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Fumigation For Structural Pests
- Expensive, hazardous, but sometimes needed -
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Summary: Fumigation involves using a poison gas or heat to eliminate insect and/or fungal pests from a structure. Both methods are expensive and may be hazardous. It is sometimes the only method available, however.
Jack DeAngelis, PhD
OSU Ext. Entomologist (ret.)
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 Fumigation is a method of pest control in which a pesticidal gas, or sometimes hot air alone, is used to eliminate an infestation of insects or fungi. Fumigation is commonly used in agriculture to control insect pests and diseases in the soil and grain storage facilities. Fumigation is also used to treat infestations of certain pests that damage structures such as drywood termites that are not easily controlled any other way.
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How is structural fumigation done?
Structures are first enclosed in an airtight plastic or cloth "tent" (right). Pesticidal gas is next released into the "tent" and allowed to remain for a specified time after which the tent is opened to allow the gas to vent. In recent years techniques have been developed that use hot air instead of pesticidal gas as the "fumigant". Hot air fumigation is not available in all areas but is a safer alternative to poison gas fumigation for some applications.
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| Tarp-style fumigation tent covering small warehouse. Photo by Art Antonelli |
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| Clear plastic fumigation tent covering house. Photo by USDA. |
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Are there disadvantages of fumigation?
Yes. Fumigation suffers from several drawbacks. It is very expensive and must be performed by an experienced pest control operator. It is inherently hazardous, especially fumigation involving poison gas. It requires vacating the property for one to several days. And, it leaves no residual protection behind -- structures may become re-infested at anytime after fumigation is completed. It is, however, sometimes the only approach that will eliminate an existing infestation. See our article about selecting pest control services before making the decision to hire these services.
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