Thick old walls, a tin roof ticking in the heat, a pepper tree in the yard and the Swartberg rising behind the village. De Rust is the Klein Karoo at its most charming, and the scorpions agree.
In De Rust homes and guest houses, the pests to expect are scorpions and spiders, rats and mice in roofs and outbuildings, bees in old walls, flies on hot summer days, and wood borer in old timber. Farms around the village add rodents in feed stores, flies around animals and stored produce. We plan our De Rust trips from George ahead of time and treat everything we can on the same visit. Treatments inside the house leave no smell, are safe for children and pets after drying, and fall under our 3-month guarantee.
A Karoo village at the mouth of the poort
De Rust lies east of Oudtshoorn at the southern end of Meiringspoort, the road that cuts through the Swartberg. It's a village of old Karoo houses, thick-walled cottages, guest houses, farm stalls and small farms, with orchards, vineyards and ostrich camps around it. Summers are very hot and dry, winters cold. Tourists pass through on their way to and from the poort, and plenty of the old houses have become guest houses.
Scorpions on hot nights
Scorpions are part of Klein Karoo life, and De Rust is no exception. They shelter under stones, in cracks in old walls and in woodpiles during the day and come out on warm nights. Thick-tailed scorpions are the ones to be careful of, with a heavy tail and thin pincers. They come into houses under doors and through gaps in old walls, and end up in shoes and bedding.
Spraying along the outside of the house, the sheds and the guest rooms, getting rubble and stone edging away from the walls and fitting seals under the doors makes a big difference. A UV torch at night shows you exactly where they are, because scorpions glow under it. See scorpions, scorpion safety in the Klein Karoo and our page on scorpion control in Oudtshoorn, which covers the same country.
Old walls, tin roofs and rodents
Old Karoo houses have thick walls with gaps, roof spaces under corrugated iron, and outbuildings full of tools and stored goods. Rats and mice move in, especially in winter. We place bait stations in roof spaces and outbuildings, use traps where they're better suited, and show you the gaps to close. See rodent control.
Bees in the walls
Cavities in old stone and brick walls, chimneys and roof spaces make perfect homes for honey bee colonies. A colony in a guest room wall is a real risk. It needs removing properly, with the comb, so the honey doesn't melt into the wall in the summer heat and attract the next swarm. See bee removal in Oudtshoorn and our honey bees profile.
Guest houses
For guest houses, the pests that matter are the ones guests notice: a scorpion in the shower, a cockroach in the kitchen, wasps near the pool, or bites in the night. A regular treatment, timed before the busy seasons, keeps them out of sight. If a guest reports bites, take it seriously and check the mattress seams for bed bugs. Our commercial pest control page covers contracts for hospitality.
Flies and farms
On hot days, flies gather around kitchens, bins and animal pens. On the farms around De Rust, manure, feed spills and fruit waste breed them quickly. Clearing those every few days, keeping bins closed and treating where flies rest keeps numbers down. See fly control in Oudtshoorn and farm pest control.
Farm stalls and roadside shops
Farm stalls and shops serving travellers through the poort have their own pest picture. Fresh fruit and dried fruit on display bring fruit flies and wasps, especially in late summer. Stockrooms with bags of nuts, dried fruit and grain attract mice and stored product insects. Bins behind the shop breed flies in the heat. Rotating stock, keeping storerooms sealed and clean, emptying bins daily in summer, and regular treatments for rodents and crawling insects keep a farm stall looking the way it should.
Old timber
Old yellowwood and pine floors, beams and furniture in historic houses can carry wood borer. Fresh, pale dust under small round holes means the beetles are active. See wood borer beetles.
Pepper trees, vines and roof rats
The big old pepper trees, vines and creepers that shade so many De Rust houses are lovely in the heat, and they give rats a ladder onto the roof. Keep branches and creepers trimmed back from the roofline, especially before winter, when rodents look for warm places to nest. It's one of the simplest things you can do to keep the roof quiet at night.
What it costs
Price follows the property: house and outbuildings, guest house or farm, which pests and how established, plus the drive from George. A scorpion barrier treatment on a cottage is a modest job. A guest house with several rooms or a farm with feed stores takes longer. We'll quote before we come.
We also cover Oudtshoorn and Dysseldorp. Call 044 012 5011, or book a De Rust visit online.
Frequently asked questions
Do you do pest control in De Rust?
Yes. We plan De Rust trips ahead and treat homes, guest houses and farms in and around the village.
How do I keep scorpions out of an old Karoo house?
Start with the doors: brush strips underneath, and a check of every spot where pipes come through the wall. Then clear stone and rubble from the base of the walls and have a barrier treatment done.
Can you get bees out of a thick stone wall?
Yes. We take out the colony and all the comb, because comb left inside softens in the Karoo heat, stains the wall and draws new swarms.
Can you work around guest house bookings?
Yes. We treat rooms between guests and plan the visit around your bookings.
The pepper trees hang over our roof. Is that a problem?
It gives roof rats a bridge onto the house. Cutting back branches that touch the roof is one of the simplest ways to keep them out.
Do you service farm stalls?
Yes. Farm stalls and roadside shops get the same care as any food business, with records if you need them.