Is tenting a property necessary? When should you do a structural fumigation? How would you know what kind of treatments are needed for your property? There are certainly so many questions involved when it comes to pest or termite infestation and in order to have an idea about infestations and termite treatment and its process, it is also necessary that you have some information about termites such as what type of wood they like to feast on or what kind of structure is attractive for them?

Getting information about termites and the treatments for them are always available from pest control companies, all you need to do is to give them a call to know more the process of treatment and everything you may want to learn about termites and infestations.

When Should You Get Your Home Tented?

Tenting a house or a property may be necessary if there is already an extensive termite infestation or if the condition is already getting out of hand. It is also important to know that if you have an infestation of any type whether termites or other pest, there is always that chance for the situation to be out of control especially if the damage takes a long time to become very obvious to the homeowner. To be sure, it is always best to call a professional pest control specialist so they can do a home inspection for you and they can also give you options for treatments if ever you have termites or another type of pest infestation.

If however, drywood termites are the ones invading your home, it may be best to consider getting a tent fumigation right away because a drywood termite can easily cause some big damage to your house without you even knowing it. Tent fumigation is often necessary when the infestations are already very severe and widespread within the property. It is also considered as among the options for treatment depending on the severity of the termite colonies around your house. If you have decided to go for a fumigation, then you will have to leave your house for a few days and first check on the process that you need to do before the treatment begins.

How to Prepare Your House for Tenting Fumigation?

Before the fumigation process there are several things that you need to do in preparation for the fumigation. First thing to do is to set a time and date with the pest control specialist so you can remove the things that needs to be removed and keep everything safe. One of the most important things to do is to remove all the living things that live in your home so aside from the people, this includes plants and pets if you have those because the structural fumigation involves putting chemicals or poison to the structure so it can harm these living things. It is also necessary to remove other things such as medicines, food, and those types of products.

When all the ones mentioned are secure, remember to keep the windows and doors shut tight and also do not forget to remove the linens and other appliances especially those used for food preparation or cooking. Prior to the fumigation process, you also need to make sure that gas is turned off as well as all the other appliances and pilot lights. Using this kind of termite treatment, people would have to leave their homes and stay elsewhere for a minimum of 3 days to be safe.

It would also be easier for the pest control agent to spray the entire home if you leave the closets, drawers, shutters, cabinets, etc. open and accessible. If you have trees or shrubs, it is also best if you trim or cut them back. To be sure that you do not miss any details in the preparation, get a checklist from the inspector.

What Happens During Termite Fumigations?

Once your home is ready for the termite fumigation, the tent will be set up. A pest control agent will cover the home with a big tent and will make sure that it is very much secure to the ground and all edges, joining parts, and corners are pinned down properly. The next step is that the gas is released into the home and the tent, and the latter is left on for about 2 days in order for the fumigation to be more effective.

After the tent is removed, the home needs to be aired out before the homeowners and their pets can safely return. Fumigating a structure and tenting a house to solve your termite infestation in the California area can be expensive as it can cost around $1,280 to about $3,000 or approximately $1 to $4 per square foot depending on the severity of the condition.

Other Options for Termite Treatment

If you are not comfortable to have a structural fumigation to remove the termite colonies in your home, there are other alternatives for treatment like spot treatments if the termite situation is not very severe or is only localized. However, if the termites are infesting inside the walls or in other places that are difficult to reach, then you do not have a choice but to do tenting.

If the termite infestation is localized, aside from spot treatment, orange oil or liquid nitrogen is sometimes injected into the affected wood, or foams and dusts are also used and are injected in small amounts into the termite colony. Vinegar may also work as it can terminate termites on contact. Another option can be heat treatment which can cost around $800 to $2,800 depending on the area affected.

Orange oil, which is a DIY treatment for termites can be effective because it is able to destroy the exoskeletons of the drywood termites and kill the eggs of a drywood termite.

How to Tell If the Walls are Being Damaged by Termites

When an inspection has not been made, you can still find out if your home has termites infesting by looking at signs such as if you see some small pinholes on your wall paper or the paper coating on a drywall, this means termites have eaten through them. Other ways to find out are if there are faint line on the drywall, if there is a peeling or bubbling on the paint, if the windows or doors are jammed, if the baseboards easily crumble, and if there is a hollow sound when you try to tap the wall.

Even when a termite fumigation or tenting has been made, it is not a guarantee that termites will not return. Because of this, professionals suggest that you should do a tent fumigation every 5 years or 10 years. Fumigation may also not eliminate all the termites, but surely, it will set a barrier that will prevent them from setting their nest again in your home. Drywood termites living in your furniture may be eliminated through furniture fumigation as it will terminate the eggs and all the other insects that may be residing there as well. This is an effective treatment because it will go deeply into the nesting areas.

To keep a drywood termite from returning in your homes, there are several ways to make it happen which includes removing sources of standing water or moisture within your property, making sure that there are no broken water pipes or leaky faucets, making sure that you have a proper drainage in your yard, preventing to have excess mulch, and by ensuring that your gutters are always clean. You also have to be aware of areas in your property where wood may be in contact with the soil.

Fumigation is not just a treatment for removing drywood termites but it is also used for other infestations such as wood borer beetle, bed bugs, spiders, etc.

To be infested with drywood termites or other insects or bugs is definitely very annoying and is such a hassle but it needs to be treated, and often we want to avoid structural fumigation as it involves a more tedious process of moving things around and being away from home. In order to avoid this kind of treatment, it is best to get an inspection from someone who knows these things very well. Also it won’t hurt if you know a thing or two about the types of wood so you will have an idea what to use and what not.