7 Facts About Tenting a House for Bed Bugs & More

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While tent fumigation, or "tenting," is usually a last resort for pest infestations, it is also something that sometimes cannot be avoided. If your pest control expert has told you that tenting is in your future, here are some things that you need to know about how fumigation works.

Whether you are tenting a house for bed bugs, cockroaches or termites, the work that goes into preparing your house to be fumigated is extensive. There is more to it than simply getting you and your kids and pets out of the house. House plants need to be moved out temporarily. You'll need to make sure that the doors in your house, big and small, are open. Take all of your bed linens out of the house. You also need to get all of your food and food prep items out of the house as well. You'll need to make sure that all of your appliances are off and that any gas flames and pilot lights are out. You can find a good list of each detail you need to take care of over at About.Com.

While the fumigation gasses are going to be centered inside of your home, some are going to leech out via gaps in the tenting or around the bottom seals. This means that you're going to need to make sure that you prepare the landscaping that sits close to your home. You'll need to trim things back so that they are at least a foot away from the structure of your home. This helps keep them protected and keeps unruly shrubs or trees from preventing the tent from fully covering your home.

Tenting does not get rid of all termites or wood beetles. There are subterranean termites too and those pests will need their own treatment. This extra treatment helps set up a barrier that keeps them from getting from their nest and back into your home.

Some homes only need to be tented for a few hours to solve an infestation problem. Other homes need to be tented for as long as a week. How long your home needs to be tented is going to depend upon the size of your home and the extensiveness of the infestation.

A lot of people will try to do their own "DIY fumigations" by trying things like setting off a bunch of room-specific bug bombs. This can be helpful if your home has been infested by pests such as fleas, which can be conquered on a personal level. The DIY fumigation cans are not nearly as lethal or dangerous as tenting (though they aren't exactly super safe either). Tenting a house for bed bugs, cockroaches or termites is something that can only be done by a professional. In some states, a fumigator needs specific licensing and certifications before they can do any fumigating. If the pest problem has infested the structure of your home as well as its surface, always go the professional route!

It can be tempting to rush back into a fumigated home as soon as your pest control expert posts the notice that re-entry is okay. It is important though that you not rush things. Go in yourself firstgive the house at least an extra day to settle before you bring in kids and pets.

Hulett Environmental Services, family owned and operated for 3 generations, is the leading pest control company in South Florida for over 45 years. You can trust Hulett to take care of your home as if it were our own. Our technicians are educated and trained on an ongoing basis to make sure they are ready to provide you with premium service. Our top priority is making sure you are fully satisfied. Hulett only uses the highest quality products and will treat your home in an environmentally responsible fashion. Our Healthy Home Guarantee ensures that if you are dissatisfied with our service for any reason, we will return to make it right or we will refund your last service payment.

Find out how much it will be to tent your house when you schedule a FREE inspection by Hulett Environmental Services.

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7 Facts About Tenting a House for Bed Bugs & More