What to Expect During Termite Tenting and Fumigation

Is tent fumigation safe?

Complex and requiring pesticides with limited distribution, termite fumigation is not for the faint of heart. Only qualified personnel who have undergone thorough training and are verified as competent by a certification process may execute fumigations.

Experts will take down the termite extermination tent once they have determined that the contaminated area has been exposed to enough fumigant to kill all active termite colonies. After taking down the tarps, the experts release fumigants into the atmosphere. About six hours should pass to allow the fumigant to aerate from home after treatment thoroughly.

Based on the extent of the home and the weather outside, the complete fumigation procedure might take anywhere from 24 – 72 hours. The pest control technician will utilize a sensitive fumigant clearing instrument to check each room to ensure the fumigant has aerated and the residence is safe for residents to re-enter.

Termite fumigants don’t leave lasting residues in household belongings, so long as the homeowner follows the expert’s advice to prep or remove certain items well before extermination.

To make your termite fumigation as risk-free as feasible, a trained professional may employ the following tools:

• A fumiscope monitors the quantity of fumigant gas with a fumiscope.
• There are leak detectors set up to detect any gases leaking out of the treatment chamber.
• Before individuals and dogs can come back inside, pros use clearance equipment to ensure there are no detectable levels of fumigant (at least 1 part per million).
• Once the property has been thoroughly ventilated and cleaned, the fumigant will not remain on any treated things.

For pre-preparations.

Arrange for Lodging for the Family

You will need to make arrangements for your family’s lodgings since your home will be isolated for close to 48 hours while the chemicals utilized in work are processed. Make preparations to be far from home for at least three nights.

Consumables for Quick Sealing and Disposal

Get rid of any food that could go bad and double-seal anything you need clarification on. However, the best alternative is putting items in a storage facility outside your house. All medicines, hygiene supplies, and food for pets will be relocated and sealed.

Clothes, linens, and draperies should be packed up and stored. To make it easier and provide adequate protection, put them in suitable bags and think about double-packing. To begin, make sure you are safe by sealing up any porous objects you may have.

Ensure that all electrical devices are unplugged.

You should turn off and unplug equipment like stoves, dishwashers, refrigerators, televisions, and heaters. To further ensure your safety before and after the fumigation, you may contact the gas provider and request that they temporarily suspend service.

Eliminate All Flora

Take all of your plants outdoors, including those from your patios. Move them far from the house’s perimeter so the pest control technicians can set up their tents without damaging them.

Explore the Couches and Chairs

To maximize the efficacy of the treatments used to eliminate termites, remove all plastic from beds, pillows, and furniture. Taking this preventative measure will leave no hiding places for the termites.

All Interroom Doors Must Be Wide Open

Let the chemical spread throughout the house by leaving the doors open. Vacate all drawers, cupboards, and closets as well. The fumigator will easily spray the entire house if the shutters and drapes are left open.

Tent Setup and House Preparation

Removing aerials, cutting back bushes and tree limbs, and removing mulch or gravel from within a foot of your home’s foundation are all part of the plan. Keep the plants around the house’s base well watered so they can survive the fumigation’s chemical treatments.

Drop Your Keys Here

The personnel performing the termite remedy will need access to all areas of your property and will be eager to secure everything before leaving. You can rest assured that the house has a secondary locking mechanism to prevent unwanted guests from entering during the fumigation and subsequent 24-hour quarantine.

How long do fumigation tents stay on?

Homeowners and their pets must vacate the premises for a minimum of 24 hours and up to 72 hours for termite tenting treatment. After everyone leaves the house, specialists will set up a tent around it and release poisons. In 24 hours, the chemical will have penetrated the woodwork and other surfaces that standard treatments miss. Before you can go back inside, you need to get the okay from your pest control service.

How long do you stay out of the house after termite tenting?

It’s not a means of avoidance. In other words, it will prevent new termite colonies from establishing themselves. We understand it’s inconvenient that the family must leave their home. Plenty of planning is required. Homeowners should evacuate people, animals, perishables, plants, toiletries, and open containers.

Pilot lights on gas refrigerators, water heaters, stoves, ovens, broilers, and more, must also be turned off. Also, turn off the gas supply. In addition, before you re-enter the property, your pest control professional will conduct tests in each room to ensure it has been adequately ventilated.

It’s time to lock up the house after we’ve finished tenting. It would help if you locked all the doors. So, we allow it to “sit” for the night after dinner. We’ll be back the following day to see whether there’s any gas left. We’ll give you the all-clear to go back inside once we’ve checked for any lingering gas leaks.

The house is now termite-free, and the family may move back in. The gas does not stain countertops, stoves, silverware, laundry, or sheets. Now that the tenting is complete, you may confidently return all the belongings you temporarily stored away before the tenting began.

Do I need to wash the bedding after termite fumigation?

Nothing! Because the fumigant is a gas that will evaporate from the building and its contents, there is no need to wash dishes, clothing, linens, etc.

Do you need to wipe everything down after fumigation?

It would help if you used a moist towel to clean all surfaces. After each use, toss the rag. After that, use a damp towel to wipe down all surfaces again, but this round with a solution of one part vinegar to one part water.

Ventilate Your House

Termite treatment professionals will take down the tent on the scheduled date. Before you’re permitted back into your house, the pest control technicians will use specialized equipment to test the air quality. Ensure to air the area by opening all the doors and windows so the toxins can evaporate.

Put everything in order and clean it thoroughly.

Fumigation chemicals can linger long after being sealed away, so it’s crucial to wash everything, including clothes and kitchenware, with hot water. Remember to wipe off the walls, ceilings, floors, and surfaces to remove any traces of chemicals.

What does tenting your house kill?

Tent treatment is the only alternative when an invasion is this bad, particularly in an inaccessible place. Termites can hide in hard-to-reach areas, including beams, walls, and under flooring. When you fumigate the tent, the gas travels to all corners and seeps deep into its wooden framework, killing and removing any termites it encounters. When the house has been adequately ventilated and cleansed, it does not leave any residue. Consequently, that is something you can avoid fretting over.

A tent (tarps) is erected over a house, and a qualified pest management expert releases a fumigant to kill any termites lurking. The fumigant will travel via air, in the spaces between, and within the wood where termites live and work. Inhaling the fumigant will reduce the termites’ oxygen supply, disrupt their neurological system, and ultimately kill them.

Take away

Termite tenting is a highly successful method of eradicating termites and preserving your property from any further damage they could cause. Still, it could be a nuisance and an intrusion on your daily life. Having your property treated for termites and protecting your most significant investment is well worth the inconvenience of being relocated for three days.

Over their 33 years of service, Gentry & Associates Termite Control has been in operation. Since its founding by Brett Gentry, we have been a leading provider of termite treatment and wood repair services, focusing on completely eradicating all wood-destroying pests and organisms. The staff is well-versed in regional treatments and termite tent fumigation, for which we hold a California branch three operator’s license. Don’t worry about termites and other pests damaging your property; we’ve covered you.