Fly screens for game lodges earn their keep the first warm evening a guest opens the window. Fly screens are used wherever insects bother people, and the lodges, camps and guest houses around South Africa’s national parks sit right where the insects are: next to rivers, dams, wetlands and bush, with the lights on after dark.
This guide covers fly screens for game lodges in every major national park region, from the Kruger and Zululand to the Waterberg, the Eastern Cape and the Kalahari. It explains how our roll-up aluminium fly screens work, how to plan them room by room, what they cost per opener, and how they reach you from our workshop in Johannesburg.
In this guide
Why fly screens for game lodges matter
A lodge sells the bush, and the bush comes with insects. Guests want to hear the night outside, not a mosquito in the room. Moths and beetles crowd every light near the deck, and flies find the kitchen in the heat of the day. Air-conditioning helps, but many guests would rather sleep with the windows open, and many camps run on solar power that does not stretch to cooling every room all night.
- Guests sleep with the windows open. The mesh lets the night air in and keeps the insects out.
- Fewer complaints and better reviews. Insects in the room are one of the most common complaints in bush accommodation.
- The view stays clear. Roll-up screens disappear into their head in the day, so nothing sits between the guest and the bush.
- Frames that cope. Aluminium does not rust in humid summers, and the screens stand up to dust, sand and dry winters.
Fly screens for game lodges are also part of sensible malaria precautions in the parts of the country where malaria occurs. They are a physical barrier that works with nets, repellent and medical advice, never a substitute for it; the NICD malaria guidance explains where and when the risk applies.
Fly screens for game lodges by national park region
Every region has its own insects and its own season. These are the national park regions we supply most, with what to expect in each. For park information and bookings, see South African National Parks.
Kruger National Park and the Lowveld
The busiest lodge region in the country, and a malaria area with the highest risk in the rainy months. Hot, humid summers bring mosquitoes from dusk and moths around every light. Our Kruger National Park fly screens guide covers the Lowveld in detail, from Hazyview and Malelane to Hoedspruit and Phalaborwa.
Zululand: Hluhluwe-iMfolozi and iSimangaliso
Warm, humid and close to wetlands, lakes and the sea, so insects are active for much of the year. The far north-east of KwaZulu-Natal is also a malaria area. Lodges and guest houses here screen every bedroom opener as a matter of course.
Limpopo: Mapungubwe and Marakele
Hot bushveld summers and big rivers. Mosquitoes gather near the Limpopo and the dams, and the long, warm evenings are when guests want the windows open.
North West: Pilanesberg and Madikwe
Dry for much of the year but busy with insects after the summer rains, especially near water and around the lights of lodges and camps.
Eastern Cape: Addo Elephant National Park
Warm summers and valley bushveld, with flies through the day and mosquitoes near water in the evening. Fly screens keep the rooms comfortable without closing them up.
Northern Cape: Kgalagadi and Augrabies
Very hot and dry, with flies the main nuisance in the day and insects around the lights at night. Screens let rooms be aired in the cooler evening without letting them in.
Garden Route and the Western Cape
Milder, but forests, lakes and rivers bring mosquitoes in summer. Guest houses near the Garden Route parks screen the bedrooms they let.
How our roll-up aluminium fly screens work
A roll-up fly screen has four parts. An aluminium outer frame is fixed around the opening sash, and an aluminium screen sash is joined at the corners with cleats. The insect mesh is held in with a spline gasket and rolls up into the head of the screen, and a pull handle lowers the screen and raises it again.
The screens cover the opening sash only, not the whole window, and a twin opener needs two. For every detail, see our aluminium fly screens guide.
Planning fly screens for game lodges room by room
Fly screens for game lodges are priced per opener, so it pays to plan by room and start where guests feel the insects most.
- Guest suites and tents with windows. Every opener, so the room can be aired all night.
- Kitchens, sculleries and dining rooms. Screens keep flies off food in the day and moths away from the lights at night.
- Lounges and bars with opening windows. Screen the openers that stay open in the evening.
- Staff housing. The same insects, and staff sleep better with screens too.
