Termite Tenting - How long do I keep my T’s out?

[Contemptress]

My house is going to be fumigated for termites and I can’t find any information on how long the environment will be harmful to invertebrates. Fortunately, I have a safe place for them to ‘vacation’ until they’re safe to return home

 

[The Snark]

Let's get serious here.
1. The people who are doing the fumigation may not know. They may also be using a combination of chemicals. Ask them and only accept hard facts from MSDS info sheets.
2. The manufacturer of the chemicals MUST have an MSDS for each of the chemicals. If they don't or are vague, report them to OSHA immediately and forbid the fumigation.
3. Once the fumigation is done there will be a time period before it is safe for humans and pets to re-enter the environment. THIS DOES NOT MEAN SAFE FOR ALL ANIMALS.

Then the guessing game starts. What is the safe level in PPM for invertebrates?? This may not be tested and established. Humans and pets means dogs, cats, and other mammals. This can be quite a lot higher than safe for invertebrates. Err on the side of caution. You want to know the time frame before the PPM is reduced to or below the TRACE level to be absolutely certain. Contact the manufacturer.
4. If in any doubt, contact Poison Control. They have data sheets on hand of all the commonly used toxins usually including time frames for Toxic Threshold Limits.

This is OSHA territory. One of their principal duties. Don't accept guesswork from the people doing the fumigation. Turn the junk yard dog loose if you get any run around. Both OSHA and their big bother the EPA are very fussy and wield very big clubs: Stop Work orders on a federal level. Comply or deny - cease all commerce court orders.

Consumer to fumigators: "Look. You give me all the cold hard facts or I'm going to call OSHA."

 

[jbooth]

I'd be sitting on the porch with a shotgun until it collapsed

 

[The Snark]

I'd be sitting on the porch with a shotgun until it collapsed

That's plan B.

 

[Contemptress]

Let's get serious here.
1. The people who are doing the fumigation may not know. They may also be using a combination of chemicals. Ask them and only accept hard facts from MSDS info sheets.
2. The manufacturer of the chemicals MUST have an MSDS for each of the chemicals. If they don't or are vague, report them to OSHA immediately and forbid the fumigation.
3. Once the fumigation is done there will be a time period before it is safe for humans and pets to re-enter the environment. THIS DOES NOT MEAN SAFE FOR ALL ANIMALS.

Then the guessing game starts. What is the safe level in PPM for invertebrates?? This may not be tested and established. Humans and pets means dogs, cats, and other mammals. This can be quite a lot higher than safe for invertebrates. Err on the side of caution. You want to know the time frame before the PPM is reduced to or below the TRACE level to be absolutely certain. Contact the manufacturer.
4. If in any doubt, contact Poison Control. They have data sheets on hand of all the commonly used toxins usually including time frames for Toxic Threshold Limits.

This is OSHA territory. One of their principal duties. Don't accept guesswork from the people doing the fumigation. Turn the junk yard dog loose if you get any run around. Both OSHA and their big bother the EPA are very fussy and wield very big clubs: Stop Work orders on a federal level. Comply or deny - cease all commerce court orders.

Consumer to fumigators: "Look. You give me all the cold hard facts or I'm going to call OSHA."

Thank you! I will check documents and make calls. I don’t mind pushing but nobody messes with my babies lol

I'd be sitting on the porch with a shotgun until it collapsed

Or that!

 

[The Snark]

Footnote. I've had a couple of friends who worked for Orkin for years. Smart guys. Neither even knew the contents of the chemicals they used nor the prescribed full safety precautions. They just did what the company told them to do and used the same basic PPEs regardless of it the poisons were particulates or gaseous hazards.

 

[ladyratri]

Doesn't @HooahArmy have a background in this type of chemistry? Might have more input especially if you can find out exactly what treatment they plan to use.

 

[HooahArmy]

Doesn't @HooahArmy have a background in this type of chemistry? Might have more input especially if you can find out exactly what treatment they plan to use.

Hey there! Thank you very much for hailing for me! The post that was previously placed by The Snark is right on.
Every fumigation company uses a different blend and form of chemicals for their procedures and you won't know exactly what's being spread around unless you ask for details. Legally, they must provide your information on what they are using and you can subsequently ask them for a time when you can move your invert pals back home.
Typically, fumigation is conducted within a certain time frame that allows for permeation time and a recovery time, followed by a time in which you can move in. During the permeation time, the concentration of pest-ridding chemicals reach a peak to kill off what's hiding in your walls and is left to sit for a period for maximum impact. After that, the house is allowed to air out to lower the concentration, and by then, the pests in the home will have already succumbed. I have a pal who works in pest control who vouches that routine measurements are taken of the home during this recovery time to ensure that chemical concentrations are safe for pets and humans alike. There have been lawsuits from babies and small animals growing ill from hanging near the ground or by walls of homes opened to early, so most fumigation companies take their airing-out seriously. They don't want to be sued.
However, it still doesn't hurt to ask the company for their recommendations, just in case they have some, or conduct some research as The Snark has mentioned. During my fumigation, I kept on the safe side and opened plenty of windows right after, moving my mouse and invert families back in after an extra two week. Nothing occurred of them after, including with the free-ranging mice that walked around the home.

