doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com My doubles and termite tenting

I'm about to have my house termite fumigated. I'm wondering if I have anything to worry about with corrosion? Anything else?

I doubt it, unless they've made it into your stocks. Tape some plastic around your safe if nothing else. Don't forget to buy a new toothbrush.

Chuck, good question. I am facing the same dilemma, and discussions with two national termite companies have failed to generate a straight answer. These guys either don't know (a bad sign) or won't say (another bad sign).

On a related note, I told the termite companies that I would NOT give them a key to the house or garage while the structure is under the tent. Told them I would be happy to meet them at the property whenever they wanted to access the interior. That did not sit well with them, so I'm still looking for a service company.

The Terminix guy did say they add teargas to the gas to drive out animals. I'm wondering if teargas has any corrosive characteristics.

Teargas? So how do the animals get out, assuming they did a halfway decent tenting job? My cousin had to have his house treated for some kind of boring beetles (log house), and they used formaldehyde, and there wasn't any kind of bug anywhere when they were done. The State EPA dude came and checked on them while they were doing it, too. They had a rig that recovered the gas after the treatment. It did/does not corrode anything, and left no residue on anything. Sounds to me like the commercial exterminator outfits are using a petroleum carrier insecticide is all. Shouldn't be corossive, but hard to say with certainty.
I had a big run in with Terminix and Orkin when I lived in NC. They did not want to kill "all" the bugs in my opinion. I guess they figured if they did that, I wouldn't need them anymore. I told them I would sign a yearly contract, but if I saw any bugs, anytime after two months, I wanted a full refund. They wouldn't do it. I went with some small local guy and was very pleased.

I don't know a lot about termites, but my local guy doesn't bring any chemicals into my house. He "planted" about a dozen receptacles in the yard near the concrete foundation, and pours some liquid in each about three times a year. I think it is supposed to poison the little buggers before they get into the house.

I'd be on the safe side and move 'em - that is unless you have 4-5 vaults full?

Yeah, but then my wife would notice how many I actually have.

My understanding is that they use Vikane gas to kill the termites, which kills everything that lives, plants included. The 'stakes' they plant in the ground are for ground termites. I have 'dry termites' and I believe there are also ground termites in this region. So, they treat both ways out here.

Based on my serving jury duty, tear gas is a powder and it remains in a house forever. If they truly used tear gas, you would have to repaint the whole interior and wash every surface not painted. In the trial I was on, the homeowner complained they were still irritated 1 year later from the residue left by 2 grenades shot through the walls.
Just as a point of information on the power of those grenades, as I recall one was shot through a (closed) door and released in the room inside, the second I think went through a window then through an interior wall and released in the room on the other side

cheers Doug