The quickest way to price a whole lodge is the Whole project tab of our online estimator. List every window, tick Fly screens on each top hung, side hung, Genius or casement insert line, and the screens are priced and ordered with the windows.
Roll-up or fixed fly screens for a lodge?
A fixed screen is a framed mesh panel clipped or screwed over the opening. It is cheap and works, but it stays in front of the glass all year, gets in the way of the window handle and makes cleaning the glass harder. In a lodge, fixed screens also take the brunt of guests pushing past them to open a stuck window.
Roll-up fly screens for game lodges sit out of sight until dusk and come down with one pull of the handle, so the room looks open by day and is protected by night. That is why we make roll-up screens, one per opener, rather than fixed panels.
Which windows take a fly screen?
Roll-up fly screens are made for windows that open on hinges: top hung windows, side hung windows and our casement windows with opening sashes, in the 30.5 mm Standard frame and the Casement 34 frame. Every Coetz™ window with opener sizes on its product page can take them. For windows from another supplier, compare the opening sash with the sizes on the roll-up fly screen page before ordering.
What fly screens for game lodges cost
Prices are per opener, excluding VAT. They run from R938.40 for a 250 × 600 mm opener to R3 051.41 for a 900 × 1 800 mm opener. A 600 × 600 mm opener, the size on a 1 200 × 1 200 mm top hung window, is R1 324.45, and a 600 × 900 mm opener is R1 655.36. For a lodge, multiply by the number of openers in each room; the estimator does this for you.
Fly screens for game lodges in a new build or refurbishment
If the lodge is being built or the rooms are being refurbished, plan the screens with the windows. Top hung and side hung windows with sensible opener sizes keep the screens affordable, and choosing the same few window sizes across all the rooms makes maintenance and spares simpler. Ordering windows and screens together also means one delivery to the reserve instead of two.
For an existing lodge, start with the rooms that get the most complaints and add the rest between seasons. Screens can be added to Coetz™ windows at any time.
Delivery to lodges across South Africa
Our windows and screens are made to order at our workshop in Laser Park, Johannesburg, and delivered nationally. Delivery is worked out at checkout from the straight-line distance to the address: R650 within 60 km of Laser Park, plus R7 per kilometre, there and back, for every kilometre beyond that, and R950 instead of R650 for oversized orders. Collection from Laser Park is free.
Remote lodges should order everything in one go so one delivery covers the windows and the screens. The delivery page explains the rates, and our team can confirm the cost for a reserve address before you order.
Fitting and care in the bush
Fly screens for game lodges from Coetz™ are supply only, so your own installer or maintenance team fits them, usually with the windows. Care is simple: brush or vacuum the mesh, wipe the frame with mild soapy water, and keep dust, sand and leaves out of the head of the screen. Guide each screen up with the handle rather than letting it spring back, and it will roll smoothly season after season.
Fly screens for game lodges: frequently asked questions
Do fly screens keep mosquitoes out of lodge rooms?
Yes, through the windows they cover. The mesh stops mosquitoes, flies and moths coming through the opening sash. In malaria areas keep using nets and repellent and follow medical advice.
Which national park regions do you deliver to?
All of them. We deliver nationally from Johannesburg, with the cost worked out at checkout by distance, or you can collect from Laser Park for free.
Can we order fly screens for every room in a lodge at once?
Yes. Use the Whole project tab of the online estimator, tick Fly screens on each window line, and the screens are priced and delivered with the windows.
Do the screens suit humid or coastal lodges?
The frames are aluminium, which does not rust. Rinse and wipe them now and then, and keep the head of the screen clean.
Can fly screens be added to windows we already have?
Yes, to Coetz™ windows at any time: choose the opener size on the roll-up fly screen page. For other windows, check the opener against our sizes first.
Who fits fly screens for game lodges?
Your installer or maintenance team. Our windows and screens are supply only, and the screens ship with your order.
Coetz™, Unit 2, 84 Ridge Road, Laser Park, Johannesburg. Call 010 412 0062, WhatsApp 076 613 4418 or use our contact page.
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