Fumigation in everyday South African use covers two quite different jobs. Strictly, it means filling a sealed space with a gas that reaches every crack, used for drywood termites, wood borer, stored grain and export containers. In homes and businesses, most people say fumigation when they mean a thorough pest control treatment: gel baits, residual sprays and dusting for cockroaches, ants, fleas and bed bugs. Send one request with the pest, the property and its size, and registered pest controllers in your area quote you directly. It is free and there is no obligation.
Gas fumigation or a pest control treatment?
True gas fumigation uses a fumigant such as phosphine or sulfuryl fluoride inside a sealed tent, room, silo or shipping container. The gas kills every life stage, including eggs deep inside timber or grain, but it leaves no lasting protection, so pests can return once it has aired out. It is a specialised job for qualified fumigators, and the space must be empty of people and pets until a gas reading shows it is safe.
A pest control treatment is what most homes, flats and restaurants need. A technician applies gel bait for cockroaches, residual spray along skirting and entry points, dust in roof voids and wall cavities, and bait stations outside. You can usually go back inside within a few hours, and the products keep working for weeks.
Who may fumigate in South Africa
Anyone who applies pesticides for payment must be registered as a pest control operator under Act 36 of 1947 with the Department of Agriculture, and fumigation with gas is a separate registration category. Ask for:
- The operator's registration number and the category it covers (fumigation, structural pests, garden pests).
- The product names and their registration numbers, and the safety data sheets.
- Proof of public liability insurance for work on your property.
- A written treatment report or certificate after the job, which landlords, auditors and buyers of a house often ask for.
What a fumigation quote is based on
Pest controllers price on the pest, the size of the property and how bad the problem is. A three bedroom house treated for cockroaches and ants is a short visit; the same house under a tent for drywood termites takes two or three days and costs several times more. Give the floor area in square metres, the number of rooms, whether there is a roof void or a basement, and how long you have seen the pest.
Say if anyone at home is pregnant, has asthma or keeps pets, fish or birds, so the technician can choose suitable products and tell you how long to stay out. For businesses, say if you need a monthly service contract and audit paperwork. Our pest control price guide shows typical rand amounts.
Getting quotes you can compare
Check that each quote covers the same areas (inside, roof void, garden), the same pests and the same number of visits. Most cockroach and bed bug treatments need a follow-up visit two to three weeks later to catch the eggs that hatch after the first treatment, so ask whether it is included. Ask how long the guarantee runs and what happens if the pest comes back. A very cheap quote that leaves out the follow-up often costs more in the end. For ongoing problems, a quarterly or monthly pest control contract is usually cheaper per visit than calling out each time.
What to include in your request
- The pest, or a photo of it
- Property type and floor area in m²
- Rooms and areas affected
- How long you have seen the problem
- Pets, children or allergies in the home
Fumigation Services for different properties
- Homes and families: a cockroach, ant or flea treatment with a follow-up visit, or tent fumigation for drywood termites
- Landlords, agents and body corporates: treatments between tenants, a certificate for the lease file and annual checks for complexes
- Restaurants and food businesses: monthly pest control contracts with bait station maps and audit records for food safety
- Hotels, guesthouses and lodges: bed bug inspections, room treatments and quiet scheduled visits for guesthouses and hotels
- Offices, schools, clinics and shops: after-hours treatments for offices, schools and shops, with low-odour products
- Factories, warehouses and mines: warehouse fumigation, rodent control and stored product insect treatments in plants
- Farms, grain stores and smallholdings: grain and silo fumigation with phosphine, rodent control in stores and treatment of animal housing
- Exporters and freight forwarders: container and pallet fumigation with a certificate for the shipping documents
Frequently asked questions
Do you do the fumigation yourselves?
How long must I stay out of the house after fumigation?
Is fumigation safe for pets and children?
How often should a house be treated?
Fumigation Services by province and city
- Johannesburg
- Pretoria
- Centurion
- Midrand
- Sandton
- Randburg
- Roodepoort
- Krugersdorp
- Randfontein
- Germiston
- Boksburg
- Benoni
- Kempton Park
- Alberton
- Vanderbijlpark
- Vereeniging
- Durban
- Pinetown
- Pietermaritzburg
- Richards Bay
- Newcastle
- Ladysmith
- Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)
- East London
- Kariega (Uitenhage)
- Mthatha
- Cape Town
- Bellville
- Paarl
- Stellenbosch
- George
- Worcester
- eMalahleni (Witbank)
- Middelburg
- Secunda
- Mbombela (Nelspruit)
- Rustenburg
- Brits
- Klerksdorp
- Potchefstroom
- Mahikeng
- Polokwane
- Tzaneen
- Kimberley
- Upington
- Bloemfontein
- Welkom
- Sasolburg