Should I Fumigate or Do Spot Treatment for Termite Control?

Fumigation and Spot Treatment Options for Effective Termite Control

Termites are a homeowner’s worst nightmare, and among the three types—dampwood, drywood, and subterranean—termites attack about 600,000 homes in the United States annually. Residential and commercial termite damage totals about 5 billion dollars each year, and many treatments are used to address this problem. These treatments all have their place, but how do you know which is best for your home?

Is Spot Treatment for Termites Effective?

When you talk about spot treatment for termites, it’s a little bit of a misleading term. A better way to think about it is as “targeted” treatment, designed to hit termites where they live and eradicate the colony. Spot treatment sounds a little haphazard, but in fact, targeted termiticide treatment involves careful inspection so that liquid termiticides can be applied directly to areas where termites have nests and tunnels. This makes it highly effective, especially in new or small infestations, because it addresses the root of the problem.

Pros and Cons of Targeted Termite Treatment

In addition to being effective, spot treatment is usually more cost-effective than fumigation because it uses fewer materials and takes less time. In an extensive infestation, however, it may be challenging to reach every part of the colony, because it’s not always possible to assess the areas in which the termites are living fully. Still, targeted treatment is easier on the homeowners because there is no need to leave the property, and it works exceptionally well for termites in a small part of the house. Further, this treatment has a residual effect, so that once the termites have been ousted from the house, they are unlikely to return.

Is Fumigation the Best Way to Get Rid of Termites?

With fumigation, the entire house is enclosed in an air-tight tent and filled with fumigant gas, which penetrates every part of the home and reaches every place that termites may be hiding. Companies focused on fumigation will tell you it’s the best way to eradicate a drywood termite infestation. It’s only used for drywood termite infestations, so if you have a subterranean termite infestation, fumigation won’t be an option. This is because subterranean termites build their nests underground, moving in and out of your home through mud tunnels. Fumigating won’t get rid of them because, unlike drywood termites, they don’t live in the wood of the home they’re devouring. Further, while the idea of tent fumigation is to get rid of all the termites in the house, fumigation doesn’t do anything to prevent them from coming back as soon as the tent’s down. If even a few termites were out of the house when the fumigation was performed, you could end up with a new infestation almost immediately.

Pros and Cons of Fumigation

Fumigation can be highly effective, providing comprehensive treatment of the entire property. If the home is infested throughout the building, with termites spread throughout the house, fumigation is a good option for eliminating every member of the colony. This method is not without its drawbacks, however. It’s much more expensive than spot treatment. Additionally, fumigation is hazardous to human health and deadly to termites, so it requires people to leave their property for several days while it is being treated. The homeowners will also need to remove pets, plants, food, and medication from the house, and some appliances may need to be disconnected, as well as the gas service and the HVAC system. The treatment used to fumigate a home must be handled very carefully by experienced professionals.

Is Tenting or Spot Treatment Better for Termites?

To determine the best way to eliminate your termite infestation, start with a professional inspection of your home. A reputable termite professional will inspect every part of your property, determine the extent of the infestation, and recommend the best approach. Taking into consideration the size and configuration of your property, the type of termite, and the environmental impact, your termite extermination company will be able to come up with a plan that handles your termite problem, fits your budget, and meets your needs. No matter what treatment is done to remove termites from your home, make sure you are working with a reputable company that will also offer a warranty on their treatment, so that you can be confident that your termite problem won’t recur. Your termite extermination company should also work with you to find preventative measures to keep the termites from returning. Using best practices for termite prevention and having an annual professional inspection can help keep your home termite-free for good.

What Most Companies Won’t Tell You About Fumigation and Spot Treatment

Did you know that fumigation, while effective at eliminating drywood termites throughout your home, leaves no residual protection? As soon as the tent comes off, there’s nothing stopping new termites from flying in and starting a fresh infestation. In contrast, targeted spot treatments can offer a residual effect, depending on the product and application method—helping protect your home beyond the initial service.

However, spot treatments are only as effective as the inspection. They address visible infestations, so it’s crucial to work with a company that performs thorough, complete inspections—not just limited ones. At MightyMite Termite, we recommend tenting only in rare cases, such as inaccessible infestations or when it’s the most cost-effective option for the homeowner.

The Right Service Starts with a Free Inspection from MightyMite Termite Services

At MightyMite Termite Services, we rarely use fumigation to treat termite problems. Preferring targeted treatment to address most termite infestations more effectively, we use fumigation only in a few situations. If it’s the most cost-effective way to treat a home, the homeowner is not interested in other treatments, or the infestation is in a place we cannot physically reach, fumigation will be recommended. Our goal is always to provide the proper treatment for each unique situation to eliminate termite infestations and prevent their return. Experts in California termite control, MightyMite Termite Services offers free termite inspections and customized treatments, using environmentally low-impact, naturally derived treatments. We have an industry-best “no call-back rate,” because our experienced team works hard to solve your termite problems the first time. Our dedication, experience, and highly trained professional staff make us the leading extermination company in the Bay Area, and we work hard to provide our customers with excellent service, utilizing best practices to solve their termite problems effectively. To schedule an inspection or learn more about our services, contact us through our website.