There are different methods how to get rid of termites and tent fumigation is believed to be one of the most effective ways.
But fumigation has some disadvantages, so here the question appears: is it possible to find an alternative for tenting?
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- Tent fumigation advantages and disadvantages
- When fumigation is the only way?
- Heat treatment as an alternative
- Direct wood treatment as an alternative
- Reducing moisture
- Orange oil usage
- How to choose right treatment?
- Useful articles
- Helpful video
Tent fumigation advantages and disadvantages
The biggest advantage of this type of termite treatment is its effectiveness.
Through tiny holes and splits fumigants penetrate wooden objects and poison termites.
By the way, cockroaches, moth and ants will be dead as well.
One-time fumigation treatment will be enough to get rid of all termites.
The main disadvantage of tenting method is its high price and exclusiveness. Fumigation can be proceeded only by professional exterminators; fumigants are sold only to those companies which have special licenses; furthermore, special tents and all the equipment are too expensive for one-time termite treatment.
Fumigation may cost about two dollars for one cubic meter of the house, so, one fumigation treatment may cost several hundred dollars.
Furthermore, totally fumigation process may take from two to four days depending on outside temperature and the size of your house.
This type of termite treatment will need much effort as well (buying extra bags, spending time on packaging and different preparations, looking for a place to stay, etc.).
Remember! Tent fumigation treatment is used to get rid of drywood termites.Learn more about drywood termites: signs of their activity; best methods of treatment: spot treatment and DIY methods; how to get rid of them in furniture?
When fumigation is the only way?
Basically, as far as fumigation is not an easy process and it may cost a lot, this method is recommended and used for houses with high level infestations when implementing usual termite treatment seems ineffective or impossible.
If you are not sure which method you should choose for your house, you can always ask for a professional advice of your local pest company.
As it was mentioned before, tent fumigation is a perfect way to get rid of dampwood termites. Pest exterminators seal the house under the tent and make it full of poisonous gas using different bombs and foggers.
Fumigation is done with special chemicals which do not have smell and color.
This method is widely used when drywood termites have too big colony or more than one nest in the house.
It is also a good idea to do fumigation when finding termite nest seems very difficult or impossible.
Sometimes termite nests are hard to be reached and therefore direct treatment is hard to be done, so, again, tent fumigation will be perfect.
As far as tent fumigation takes a lot of time and money, termite exterminators prefer trying other methods first.Here you can learn more information about tenting: dangers for termites, preparing for fumigation and cleaning after, how long does this procedure last?
Can you get rid of termites without tenting? Yes, there are some alternative ways of termite extermination without tenting that will be described in the sections below.
Heat treatment as an alternative
You can do termite treatment without tenting. Heat treatment is similar to tent fumigation and can be used only against drywood termites. Exterminators cover the house with a special tent, and instead of poisonous gas they make the house full of heated air.
To make the air heated they use special heating machines. These machines may raise the temperature up to 140 degrees Fahrenheit.
High temperature will heat up the objects inside of the house including wood. As far as termites prefer living in moderate temperatures, they will not be able to stand raised ones.
High temperatures will destroy the whole colony including their eggs.
So, heat treatment is a great alternative in the theme of getting rid of termites without tenting.
Direct wood treatment as an alternative
Direct wood treatment is a special type of treatment when you are trying to deal with termites in the area which they have infested. Direct wood treatment has much smaller extent (comparing with tent fumigation).How to kill termites without tenting? When you see that termites have infested some area, there are several options for you. First, of course, you can remove or replace damaged wood.
But in this case there are no guarantees that your wooden object will not be infested again. Second, you can try to deal with termites directly in this area.
Direct wood treatment is an effective method against termites, but it will be suitable for your house if only termite colonies are not widely spread.
This means that if drywood or dampwood termites have invaded your house, direct wood treatment may be one of possible solutions as their colonies are small. Another situation exists for subterranean termites.
Learn more about subterranean termites: signs of their activity; best methods of treatment and DIY methods. Eastern subterranean termites and their tunnels and tubes with photo.
Their colonies are bigger comparing with other types. Furthermore, they are spread out, what makes it very hard to get rid of them using this method. The problem is that even if you decide to treat infested wood, you will have to do something with soil as far as subterranean termites live underground.
So, in order to make your fight against termites more effective you will also need to use different insecticides to protect the wood. These insecticides will help you to protect your property against future infestations and make termite control without tenting.
Basically direct wood treatment means that you will have to drill holes in the infested area and pour insecticide inside. The more pressure you use, the further it will go inside of wood.But still you have to remember that using this kind of method you don’t have 100% warranty as these injections are not able to penetrate deeply.
Reducing moisture
If you see “infected” wood, that means that the lumber was wet and already in trouble even before the termites moved in. Anytime that damp wood termites are in residence at a home, there is an underlying moisture problem. To eradicate dampwood termites no chemical treatment is required.
Advice! Simply locate and eliminate any sources of moisture.Also eliminate wood to earth contact and the adverse conditions that are conducive to the infestation. Finally hire a qualified contractor to locate any damaged lumber and replace it with sound material.
Orange oil usage
Let’s compare termites tenting vs orange oil. Orange oil is widely advertised as termites’ insecticide as it looks less harmful for people. But the problem is that its usage is ineffective for subterranean termites.
Orange oil will not help you to deal with hidden colonies or those which are hard to reach. Some companies choose it for its marketing and ecological appeal.
Even high concentration of orange oil will not save you from termites in long lasting periods. Furthermore, though orange oil is believed to be “green” solution for pests, it may cause serious problems for people who have problems with their breathing system or allergies.
Orange oil doesn’t have chemical transfer effect so it will kill only some termites, leaving the colony alive.
How to choose right treatment?
There are many different methods how you can get rid of termites. In order to realize what treatment you have to choose you will have to identify the type of termites first.
So, for example, direct wood treatment may help against drywood and dampwood termites, but it will not be really effective way against subterranean ones.
Tent fumigation and heat treatment give 100% warranty but these methods are mostly used for dampwood and drywood termites. The point is that usually the damage that these termites bring cannot be seen (so they can invade the whole house), that’s why exterminators prefer tent fumigation, heat or cold treatment, direct wood treatment, and sometimes use some electronic devices.
Different traps that you can make at home by yourself and oil usage seem ineffective and may kill only small numbers of termites. In order to solve termite problem forever it is much better to call a professional pest company which will find personal solution for you.
And don’t forget that after treatment your wooden property will need some extra insecticides in order to protect it from future infestations.
Useful articles
If you interested in more information of termites we recommend you to read the following articles:
- All types of termites. Are they harmful to humans? Can they bite you? And what is the difference between drywood and subterranean ones?
- What does swarmers of different species look like: drywood, subterranean, formosan?
- Signs of infestation outside and in the house: in walls or furniture.
- What does termite holes look like? What is droppings and is it toxic to humans? Do termites make noises?
- Posible termite damage, how does it look like? Examples of damage in walls and wood floors.
- All about flying termites: how do they look like, swarming season and what to do if there are swarmers in your house?
- How do they do nests and mounds? How to find it in your garden or inside the house?
- Termite life cycle – from egg to larvae. And social hierarchy: workers, soldiers, queen.
Helpful video
On this video you will see comparison of termite spot treatment vs tenting:
