Heat treatments are a non-chemical treatment typically used to eradicate drywood termites and are only useful for eradicating the termites that live in the timber of your home.
After a thorough inspection your termite specialist will discuss with you the best treatment options for your home. If the conclusion is drawn that your home qualifies for a heat treatment, your inspector will schedule all necessary appointments. For example, the preparation appointment, at this appointment your inspector will walk you through all items that are to be removed from the structure, go over all interior and exterior prep work to be completed prior to your heat treatment.
Heat treatments can be a full structure treatment, or a spot treatment by getting rid of infestations within a regional area, such as attics. Large structures such as apartments or condominiums can be treated individually, with minimal disruption to their neighboring units.
Heat treatments takes less than a day, which includes set-up, treatment and take-down. Heat treatments are convenient and are an environmentally friendly alternative to gas fumigation. The treatment process involves heating all wood in the structure to a minimum of 130° F for at least 60 minutes; and while this process is short in terms of time, there are both benefits and potential risks when using heat treatments. If appliances aren’t shut off, or items aren’t removed from the home, heat damage will be apparent among these things. There is potential for heat sinks, which are areas within the structure that are difficult to heat, such as wood on concrete or tile. There may also be a difficulty in raising the internal core temperature of large infested structural beams.
As mentioned, heat treatments are non-chemical, for this reason the absence of chemical residue means that this treatment provides a one-time solution to termite problems. Heat treatments does not provide protection against future infestations. The benefits to heat treatments is the concept of the treatment being non-chemical, which is preferred by environmentally-conscious homeowners.