Whole-house fumigation, handled calmly from prep to clearance
Tenting a Bakersfield home takes about three days. Here is what happens on each of them, and what you need to do first.
Fumigation is the answer to one specific problem: drywood termites that have spread too far, or tunneled too deep, for anyone to treat them spot by spot. The tent isn’t the default fix for every termite call, and a company that reaches for it first should explain why. But when pellets are showing up in multiple rooms, or the galleries run through framing no technician can reach, gas is the tool that gets all of it. It penetrates every stud bay, rafter, and glue joint in the structure at once.
California formally recognizes two whole-structure methods for drywood termites: fumigation and heat treatment. Heat is the chemical-free alternative and a real option for the right house. Fumigation remains the more thorough of the two for large or complicated structures, because gas doesn’t leave cold spots.
If you’re not sure your infestation is the widespread kind, don’t start here. Start with the treatment options overview or a free inspection. Plenty of Bakersfield drywood jobs turn out to be confined to one section of eave or one window frame, and those get treated in place for far less disruption.
When tenting is the right call, though, it’s a well-worn path. The whole job runs about three days, and every step of it is laid out below.
The three days, start to finish
- 1
Day one: seal and tent
The crew tents the house, seals it, and introduces the fumigant. You're already out, with pets and plants.
- 2
Day two: hold and aerate
The gas does its work through every stud bay and rafter, then the tent comes off and the house airs out.
- 3
Day three: test and re-enter
Instruments confirm the air is clear before the house is released for re-entry. No reading, no re-entry.
How to prepare for tenting
-
Bag food and medicine
Anything not in factory-sealed glass or metal goes in special fumigation bags
-
Book two nights away
People, pets, and houseplants are all out for the full job
-
Arrange the gas shutoff
The utility turns gas off before tenting and restores it after clearance
-
Trim back landscaping
The tent has to reach the ground, so plants against the walls get cut back or covered
-
Leave access open
Interior doors, cabinets, and attic hatches stay open so the gas reaches everything
Safety, aeration, and moving back in
The fumigant used for termite work is a gas, and that fact answers most safety questions. Gas doesn’t stick to surfaces. It doesn’t soak into your couch or coat your dishes. When the tent comes off, the house is aired out, and the gas leaves the way it came, completely.
Re-entry isn’t a judgment call. A licensed fumigator measures the air inside the house with instruments, and nobody gets the keys back until the readings confirm it’s clear. That clearance step is built into every fumigation, on every house, because the rule in this trade is simple: no reading, no re-entry.
Two details reassure most people once they hear them. The fumigant itself is odorless, so a warning agent with a sharp, tear-gas sting is released with it, making the tented house impossible to enter unaware. And the crew locks every door with separate secondary locks, so your house keys don’t open anything until clearance.
The washing question comes up on nearly every job, so here’s the plain answer. You do not need to wash dishes, launder clothes, or wipe down counters afterward. There is no residue to wash off. The bagging you do during prep protects food and medicine while the gas is present. Once the house clears, everything else in it is exactly as safe as you left it.
Not sure tenting is what your house needs? Start with the free inspection.
Is there an alternative to tenting?
Sometimes, honestly, yes. If the inspection shows the drywood activity is confined and reachable, a no-tent local treatment kills it where it lives while you stay in the house. If the infestation is bigger but you want to avoid chemicals, heat can take a whole structure or a single wing of it to a lethal temperature in one day.
And sometimes the answer is no. When drywood termites are widespread, or working through framing nobody can reach without opening walls, local treatment turns into a series of partial fixes. Each visit treats what’s visible, and the colony keeps working in the spots that aren’t. Paying for spot work three times is not cheaper than tenting once, and homeowners who go that route usually end up under a tent anyway, a year later and several invoices poorer.
Be wary of anyone who answers this question without inspecting first. The honest version of “do I need to tent?” always starts with someone in your attic.
The deciding facts are spread and access, and an inspection establishes both. For the full walk-through of that decision, read tenting versus no-tent treatment, which covers when each one is the right money.
What determines the cost
Fumigation is priced from the structure, not from a rate card. The main input is volume: the tent covers everything, so a two-story house with an attached garage and patio cover simply takes more tent, more gas, and more crew time than a small single-story. Attachments matter too. Shared fences, decks, and add-ons complicate sealing.
Extent plays its part, since the gas concentration and hold time are calculated for the job, and the two nights of lodging for your household belong in the real budget too, even though they never appear on a quote.
None of these numbers exist until someone measures the house, which is what the free inspection is for. A quote built from your actual structure, with the tent size and hold time worked out, is the only number worth comparing against another bid. Treat anything quoted sight-unseen as a placeholder, because that’s how the company quoting it treats it too.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do we have to be out of the house?
Two nights for most homes, about three days in total. The house is tented on day one, aired out on day two, and released on day three after instruments confirm the air is clear.
Do we have to wash dishes, clothes, and bedding afterward?
No. The fumigant is a true gas, not a spray. It leaves no film on dishes, fabric, or countertops, and it dissipates completely during aeration. Washing everything afterward is a myth left over from older methods.
Is it safe to move back in?
Re-entry only happens after a licensed fumigator measures the air inside and confirms it reads clear. That clearance test is required, not optional. If the instruments aren't satisfied, the house keeps airing out.
What happens to the food in my pantry and fridge?
Anything in factory-sealed glass, metal cans, or unopened original packaging can stay. Everything else gets double-bagged in special fumigation bags or taken with you. The prep sheet spells out exactly which is which.
Will fumigation keep termites from coming back?
It kills every drywood termite in the structure, but it leaves no protective residue behind. New swarmers can start a new colony in later years, which is why periodic inspections are standard after any treatment.
Does tenting kill subterranean termites too?
No. Subterranean colonies live in the soil under and around the house, where the gas doesn't reach. They're treated at the ground with a liquid barrier or baiting, a completely separate job.
What about pets, aquariums, and houseplants?
Everything living leaves for the full three days, including fish tanks, which can't be sealed or bagged. Plan for the aquarium early. It's the prep item that catches people off guard.