Tenting is the treatment homeowners hear about most and understand least. Here's what actually happens between the day the tarps go up and the day you're cleared to move back in.
Drywood termites live entirely inside the wood they're eating, with no connection to the soil. When activity is confined to one accessible area, localized treatment can reach it. When galleries are scattered through the structure — or hidden in framing nobody can open up — a whole-structure fumigation is the option that reaches every board at once, which is the whole point of it.
Whole-structure fumigation uses sulfuryl fluoride (Vikane®). It's a gas, not a residue — it penetrates wood to reach termites wherever the galleries run, then dissipates during aeration. It leaves nothing behind on surfaces, which is why there's no post-treatment barrier and no ongoing protection once the job is finished.
Food, feed, medicines, and anything else consumable that isn't in a factory-sealed glass, metal, or plastic bottle has to be either removed or sealed in the special bags provided for the job. Opened packages, produce, pet food, and medications all count. Plants and pets leave the structure entirely. Your fumigator will give you a written preparation list — following it exactly is what keeps the schedule on track, since a missed item found on fumigation day delays the whole crew.
Plan on being out of the house for roughly 24 to 72 hours depending on the structure and conditions. That covers sealing and tenting, the exposure period itself, and aeration afterward. Nobody re-enters during any of it — the structure stays secured and posted the entire time.
This is the step that actually matters for your safety, and the one most people don't know exists. After the tarps come off, the structure is ventilated and then tested with gas-detection equipment. Re-entry isn't authorized until readings fall below 1 ppm. That clearance measurement — not the calendar, not how it smells — is what determines when you go home.
It's thorough on existing activity: done correctly, it reaches termites throughout the structure in a single treatment. What it doesn't do is prevent the next infestation, because no residue remains afterward. Drywood swarmers can re-enter later, which is why ongoing coverage is handled by a termite bond rather than by the fumigation itself.
Fumigation is a licensed activity with an Operator-in-Charge supervising every tent. That's a legal requirement, and it's a fair thing to ask about directly before you sign — along with whether the crew doing the work is in-house or subcontracted.
No, and it shouldn't be sold that way. Localized drywood activity can often be handled without tenting, and subterranean termites are a different problem requiring soil or bait treatment instead. The honest version of this conversation starts with identifying the species and mapping how far the activity has spread.
Questions about whether your home needs tenting? Call us at (754) 243-8704.