.

Research has shown that the active ingredient concentration in poisoned rats is, on average, 25 times less than the bait itself. This does not mean that dogs will not be affected by eating poisoned rats; it just means that your dog(s) would have to consume an unlikely number of poisoned rats to reach lethal concentrations. Furthermore, the size of your dog will also have a significant effect on the potential poisoning risks involved. For example: A 7kg Jack Russell would need to ingest (using a dilution rate of 10 as opposed to 25 to be prudent), at the lowest recorded toxicity level for dogs (0.075mg/kg); in other words: 0.075mg x 7kg = 0.525mg of poison. Using an average toxicity of 0.405mg/kg for the average sized Norwegian rat (450g), the dead rat would have ingested 0.405mg x 0.450kg = 0.182mg poison. As stated, using a prudent dilution factor of only 10 times to be safe, the available poison for ingestion would be 0.182/10 = 0.0182mg. Therefore to poison the 7kg Jack Russell via poisoned rats (secondary poisoning), it would have to consume in the region of 0.525/0.0182 = 28. 8 rats. Larger dogs would have to consume even more to be poisoned; for example a 50kg Boerboel using the same working example as above: 0.075 x 50 = 3.75mg of poison. Which equates to 3.75/0.0182 = 206rats. **We are committed to minimising the risks of accidental poisoning, however, since there are risks, we cannot be held responsible as it is ultimately the decision of the customer to make use of our rodenticide.

The bait is laced with a blue die which is soluble in water; this could help to see if the bait has been ingested as blue stains may be present in the dog’s mouth. Seek medical attention from your veterinarian and contact us for more specifics. The antidote is phytomenadione (vitamin K1).

Yes, it is in block form which is too big for a cat to ingest; cats will not eat it.

The active ingredient has a much lower toxicity to cats than it does to dogs or rats (>10mg/kg), which means that using a similar working example as the one given for dogs: An average sized adult cat (3kg) would need to consume in the region of 1648 rats to reach lethal limits.

The bait is laced with a blue die which is soluble in water; this would help to see if the bait has been ingested as blue stains will be present in the child’s mouth. It also contains a bitter agent making it extremely unpalatable. The likelihood of it being consumed is very small, however, if it does happen DO NOT induce vomiting. Seek medical attention immediately and contact us for more specifics. The antidote is phytomenadione (vitamin K1).

Increased tendency to bleed, nose bleeds, bleeding gums and bruising. Blood in the urine and faeces.

Our rodenticide is slow acting to prevent bait shyness and to ensure lethal doses are ingested by rats. As a result, once the rodents begin to feel the effects of the poison, they tend to move away from their home range – an instinctive mechanism to protect other rodents from disease – which typically means they die outside. From experience, few rodents will actually be found unless the infestation is particularly high.

The correct way to dispose of poisoned rats is to burn them.

We have not been able to find any specific literature on the toxicity of our product regarding these birds. However, it has been shown to have a low toxicity to Chickens < 100mg/kg; Quail 100 - >300mg/kg; Ducks 24 - 94mg/kg, this suggests otherwise. In the years that we have operated, we have not received any reports of poisoned owls from any of our customers. Please dispose of poisoned rats correctly – by burning them, just to be safe.

Fleas can be problematic inside and outside the house but a standard treatment involves spraying all internal floors, carpets, dogs bedding, kennels and any other areas the dogs frequently like to lie/rest in the garden. We can also treat fabric furniture such as lounge suites if requested.

Rodents carry fleas, as do chickens, but the most common flea is the cat flea. These fleas also inhabit dogs, they can be spread by stray dogs and cats, rats and any other potential host animal. It is important to have your pets routinely dipped or dosed at least during the wetter months of the year to avoid flea infestations. Consult your vet about dipping and dosing your pets. We recommend the use of systemic tablets for flea control as they are highly effective and less stressful than dipping your pet.

Yes, fleas are capable of remaining as their pupae for over a year waiting for ideal conditions in which to pupate into adults. When they are in this stage of their life cycle (pupa), they are not moving about and are encased in a protective epidermis/exoskeleton. This is the most resistant and long lived stage of their life cycle. Surface sprays help by killing the eggs, larvae and adult fleas, but are ineffective against the pupa. In moderate to severe flea infestations, it is important to have a treated pet(s) present to act as the main vector for controlling the fleas. As the animal moves about, its vibrations cause the pupa to pupate into adults which jump onto the animal and feed and this is where the control happens. Some newly pupated adults do not land on their target and will be controlled by the surface sprays. It is the variable hatching of the pupa that makes the control of fleas a process rather than a once off treatment. If the flea problem persists after a week to ten days it is advisable to have a second treatment. In some instances even a third or fourth treatment may be required.

Vibrations triggering pupation events can be used to our advantage. For example, treated dogs and cats can be used as vectors for control in these areas, as their passing causes the fleas to emerge, then control efforts can begin to work. Systemic treatments are most effective here. Internally, regular and through vacuuming helps to remove fleas. Wearing long pants treated with appropriate contact insecticides, or even sprayed with an aerosol insecticide, will help to kill emerging adults.

In instances where no preventative flea control measures have been employed, this situation arises. It is difficult to remedy because pets become aware of the areas that have heavy flea infestations and actively avoid them. Even after treating/dosing the animal, their avoidance of the worst areas will prolong the infestation. For cats and smaller dogs this can easily be a life threatening situation because of anemia caused by masses of feeding fleas. The use of systemics and dips on an pet as a means of vector control becomes difficult - but should still be employed. Full garden cover sprays with various insecticides have proven to be hit and miss because of the resilience of the pupa. These treatments should be employed only as a desperate measure. We are trialling various biological forms of flea control at present and hope this non-chemical treatment will provide an effective solution to the resilient pupa for garden and household treatments.