Sorry I've been away, y'all. The Army has called me off for a month.

 

[The Snark]

@HooahArmy One thing that is desperately needed. MSDS for dummies. Not saying the consumer is dumb but MSDS sheets are filled out by the chemical manufacturers using a zillion different formats. There should be a simplified format, condensation, that gives relevant salients, step by step as to toxicity to what, in what concentration under what conditions and threshold levels in what circumstances. Roughly speaking of course.
The way it is at present the average person may encounter a half page concise info sheet or it can go on for a dozen pages leaving them bewildered. And taking into account average person can't even rattle off the hazmat triangle meanings and levels from memory. Alien territory.
And one major miss: no list of Not Tested On or Not To Be Used In the Presence Of ...... X animals. How many times has the question been asked "Is this safe to be used around my ____"?
What? 50 years of MSDS or more and they are still filled with a whole lot of blanks and omissions.

And while I'm ranting, what gives with a 1000 word precautions info bit in .5 typeface on the average container label?

 

[HooahArmy]

@The Snark You hit the nail right on the head. As much as the scientific community is educated on how toxins and chemicals work, no chimpanzee has gotten smart enough to standardize any MSDS formatting. It's a problem that has been driving the chem community nuts while simultaneously posing risks for consumers. Sadly, for any type of standard to be mandated, there needs to be legislature that demands it since every manufacturer wants to do their own thing to make their their products look as good as possible. I recall that in 2019, there was a push for standardization, yet it was shot down by big $$$ companies who worried that the average 'uneducated consumer' would read the labels the wrong way and be intimidated, subsequently turned off from buying products and thus lowering profits.
I'm getting a rash as I'm typing.
Scoff Pox, of course.

 

[TJ 68]

I had a Situation where Someone brought a Flea infested Dog into my home. I initially tried a "non toxic" treatment that had no effect and things got worse quickly.My pets were still safe ,Isolated in a room (Tarantulas,Birds and some fish)but it was just a matter of time. I had to have the house Fumigated . It was a Common Pyrethrin based mixture. The company said it would be safe after opening the windows for 4 hours. But a company That kills spiders might not be so adept at Saving them. So, to be Safe I used several window fans ,Some blowing in some out and rotating and moving them to other windows. Also I made several "sweeps"with an electric Leaf blower. I did this for 2 Days. Excessive ? Maybe. But I felt Confident when I brought all me pets back in. Hope this helps

 

[Contemptress]

@HooahArmy @The Snark

Thank you both! I’m definitely in the category of ‘the average consumer’ who wouldn’t have a clue what I was reading. Especially if research yields conflicting data, which seems so often to happen!

Right now my T’s are at home with me (living at my parents house) but I’m in the process of cleaning out and prepping a house that had belonged to my grandmother to move into. The current house needs to be fumigated and the new house is being inspected. If I’m lucky we won’t have to tent that one and I (and my babies!) can breathe easy. If we do need to tent the second one, we can take some time between. I’ve got a whole range of reptiles and amphibians to think about too but I *think* the inverts will be the most sensitive. I’ll look into the forms and contact the people you’ve suggested and give myself som extra ‘cushion’ time before bringing them back in.

I had a Situation where Someone brought a Flea infested Dog into my home. I initially tried a "non toxic" treatment that had no effect and things got worse quickly.My pets were still safe ,Isolated in a room (Tarantulas,Birds and some fish)but it was just a matter of time. I had to have the house Fumigated . It was a Common Pyrethrin based mixture. The company said it would be safe after opening the windows for 4 hours. But a company That kills spiders might not be so adept at Saving them. So, to be Safe I used several window fans ,Some blowing in some out and rotating and moving them to other windows. Also I made several "sweeps"with an electric Leaf blower. I did this for 2 Days. Excessive ? Maybe. But I felt Confident when I brought all me pets back in. Hope this helps

I do have a leaf blower! Fans, open windows and the central fan system going will be a must. I’m glad you were able to keep your collection safe!

 

[The Snark]

Also I made several "sweeps"with an electric Leaf blower

I'm partial to a smoke ejector parked in a window for a few minutes, or a quick attack hose set on fog pointed out a window. 20-50,000 CFM hurricanes work wonders for getting the stinky out of houses. One side benefit of having a local fire department give folks a hand in instances like after a breakfast grease fire. Smoke damage is forever. Very often the FD folks are quite happy to lend people a hand and they get to try out some their fun toys in the process. We don't just put the wet stuff on the red stuff. We're also experts at ventilation.

One incident...
Home owner: "I'll never get the smell out of those bedrooms !"
FF: "How do you feel about a new back door? It will only take a minute or two."