Termite Tenting: What Is It?

Perhaps you have seen a large tent or tarp covering a house or other structure and wondered what it was. What you saw is evidence of termite tenting or fumigation, which, despite continued concerns, has been proven not to pose a risk to either humans or pets so long as the procedure is allowed to run its course undisturbed. Used for large infestations of dry wood termites, the treatment is quite expensive and this is why great care needs to be taken to verify that the structure to be treated has in fact been infested by a large colony.

Environmentalists deplore the use of fumigation as a pest control strategy against termite infestations. However, the process continues to be employed and some states even require it be done before a house can be sold. There are, despite its effectiveness, some limitations to its use. It is ineffective against subterranean termites. In addition, it has no effect on unhatched eggs -- although some exterminators claim that since there are no workers alive to feed the nymphs, once they hatch they will starve to death. Further, this form of extermination does not prevent new colonies from taking up residence, especially after the early spring swarming season.

Tenting involves covering your house with a tent or tarp and then flooding the house with a gas, the most widely used is Vikane or sulfuryl fluoride, which penetrates the wood killing the unwanted guests.

The gas is said to be odorless and tasteless and should clear from the house by the time the tent is removed and the house is aired out before people and pets return. This type of treatment involves lots and lots of preparation and requires you and other family members to leave the house for one or two days and even longer periods at times. It reduces stress if the family makes a vacation out of the event or take this opportunity to visit the grandparents.

Given the extensive and time consuming preparations needed to use fumigation, as well as its cost, and environmental concerns, some experts say it should be used as a last resort. However, some states mandate that it be used as a first choice and so those faced with a dry wood termites infestation will want to consult with several experts in pest control to decide how best to proceed.