When drywood termites infest a building, the best course of action is fumigation. Exterminators do this by first tenting an infested structure (if feasible), and then pumping that structure full of chemicals. Within a few days to a week, the chemicals penetrate wooden structures and surfaces throughout the building and kill all drywood termites hiding within.
Unfortunately, because these chemicals are harmful to other living things, as well as termites, you, your pets and your plants need to be somewhere else during the treatment.
Arrange Accommodations for Your Family
If you are having your house fumigated to remove termites, you'll need to arrange to stay somewhere else for a few days to a week. The length of time depends on the size of your house. Smaller structures take less time to fumigate. Modern chemicals won't contaminate your household possessions; however, you should remove opened food and medicine containers or double-bag them.
Board Your Cats and Dogs
Be prepared to place your cat or dog in a boarding kennel if you need to stay in a hotel. This applies to outdoor cats too since they are at risk of coming into contact with the tent during the fumigation process.
Move Terrariums, Aquariums and Vivariums Out
All living things must vacate a premises before it is fumigated, and that includes fish, plants and lizards. You can place potted plants and terrariums somewhere in your yard in their favoured habitat, where they can get enough shade or sunshine. However, you must also ensure that you trim and remove plants from around your home's foundations, as these will obstruct the tenting process.
And unfortunately, you will need to move your aquarium out of the premises until fumigation is complete. For small aquariums, you can probably rely on a friend or relative to care for your fish for a few days. However, if your aquarium is on the large side, you might need to hire someone to move the aquarium safely. Fortunately, aquarium transportation services do exist in Australia.
But what about reptiles and other exotic pets? If your friends and relatives can't care for them while you are away, you can place them into a boarding facility that specialises in exotic pets like lizards, snakes and spiders. You could even try to find a pet sitter who specialises in exotic pets.
Although moving out of your house or office is a pain, at least you'll be moving back into a building free of termites. Contact a termite extermination service for more information.
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