Tent fumigation means covering a whole house or roof in gas-tight sheets and filling it with a fumigant that reaches every crack in the timber. It is used when drywood termites or wood borer are spread through roof trusses, door frames and cupboards, where spraying cannot reach. The house is out of bounds for two to three days. Send one request with the house size and what you have found, and registered fumigators quote you directly, free of charge.
When a house really needs tenting
Most termites live in the soil and are handled with trenching or bait, as explained under termite control. Drywood termites are different. They live entirely inside the wood, need no soil contact, and push out tiny six-sided pellets through small round kick-out holes. Look for a pile of pellets like fine pepper on a windowsill or below a beam.
Tenting also suits heavy wood borer in roof timbers, such as the house longhorn beetle found in older Western Cape homes. If the infestation is in one door frame or one beam, a local treatment may do, so ask the inspector to map the damage first.
Sulfuryl fluoride or phosphine
Sulfuryl fluoride is the usual gas for buildings. It moves into dense timber, clears quickly and is applied at a measured dose for a set number of hours, set by temperature. Phosphine is slower and better known from grain stores. It can tarnish copper wiring and electronics in humid air, which is why it is rarely chosen for a lived-in house.
Which gas is allowed depends on the operator's registration and the product label, so ask your fumigator to name the gas, the dose and the exposure time in the quote.
The process over two to three days
Day one: the crew seals the house under tarpaulins, clamps them at the ground and adds sandbag snakes. Gas goes in and stays for roughly 18 to 24 hours. Day two: the tent comes off and doors and windows are opened to air the house. Day three: a gas meter is read in every room and you may return only when it shows a clear result.
You prepare by taking out or double-bagging food, medicines, pet food and baby formula, removing pets and plants, opening cupboards and drawers, and turning off gas pilot lights. Sealed tins and bottles need bagging unless the fumigator says otherwise.
Cost and alternatives without tenting
Tenting is priced on floor area plus the height of the roof, usually between R35 and R90 per m², with larger and double storey houses at the top. Add accommodation for your family and boarding for pets. Because gas leaves no residue, pests can return, so a surface or borate treatment is often added to protect the timber afterwards. Local options, such as drilling and injecting a beam, suit small infestations. See fumigation services for the wider picture.
What to include in your request
- Floor area in m² and number of storeys
- Roof type and whether there is a roof void
- Where you found pellets or exit holes
- Attached units or neighbours
- Pets, plants and where they can stay
Tent Fumigation for different properties
- Homes and families: tenting a house for drywood termites that have spread through roof timbers and cupboards
- Landlords, agents and body corporates: a clearance and report so a landlord can show the timber is treated before new tenants arrive
- Restaurants and food businesses: rarely tented while trading; usually a closed-day treatment of roof timbers or a stock room
- Hotels, guesthouses and lodges: tenting a guesthouse or lodge in a quiet season, with wooden decks and thatch assessed
- Offices, schools, clinics and shops: treating an older office building or a school hall with infested roof trusses
- Factories, warehouses and mines: tenting timber-framed buildings and stores, or gas treatment of a stack of timber
- Farms, grain stores and smallholdings: farmhouses, outbuildings and homesteads with wooden roofs, often far from the nearest fumigator
- Exporters and freight forwarders: treating wooden crates and furniture in a sealed tent or chamber ahead of shipping
Frequently asked questions
How long must I be out of the house?
Will the gas harm my furniture or electronics?
Can I tent a flat or townhouse?
How do I know the termites are gone?
Tent Fumigation by province and city
- Johannesburg
- Pretoria
- Centurion
- Midrand
- Sandton
- Randburg
- Roodepoort
- Krugersdorp
- Randfontein
- Germiston
- Boksburg
- Benoni
- Kempton Park
- Alberton
- Vanderbijlpark
- Vereeniging
- Durban
- Pinetown
- Pietermaritzburg
- Richards Bay
- Newcastle
- Ladysmith
- Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)
- East London
- Kariega (Uitenhage)
- Mthatha
- Cape Town
- Bellville
- Paarl
- Stellenbosch
- George
- Worcester
- eMalahleni (Witbank)
- Middelburg
- Secunda
- Mbombela (Nelspruit)
- Rustenburg
- Brits
- Klerksdorp
- Potchefstroom
- Mahikeng
- Polokwane
- Tzaneen
- Kimberley
- Upington
- Bloemfontein
- Welkom
- Sasolburg