Hi
I'm new to CA. I've just bought my first house. It's been tented for termites. Now I know that termites are endemic here, but I've a piece of old family wooden furniture that I'd like to protect from them. Is there anything that I should / can be doing to give ongoing protection, other than tenting the house every 5-10 years?
Cheers
D
Keep moving the furniture. A coat of wax now and then helps too.
What is this 'tenting' business? Surely it doesn't mean that they put a huge tent over the entire house and then spray chemicals to kill the termites? Please tell me I am wrong on this. Des
That's exactly what it means and I saw it often when I lived in south Florida.
Des
You are wrong!!
I didn't believe it either until I saw it with my own eyes. Think of your house wrapped up like the biggest birthday present you ever received ... and yes, they fill it full of chemicals!
Cheers
Den
Unless you plan on leaving your furniture outside, you shouldn't worry about termites. In CA we have both dry wood termites and those that live in the ground, tenting is the preferred way to get rid of dry wood termites, they make their colonies in the wood of the house not in the ground so poisons applied to the ground have no effect. Since the gassing has no lingering effect, you could get termites the next day, let alone in 5-10 years, it's just the luck of the draw. I was told that caulking all cracks and painting all exposed wood is the best protection from dry wood termites.
-- "Shut up and keep diggen" Jerry
In article , snipped-for-privacy@995.ca says... :) What is this 'tenting' business? :) Surely it doesn't mean that they put a huge tent over the entire house and :) then spray chemicals to kill the termites? :) Please tell me I am wrong on this. :) Des :) :) In certain areas of the country Dry wood termites are a problem. They don't have the same moisture needs as do the subterranean termites found throughout the rest of the country. Basically a large tarp is covering the home where a strong fumigant that has the ability to penetrate the wood kills out the colonies.
In article , snipped-for-privacy@nul.nul says... :) I'm new to CA. I've just bought my first house. It's been tented for :) termites. Now I know that termites are endemic here, but I've a piece of :) old family wooden furniture that I'd like to protect from them. Is there :) anything that I should / can be doing to give ongoing protection, other than :) tenting the house every 5-10 years? :) :) For the piece of furniture, keep it sealed/varnished/painted, and keep inspecting it for any debris falling from it. If it was a piece that termites could move into, the furniture itself would be fumigated rather than the whole house.
Actually, I think they use a gas instead of a chemical (like a pesticide). A friend once witnessed a whole apartment building go up in a ball of flame one night because a spark from an appliance ignited the tent full of gas. Quite an amazing story.
mikey.
Des Perado wrote:
My exterminator told me that the chemical gas used for termite fumigation works by depriving oxygen to the adult termites. It has no effect on the eggs, but when they hatch the larva need to be fed there are no adults around, and so they starve. Don't know how true that is, but I guess it could be.
He also told me that spiders will survive the tenting. I didn't believe him until we moved back in after our tenting and the spiders were still there.
- Dewolla Stepon
I have it on good authority that in Hawaii whenever someone tents their house to treat for termites all their neighboors bring their furnature over for treatment too. Just a part of life there.
Lets hope that CA doesn't make termites a protected species like mountin lions.
They cover the house in plastic tarps, folded over together and clamped along the edges. Pump in chemical - aerosol or gas - leave it a few hours. Only way to get at them inside the wood. Believe tenting is used only for subterraneans and other methods for drywood.
Whoops - knew I got that wrong as soon as I hit "send". Tent for drywood, bait systems and saturation for subterranean.
In article , mikeanon2002 @yahoo.com says... :) I have it on good authority that in Hawaii whenever someone tents their :) house to treat for termites all their neighboors bring their furnature over :) for treatment too. Just a part of life there. :) :) Heh...I've heard they will "sub-out" any empty space inside the house for furniture, to help cover the costs of the home tenting.
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