Cockroach Control
German, American and Oriental cockroaches, gel bait in kitchens, spray where it belongs.
From AED 175 per treatment
Learn more
Resources
Pest Prevention in the UAE
Most infestations are preventable, and most prevention is unglamorous. What actually works, and what does not.
Free
Inspection first
2005
Trading since
Municipality
Approved
Prevention is mostly plumbing and storage
Almost every pest problem we are called to had a way in and a reason to stay. Close the way in and remove the reason, and the treatment you paid for lasts. Skip that, and you will be calling again in three months.
The advice below is specific to living in the UAE. Some of what you will read on international sites does not apply here at all, the climate is different, the buildings are different, and the pest list is different.
The essentials
The five things that actually matter
Close gaps at pipe entries
A mouse needs 6mm, a rat about 20mm. Every kitchen and bathroom has a pipe going through a wall.
Keep drain traps wet
A dry U-bend in an unused bathroom is an open door from the building drain. Run the tap monthly.
Move the bin, not just empty it
What matters is where waste sits overnight and how close that is to your door.
Break down cardboard outside
Cockroach egg cases travel on cardboard. Deliveries are how most offices and shops get them.
Remove standing water
Saucers under plant pots, AC condensate trays and irrigation puddles breed mosquitoes in days.
Fix the leak
Almost every cockroach harbourage we find is next to a slow leak nobody had got round to.
In the kitchen
The kitchen is where nearly every domestic problem starts, and it is rarely about how clean the surfaces are. It is about the parts nobody cleans: the void under the units, the back of the oven, the drip tray under the fridge, and the sink trap.
- Pull the kickboard off once a year and look underneath. It is the single most useful thing you can do.
- Clean the sink trap and the dishwasher filter. Both hold organic residue that feeds cockroaches.
- Store flour, rice and pulses in sealed containers rather than their packaging, stored-product insects arrive in the bag.
- Do not leave pet food down overnight.
Around an apartment
In a flat, most of what you can control is the boundary between your unit and the building.
- Seal around pipe and cable entries, particularly under the sink and behind the washing machine.
- Keep the waste chute door seal clean and closed if your floor has one.
- Run taps in unused bathrooms monthly so the trap does not dry out and vent the drain into the room.
- Check the AC condensate line, a blocked one puts standing water on a balcony all summer.
Around a villa or townhouse
With ground contact on every side, the work moves outdoors.
- Keep timber, firewood and stacked building material off the ground and away from the wall.
- Do not let irrigation run against the foundation. Damp soil at the wall is what termites want.
- Clear rockeries and debris piles near the house, standard scorpion harbourage.
- Fit brush seals on external door bottoms. It is the cheapest proofing there is.
What does not work
Some of the most confidently marketed products do very little.
- Ultrasonic repellers. No good evidence they work on rodents or insects, and they cannot close a gap.
- Spraying visible ants. Kills foragers, leaves the colony. With some species it makes things worse by causing the colony to split.
- Bleach down drains. Does not kill a cockroach harbourage and does nothing about the biofilm they feed on.
- Cucumber, cloves and coffee grounds. Harmless, and about as effective as doing nothing.
Services
Where to go next
If prevention is too late, these are the treatments that deal with what is already there.
Bed Bug Control
Bedrooms, mattresses, frames and skirting, treated by spray with a follow-up visit.
From AED 499 per room
Learn more
Termite Control
Subterranean termites in villas and new build, soil treatment and timber protection.
From AED 699 per treatment
Learn more
Ant Control
Trails into kitchens and bathrooms, treated at the nest rather than on the surface.
From AED 175 per treatment
Learn more
Rodent Control
Rats and mice, baiting, trapping and closing the gap they are using.
From AED 200 per visit
Learn more
Mosquito Control
Standing water, fogging and residual treatment for gardens, compounds and sites.
From AED 199 per treatment
Learn more
FAQ
Pest prevention: common questions
What is the single most effective thing I can do?
Close the gaps. Treatment deals with the population that is already inside; proofing is what stops the next one. It is also the only part that does not wear off.
Do natural or home remedies work?
Mostly no. Some have a mild repellent effect at very close range and none of them deal with a nest or a harbourage. They are not harmful, they just are not a solution.
How often should I have a preventive treatment?
Quarterly suits most homes in the UAE. A villa on the desert edge or a ground-floor flat near a waste area may need more.
Does keeping the house clean prevent pests?
It helps and it is not sufficient. We find cockroaches in immaculate kitchens all the time, because the harbourage is in a void behind a unit, not on the worktop.
Not sure whether you have a problem?
The inspection is free and there is no obligation. If you do not need a treatment, you will be told that.