Our home was tented for termites 2 weeks ago and we had to move out of the house for 3 days. All the ingestable food items had to be double bagged and I had to remove all my indoor plants. I scattered them to my neighbors. lol
Now you see it....
Now you don't....
Im always amazed to see a house tented like that. When I was younger I figured it was just something they showed in the movies to show a bigger mess. Whats it like to come back home when its done? Does it smell different or have any chemical residue? Ive always seen the tents but never knew the afteraffects except for dead bugs.
That looks bizarre! I assume you had it fumigated? I have heard of another process where they subject your home to intense heat. Both sound a bit scary. Are termites a large problem out there?
The house is fumigated for 24 hours, then the tent comes off. It then has to air out for another 24 hours. Then you have to meet them at your home to have it ok'd by them, that the air is pure again and the gas company has to come out and turn your gas back on and sign off on the house. There is no smell and no residue left when you return.
Yes, we have a very large problem out here with the termites. I think they like our beautiful weather. lol There are many ways you can have to eliminate the little buggers, it just depends what type and where they are located in the home. If you catch them early, they can use heat or a frozen spray. If they are in the walls, that's when you need to be tented.
Donna
Donna,
Down in these warm weather areas, we have at least 2 kinds of termites, the subterranean kind like you know about, and the swarming kind. The flying ones get out in May and September, they look like flying ants. They find places to get into your attic and settle in there and go through their life stages. They eat the wood in your attic and move into the house and get into your furniture and books etc.
The swarming kind are treated by tenting your house and injecting gas. The subterranean kind, they drill holes in your house walls and floors and inject liquid killer in those. If you are lucky, you are not infested with both kinds at the same time.
At the old house when they were putting the sewer lines in the neighborhood, the heavy equipment and deep digging brought the subterranean to the surface and we had termites crawling in the house on the floors, during their bug stage.
A point of interest: Back in the early 20's 30's and 40's builders used Dade County Pine and sometimes Cypress to build houses with. These woods are so dense, they are impervious to wood eating insects. Well today, there is no more using of those woods for construction. They ran out of DCP years ago and now code requires concrete block construction.
Donna, a termite man told me years ago, to discourage the flying ones from coming to your house, use a yellow bulb in your outside lights. They will head towards your neighbors house where the regular bright white lights are illuminated at night. Also, make sure that the any cracks or openings in the outside surfaces of your house are sealed up. Caulk corners of soffits at the wall and behind the fascia boards. Make sure there are no holes in your attic vent screens. (Being a house painter, I make sure of a thorough caulking in those areas and I advise the homeowner of any holes in the screen vents.)
Okay, my nickel has run out now.
Molly
OMG!! Mother nature sure does have her way with us huh?
You can all move to Minnesota. Sounds easier than fighting bugs.
Only termites I ever heard of around here, were in a local town in some houses that werte built on top of the sawdust pile from a sawmill years ago.
They all froze to death before they could destroy a house.
Bernie
Living in a climate with cold winters gets better all the time.
Ick Donna! Sorry you had to do that. Is it expensive? It sure LOOKS expensive! Do you have to do it periodically or - how long will this keep them in check?
Molly, thanks for all that great information, I will have DH look into some of our exposed areas.
Bernie and Mary, sorry, but I'd rather fight these little buggers than to live in a cold climate anyday. lol My DH was in the Air Force for 20 years and we have lived in New York, Ohio and Colorado, so I do know what it's like to live in the 4 seasons. Brrrrrr to cold for me.
nc, it's not cheap...it depends on the square footage of your home and it can run from $1000-2000. The fumigation kills the existing bugs only, it doesn't protect you for any that can swarm within weeks. Your best bet is to get a contract with a fumigating company that will do yearly checks, and if you see any sign of the bugs during the year, they will come out and spray immediately.
We had a contract at our other home, but when we moved here 6 yrs. ago, we forgot to get another contract.....so the bugs came without our knowledge, until it got to bad to spray. We are now getting a contract for the future. lol
BTW, do you all notice my big white Ice Berg rose tree? I cut it back in the winter to only a few sticks and look at the show it has given me this year. Wow
Donna
Oh, I didn't miss the rose tree! Gorgeous!
